When someone dies with an easyJet booking, the airline has a dedicated bereavement process for cancelling flights and requesting a refund or voucher. easyJet’s standard fares are non-refundable, but this process operates outside the usual cancellation policy. There is no dedicated bereavement phone line – everything goes through an online contact form or, if you cannot scan documents, by post.
This guide covers every aspect of the process: cancelling flights, the refund versus voucher question, what happens to easyJet Holidays bookings and easyJet Plus membership, a known issue with refunds going to a closed bank account, and when travel insurance becomes the more practical route.
Quick reference:
- Bereavement contact route: Online Contact Us form at easyjet.com – select “Refund/Voucher due to bereavement” from the dropdown
- General customer service: 0330 551 5151 (daily, 7am–10pm) – cannot process bereavement cancellations directly
- Postal address: Executive Support Team, easyJet Airline Company, Hangar 89, London Luton Airport, LU2 9PF
- Processing time: 7 working days from submission
- Outcome: Refund or flight voucher at easyJet’s discretion – vouchers valid for 6 months
- easyJet Holidays: Separate company – phone 0330 551 5165 (Mon–Fri 10am–8pm, Sat–Sun 9am–6pm)
- easyJet Plus: No death-specific policy – call 0330 551 5151 and ask for a discretionary goodwill refund
- Tell Us Once: easyJet is NOT part of Tell Us Once – it is a private airline and you must notify them directly
Does easyJet offer bereavement fares?
Before getting into the cancellation process, it is worth clarifying one common question: easyJet does not offer bereavement fares – discounted last-minute tickets for people who need to fly urgently to attend a funeral or because a relative is dying. Most UK and European budget airlines do not offer these, and easyJet is no exception.
What easyJet does offer is a bereavement cancellation process – a way to get a refund or voucher for flights the deceased or their family can no longer take. These are two separate things.
If you need to book an urgent flight to attend a funeral, the most practical approach is to search for the best available fare at the time of booking. Flexible fares will let you change or cancel the flight if your plans change; standard fares will not. For ATOL-protected package bookings, some operators offer more flexibility for bereavement travel, but easyJet itself does not have a compassionate fares programme.
How to contact easyJet about a bereavement
The online form (primary route)
easyJet does not have a dedicated bereavement phone line, and the general customer service number (0330 551 5151) cannot process bereavement cancellations. The only route for bereavement cancellation requests is the online Contact Us form.
Go to the cancellations help page at easyjet.com/en/help/booking-and-check-in/cancelling-your-flight and select the Contact Us form. From the dropdown menu, select one of the two bereavement options:
- “Refund/Voucher due to bereavement” – to cancel flights and request a refund or voucher
- “Flight change fee refund due to bereavement” – if you have already changed a flight and paid a change fee you want refunded
When completing the form, you will need to provide:
| Information required | Notes |
|---|---|
| Booking reference | Found in the confirmation email |
| Which passengers cannot travel | Name(s) of the affected passenger(s) |
| Which flights need to be cancelled | Or which flights were missed |
| Whether the deceased was the booker, a passenger, or a non-passenger family member | easyJet covers all three scenarios |
| A copy of the death certificate | Attached to the form (scan or photograph) |
| Your contact email and phone number | For the team to follow up |
You do not need to be the person named on the booking to submit the request. easyJet explicitly covers cases where the deceased was the lead booker, a passenger on the booking, or a close family member who was not travelling on the booking at all. If you are a co-traveller, you may also be able to cancel your own seat on the same submission.
The dedicated bereavement team aims to process requests within 7 days of receiving them. This is a target, not a guaranteed timeframe – during busy periods responses may take longer.
If you cannot use the online form
If you are unable to complete the form online, or cannot scan and attach the death certificate, write to:
Executive Support Team
easyJet Airline Company
Hangar 89
London Luton Airport
LU2 9PF
Include your booking reference, the details listed above, and a copy of the death certificate. Allow extra time for postal submissions – at least two weeks on top of the 7-day processing window is realistic.
General customer service
easyJet’s general customer service line is 0330 551 5151, available daily from 7am to 10pm. Live chat is available at easyjet.com daily from 8am to 8pm. The phone line and live chat cannot process bereavement cancellation requests, but they can answer general questions, confirm that a form submission has been received, and help with follow-up if you have not heard back within the expected timeframe.
Cancellations and refunds
easyJet’s standard terms are clear: tickets are non-refundable. The bereavement process is an exception handled at the airline’s discretion – there is no legal right to a refund simply because someone has died. In practice, the bereavement team processes both cash refunds and flight vouchers, depending on the circumstances of each case.
What easyJet may offer
When a bereavement request is approved, easyJet may offer either:
- A full or partial cash refund to the original payment method
- A flight voucher for the value of the unused flights, valid for 6 months from the date of issue
The choice between refund and voucher is at easyJet’s discretion. Based on reported experiences, vouchers appear to be the more common outcome, particularly for straightforward requests. Cash refunds have been issued in some cases, particularly where the family explains that a voucher would have no practical value – for example, where the person who was due to travel is now too unwell to fly, is elderly, or simply has no upcoming travel plans.
If you are offered a voucher but believe a cash refund is more appropriate to your circumstances, state this clearly in your initial submission or follow-up. easyJet has shown willingness to consider individual circumstances on bereavement requests; they are not rigidly applying a script.
Fare type and airport taxes
easyJet sells several fare types: Hands Free, Standard, Flexible, and FLEXI. Standard and Hands Free fares have no cancellation value under normal rules. Even if easyJet declines to refund the fare itself, airport taxes and charges are always refundable regardless of fare type – these are government levies collected by the airline on behalf of airports, not the airline’s own revenue. If the bereavement team only refunds the tax element and declines the fare, this is technically within policy, but it is worth making the case for more.
If the booking was a Flexible or FLEXI fare, you may also have standard cancellation rights independent of the bereavement process. Check the booking confirmation for the fare conditions.
Change fees
If someone on the booking changed a flight date before the death and paid a change fee, that fee can be refunded specifically by selecting “Flight change fee refund due to bereavement” in the online form. This is separate from a full cancellation request.
Acting before flights depart
The bereavement process covers both flights the passenger can no longer take and flights that have already been missed. However, acting before the scheduled departure gives you more options, including the possibility of rebooking onto an earlier date (with the change fee refunded) rather than cancelling outright. Once the flight has departed, the only option is the post-flight cancellation and refund/voucher request.
The refund-to-closed-account problem
A known difficulty has emerged in some bereavement cases: easyJet processes refunds to the original payment method – the card or account used when the booking was made. If the deceased was the lead booker and paid with their own card, and that account has now been frozen or closed (as typically happens once a bank is notified of a death), the refund may bounce.
In these situations, easyJet has in some cases declined to pay into an executor’s account or another family member’s account, even where the executor holds a Grant of Probate. This creates a practical impasse: the original account is closed, and easyJet cannot or will not send the money elsewhere.
The Civil Aviation Authority’s position is that airlines should be able to pay refunds into an executor’s account where the original payment method is no longer available. If you encounter this problem:
- Contact easyJet customer service on 0330 551 5151 and explain the situation clearly
- Provide the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration if you have them – this establishes your legal authority to receive the estate’s funds
- If easyJet refuses, consider escalating to the CAA’s Passenger Advice and Complaints Team (PACT) at caa.co.uk
- As an alternative, request a flight voucher in a family member’s name rather than a cash refund – this sidesteps the bank account issue entirely
This situation is most likely to arise where the booking was made on a debit card tied to a sole account. Where the booking was made on a joint account, the account should remain open for the surviving account holder.
Bookings in the deceased’s name only vs joint bookings
Booking in the deceased’s name only
If the deceased was the lead booker and all passengers on the booking are named on the same ticket, the cancellation request goes through the bereavement form as normal. The person submitting the request does not need to be named on the booking.
One practical issue: easyJet sends follow-up communications and any vouchers to the email address on the booking. If the booking was in the deceased’s name with their email address, you may need to mention in the form that you are responding on behalf of the estate and provide a contact email address for the response.
Joint bookings – only the deceased cannot travel
Where a booking covers multiple passengers and only the deceased cannot travel, the remaining passengers may still wish to fly. In this scenario, the bereavement request can cover just the deceased’s seat – you select which passengers cannot travel and which flights to cancel. The remaining passengers’ bookings should not be affected.
If the remaining passengers decide not to travel either (because they are accompanying the family through bereavement), the same form can cover all passengers on the booking.
Booking made as a gift or in another person’s name
If someone made a booking as a gift for the deceased – paying on their own card but in the deceased’s name as a passenger – the refund will go to the original card holder. In this case, contact the person who made the booking so they can submit the form using their details and attach the death certificate.
Bookings through third parties
If the flights were booked through a comparison site, a travel agent, or as part of a package with another operator (not easyJet Holidays), easyJet cannot process the refund directly. You must contact the original booking provider and supply the death certificate and booking reference. The third-party provider will then request a bereavement waiver from easyJet, but their own policies and contractual terms with the airline will determine the final outcome.
Common third-party scenarios:
- Booking.com, On the Beach, Lastminute.com: These platforms act as the merchant. Their bereavement policies vary significantly. Some will contact easyJet on your behalf; others direct you back to easyJet even though they hold the booking. Check the booking confirmation to establish who sold the ticket.
- High street travel agents: Most will have their own bereavement procedures and will liaise with easyJet directly. Provide the death certificate and booking reference and ask them to submit a waiver request.
- Holiday packages with another operator: The package operator’s bereavement policy applies to the whole booking, not just the easyJet flights. See the easyJet Holidays section below for packages booked directly with easyJet Holidays.
easyJet Holidays
easyJet Holidays is a separate legal entity from easyJet the airline – it is operated by easyJet Holidays Limited, not easyJet Airline Company. A booking that combines flights with a hotel, transfers, or other package elements through easyJet Holidays is an entirely different product, subject to different rules and a different contact route.
Do not use the standard easyJet bereavement form for easyJet Holidays packages. Contact easyJet Holidays directly:
easyJet Holidays customer service:
0330 551 5165 (Monday–Friday 10am–8pm, Saturday–Sunday 9am–6pm)
If you are mid-holiday when the death occurs, use the 24/7 on-holiday support line: 0330 551 5160.
The easyJet Holidays help centre and contact form is at easyjet.com/en/holidays/help.
Your rights for package holiday cancellations
Package holidays booked through easyJet Holidays are governed by the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018. Under Regulation 12 of these regulations, you have the right to cancel a package holiday before departure without paying a termination fee if there are “unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances” at or near the destination that significantly affect the performance of the package. This provision is designed for circumstances affecting the destination (war, natural disaster, severe government warnings) rather than the traveller’s personal situation, so a bereavement does not automatically trigger this right.
easyJet Holidays will, however, review bereavement cases on their merits. Contact them as soon as possible, provide the death certificate, and request a refund or credit note on compassionate grounds. Given the ATOL protection that applies to the flight element of package holidays – which provides financial protection to passengers if the operator fails – easyJet Holidays has additional obligations that standalone flight bookings do not. The practical outcome may be more favourable than with a standalone flight.
Travel insurance for package holidays
If the deceased, or any passengers who had to cancel, held travel insurance – either purchased alongside the easyJet Holidays booking or as a separate standalone policy – this should be checked against the cancellation terms. Most travel insurance policies cover cancellation where a close family member dies, subject to the policy’s own definition of “close family member.” The insurance claim can run alongside any refund claim from easyJet Holidays – you cannot recover the same amount twice, but insurance can cover costs that easyJet Holidays does not refund.
easyJet Plus membership
easyJet Plus is an annual membership costing £249 per year. It provides benefits including dedicated bag drop, speedy boarding, allocated seating, and fast-track security. Membership auto-renews each year unless cancelled at least 5 days before the renewal date.
easyJet Plus has no published policy covering what happens when a member dies. The terms and conditions state that membership and its benefits are strictly personal and cannot be gifted or transferred, meaning any remaining membership period cannot be passed to another person.
Cancelling a deceased person’s easyJet Plus membership
To cancel easyJet Plus on behalf of someone who has died:
- Call easyJet customer service on 0330 551 5151 (daily, 7am–10pm) and explain the situation
- If you have access to the deceased’s easyJet account login, the membership can also be managed at plus.easyjet.com
- Have the death certificate to hand – you may be asked to confirm details
Refund for unused membership
easyJet Plus includes a 14-day cooling-off period from the date of purchase or auto-renewal. Within this window, you can cancel and receive a full refund less the value of any benefits already used. Beyond 14 days, the stated terms say no refund is available for the remaining membership period.
That cancellation term was written for ordinary members choosing to leave – not for bereavement. It is reasonable to ask easyJet for a refund of the unused portion of the membership year as a goodwill gesture. Write to the Executive Support Team at the postal address above (or use the Contact Us form online) with:
- A copy of the death certificate
- The membership reference number and email address on the account
- The date the member last used the membership benefits
- A clear request for a pro-rata refund of the unused months
There is no guarantee of a full refund, but easyJet has shown discretion on bereavement requests in other contexts, and a well-documented request has a reasonable chance of a positive outcome.
If the membership was set to auto-renew and the renewal date falls within the past 14 days, a full refund less benefits used is available as of right under the cooling-off terms – no discretion is needed.
Documents you will need
The core document for all easyJet bereavement requests is the death certificate.
| Action | Documents required |
|---|---|
| Cancel flights and request refund or voucher | Death certificate + booking reference |
| Refund a change fee paid before death | Death certificate + booking reference |
| Cancel booking where deceased was a non-passenger family member | Death certificate + brief explanation of relationship + booking reference |
| Postal submission | Paper copy of death certificate + covering letter with booking reference |
| easyJet Plus cancellation | Death certificate (if requested) |
| Executor refund claim (where original account is closed) | Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration + death certificate |
Obtaining the death certificate
A death certificate is the document issued by the register office after the death is formally registered. In England and Wales, deaths must be registered within 5 calendar days (not working days). In Scotland, registration is required within 8 days. In Northern Ireland, the 5-day rule applies.
Certified copies cost £12.50 each in England and Wales. Order them from the General Register Office at gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate, or directly from the register office when you register the death. It is worth ordering several copies at registration, as each institution typically requires its own.
If the death is subject to a coroner’s investigation, an interim death certificate (also called a coroner’s certificate of the fact of death) is usually acceptable to easyJet as a starting point while the full certificate is awaited.
easyJet accepts digital scans and photographs of the death certificate as attachments to the online form. The documents do not need to be original certified copies for the online submission – a clear scan of a certified copy is sufficient.
Tell Us Once – and why easyJet is not on it
Tell Us Once is a free UK government service that lets families notify multiple government departments of a death in a single step. It covers departments including HMRC, the DVLA, the Department for Work and Pensions, and local councils.
easyJet is not on Tell Us Once. Tell Us Once covers government bodies only; it does not extend to private companies, airlines, subscription services, or banks. You will need to contact easyJet separately, using the process described above.
Similarly, the Death Notification Service (DNS) – a banking-sector notification service run by UK Finance – does not include airlines. The DNS covers banks, building societies, and some financial providers, but easyJet is not a member.
There is no shortcut here. The bereavement form or a postal letter is the only route.
Travel insurance claims
Travel insurance is often the most practical route to recovering money for cancelled flights after a death – particularly when easyJet’s discretionary process results in a voucher rather than a cash refund, or where the refund-to-closed-account problem arises.
If the deceased had travel insurance
If the deceased had travel insurance that covered the booking, the policy may cover the cost of unused flights as a cancellation claim. The typical qualifying trigger is the death of the insured person or a close family member. Check the policy’s definition of “close family member” – most policies include spouse, civil partner, parent, child, and sibling, but some are narrower.
To make a claim, contact the insurer directly with:
- The policy number
- The death certificate
- The booking confirmation and cost of the unused flights
- Any correspondence from easyJet about the bereavement refund or voucher
If you (as a co-traveller) had travel insurance
If you were booked on the same flights and had your own travel insurance – either through a separate policy, a bank account benefit, or a credit card perk – your policy may cover your unused flights too. This applies even if easyJet declines a cash refund for your portion. Submit the death certificate, booking evidence, and the easyJet decision to your insurer.
Double recovery rule
You cannot claim the same amount from both easyJet and an insurance policy. If easyJet issues a full cash refund, there is nothing for the insurer to cover. If easyJet issues a partial refund or a voucher, insurance can cover the shortfall – but only up to the amount lost, not a duplication of what easyJet already provided.
easyJet’s own travel insurance
easyJet sells travel insurance through its website, underwritten by a third-party insurer. If the deceased purchased easyJet’s own travel insurance alongside the booking, the cancellation cover limits are £1,000 on Silver, £3,000 on Gold, and £5,000 on Platinum. Contact the insurance provider (not easyJet customer service) to make a claim under the policy.
What to watch out for
The online form is the only bereavement route – the phone cannot process it. Unlike British Airways, where you can start the process by phone, easyJet’s bereavement team operates exclusively through the online form or postal address. Calling 0330 551 5151 for bereavement will result in being redirected to the form. Go directly to the form.
Vouchers are the more common outcome. A 6-month voucher has limited value if the person who was due to fly is now unwell, elderly, or has no upcoming travel plans. If a voucher would be of no practical use, state this upfront in your submission and ask specifically for a cash refund.
Act before flights depart. The bereavement process covers missed flights, but acting before the departure date gives you more options, including changing to an earlier flight with the change fee refunded.
Check whether the booking was made through a third party. If it was, easyJet cannot refund directly – you must go through the booking provider. This is one of the most common reasons people hit a wall with easyJet refunds.
Watch for the closed-account refund issue. If the deceased booked with their own debit card and that account is now frozen, flag this in your submission and provide executor documentation. Do not assume the refund will reach a family member automatically.
easyJet Holidays is a completely separate process. If the booking was a package holiday, do not use the standard airline form. Call 0330 551 5165.
Travel insurance runs alongside easyJet, not instead of it. You can submit both claims at the same time. The insurer and easyJet will each deal with their portion of the loss.
Step-by-step summary
When someone dies with an easyJet booking:
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Check the booking type. Is it a standalone flight booked directly with easyJet, a flight booked through a third party, or an easyJet Holidays package? This determines which contact route to use.
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For standalone flights booked directly with easyJet: Go to easyjet.com/en/help/booking-and-check-in/cancelling-your-flight, open the Contact Us form, and select “Refund/Voucher due to bereavement.” Attach the death certificate, state who cannot travel and which flights, and include a clear note if you would prefer a cash refund rather than a voucher.
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For easyJet Holidays packages: Call 0330 551 5165 or use the easyJet Holidays contact form at easyjet.com/en/holidays/help.
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For bookings through a third party: Contact the booking provider – not easyJet directly.
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For easyJet Plus membership: Call 0330 551 5151, provide the death certificate, and ask for cancellation and a discretionary refund of the unused membership period.
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Check for travel insurance. If the deceased or any co-travellers had cover, submit a cancellation claim alongside the easyJet process.
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If the refund bounces because the original account is closed: Provide Grant of Probate documentation and request payment to the executor’s account. Escalate to the CAA if needed.
easyJet’s bereavement process is discretionary rather than a legal right, but the airline does have a dedicated team for these requests and has a track record of reasonable outcomes where submissions are clear and well-documented. A submission with the death certificate, booking reference, and a plain explanation of circumstances gives the best chance of a fair result.
For related guidance, see our guide to what to do when someone dies, our guide to cancelling a Ryanair booking when someone dies, our guide to notifying British Airways when someone dies, and our guide to notifying Virgin Atlantic when someone dies. If you are planning travel for a funeral, see our funeral planning hub.