In short: if your flight departs from the EU, or arrives in the EU on an EU airline, you may be owed €250 to €600 per passenger when you arrive 3 or more hours late, your flight is cancelled at short notice, or you are denied boarding. This doesn't apply when the airline proves extraordinary circumstances.
Which flights are covered?
- Flights departing an airport in the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland, on any airline.
- Flights arriving in the EU from outside, if the airline is licensed in the EU.
How much?
| Flight distance | Compensation | If re-routed and the alternative arrives close to the original time |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | €250 | €125 |
| Within the EU over 1,500 km, or other flights of 1,500–3,500 km | €400 | €200 |
| Over 3,500 km | €600 | €300 |
Distance is measured as the great-circle distance between your first departure airport and final destination.
Delays
- Compensation applies if you reach your final destination 3 hours or more late.
- Meals and refreshments are due once the departure delay reaches 2 hours (flights up to 1,500 km), 3 hours (1,500–3,500 km) or 4 hours (longer flights).
- Refund option: if the delay reaches 5 hours, you can decide not to travel and get a refund.
Cancellations
You can choose between a refund of your ticket and re-routing. Compensation depends on how much notice you got:
- 14 days or more: no compensation.
- 7 to 13 days: no compensation if the alternative flight leaves no more than 2 hours early and arrives less than 4 hours late.
- Less than 7 days: no compensation if the alternative leaves no more than 1 hour early and arrives less than 2 hours late.
Extraordinary circumstances
Airlines don't have to pay compensation if the disruption was caused by extraordinary circumstances that couldn't have been avoided. Examples include severe weather, air traffic management decisions and security risks. Most technical problems and strikes by the airline's own staff don't qualify. The airline has to prove the exemption applies.
How to claim
- Write to the airline that operated the flight. Include your booking reference, flight number and date, and what happened.
- Keep boarding passes, receipts and any messages from the airline.
- If the airline refuses or doesn't reply, contact the national enforcement body in the country where it happened, or an approved dispute resolution scheme.
Check your flight with the flight compensation checker, then use the refund letter generator to write your claim.
Changes to Regulation 261/2004 have been under negotiation in the EU. At our last review, the rules above were the ones in force.