You may be entitled to compensation under EU air-passenger rules if you arrive at your final destination at least three hours late, or if your flight is cancelled and you were told less than 14 days before departure. First check that the route is covered; then claim in writing from the airline that operated the disrupted flight. If it does not answer within two months or rejects your claim, you can take it to the relevant national enforcement body.
Check whether EU passenger rules cover your flight
Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 applies to these routes and carriers:
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- Flights within the EU, whether operated by an EU or non-EU airline.
- Flights departing the EU for a country outside the EU, whether operated by an EU or non-EU airline.
- Flights arriving in the EU from outside the EU, if operated by an EU airline.
The EU’s geographic scope for these rules includes Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, as well as EU countries and specified outermost regions. You do not have to be an EU citizen. If you received benefits for the same journey under non-EU law, that may affect whether EU rules apply.
For a codeshare or ticket sold by a different company, identify the airline that actually operated the disrupted flight. That is generally the airline to contact about your claim, not automatically the seller or the carrier whose code appears on the booking.
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Work out whether the disruption qualifies
Delayed flights: count the arrival delay at your final destination
The key measure is when you reach your final destination, not how late the aircraft left. Arrival at least three hours after the scheduled time may qualify for compensation, unless the airline proves that extraordinary circumstances caused the disruption and could not have been avoided despite all reasonable measures.
If your itinerary included connecting flights on one reservation, assess the delay at the final destination. A missed connection can therefore qualify when the final arrival is at least three hours late and the other conditions are met.
Cancelled flights: check when you were notified
Compensation may be due if the airline told you about the cancellation less than 14 days before the scheduled departure. It may not be due if the airline offered rerouting that met the relevant timing limits:
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors- Notice 7 to 14 days before departure: the alternative flight may depart no more than two hours before the original time and must arrive less than four hours after the original arrival time.
- Notice less than 7 days before departure: the alternative may depart no more than one hour before the original time and must arrive less than two hours after the original arrival time.
These timing tests determine cancellation compensation; they are separate from your right to choose reimbursement or rerouting. A cancellation caused by extraordinary circumstances may also remove the airline’s obligation to pay compensation, but it does not erase your separate cancellation choices or the right to care while waiting.
Compensation amounts depend mainly on distance
These are the standard statutory amounts in official EU guidance. A defined rerouting delay window can reduce compensation by 50%; for certain long-haul flights arriving at least three but less than four hours late, the amount is €300 rather than €600.
| Flight category | Typical compensation | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| 1,500 km or less | €250 | For a qualifying disruption. |
| Qualifying intra-EU flight over 1,500 km, or another flight between 1,500 and 3,500 km | €400 | For a qualifying disruption. |
| Qualifying flight over 3,500 km | €600 | Certain flights arriving at least 3 but less than 4 hours late are paid at €300 instead. |
Distance-based amounts are not a reimbursement of your ticket price. A refund, rerouting, care while waiting and compensation are distinct rights, and one may apply even when another does not.
Know what cancellation choices and care mean
When a flight is cancelled, the airline must offer a one-time choice among:
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- Reimbursement of the ticket, including an applicable return to the initial departure airport.
- Rerouting to your final destination at the earliest opportunity.
- Rerouting at a later date that suits you, subject to available seats and comparable conditions.
Choosing one option ends your right to the other two options, but does not by itself settle whether compensation is also due. EU guidance says a ticket refund should be paid within seven days; it does not specify a deadline for paying compensation.
Care and assistance during a wait is separate from compensation. The right to care can continue even when extraordinary circumstances mean the airline does not owe compensation.
Assess the airline’s reason for the disruption
The airline must establish both that an extraordinary circumstance caused the delay or cancellation and that it could not have avoided the disruption even if it had taken all reasonable measures. Examples in official guidance include air-traffic-management decisions, political instability, adverse weather and security risks.
Most technical problems found during ordinary aircraft maintenance or caused by a failure to maintain the aircraft are not extraordinary circumstances. Internal airline staff strikes are generally not extraordinary; an external strike may qualify depending on the facts. Ask the airline to explain its reason and, if it relies on extraordinary circumstances, request supporting evidence such as relevant logbook extracts or incident reports. The airline should provide evidence to the enforcement body and passenger subject to national rules on access to documents.
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Make a written claim to the operating airline
- Confirm coverage and calculate the impact. Check the route and carrier rules above, identify the operating airline, and work out the delay at the final destination. For a connection, use the final arrival time if the flights were on one reservation.
- Collect useful records. Keep your booking confirmation, boarding pass, airline delay or cancellation notices, actual arrival information, receipts for necessary care expenses, and the airline’s stated reason. These records support a claim; they are not all formal prerequisites.
- Use the airline’s complaint form or other written channel. The EU claim process starts with the airline. State your route, flight number and date, whether the flight was delayed or cancelled, the final-destination arrival delay or the date you received cancellation notice, and that you are seeking compensation under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004. Include payment details if requested.
- Ask for the basis and evidence if compensation is refused. If the airline cites extraordinary circumstances, ask what caused the disruption and what evidence supports its position.
- Keep the response and submission date. Save a copy of the claim and any reference number so you can show the airline’s response, or the time elapsed without one, if you escalate.
Escalate if the airline does not resolve the claim
If the airline has not replied within two months, or you consider its answer unsatisfactory, complain to the national enforcement body in the country where the incident occurred. Its opinion is non-binding, so it may not finally resolve the dispute.
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Where available, you can also consider an out-of-court dispute-resolution process or court proceedings. The European Small Claims procedure may be suitable in some cases. Court limitation periods are set by national law and vary by country; there is no single EU-wide filing deadline to rely on.
Check the applicable rules for the disruption date
Official Your Europe guidance last checked on 21 September 2026 sets out the established Regulation 261/2004 thresholds and claim process described here. Council and Commission pages also describe revised passenger-rights rules approved in July 2026, but the available official information does not conclusively establish when those revisions take effect. For a disruption around or after a change in the law, verify the effective date in the operative legal text before relying on a new deadline or remedy.
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