EU flight compensation (EU261), in plain words
The EU rule is the strongest passenger-rights law in the world. Here is what it does and doesn't give you.
Which flights it covers
- Any flight leaving an EU country, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland, on any airline.
- Any flight arriving in one of those countries on an EU-licensed airline (Lufthansa, Air France, KLM, Ryanair, and so on).
- Not covered: a flight into the EU on a non-EU airline, such as New York to Frankfurt on United. (It may still be covered by the rules where it started.)
What you get
| Flight distance | Arrived 3+ hours late |
|---|---|
| Under 1,500 km (Paris–Madrid) | €250 |
| 1,500–3,500 km (London–Athens) | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km (Amsterdam–New York) | €600 (€300 if 3–4 hours late) |
The clock runs to the moment the doors open at your final destination on the ticket, not the first stop. Everyone on the booking gets the amount, children included.
Cancellations
- Told 14 or more days before departure: no compensation. You get a refund or a new flight.
- Told less than 14 days before: compensation is owed, unless the airline rerouted you very close to your original times (within 2 hours before departure and 4 hours after arrival for 7–13 days' notice; 1 hour and 2 hours for less than 7 days).
Bumped off an overbooked flight
If you had a valid ticket, showed up on time and were refused boarding against your will, you get the full amount. The weather excuse does not apply to bumping.
When the airline doesn't have to pay
"Extraordinary circumstances": things outside the airline's control that it could not have avoided. Severe weather, air traffic control restrictions, airport closures, political instability, and strikes by people who don't work for the airline. Not extraordinary, according to EU courts: the airline's own crew going on strike, most technical faults, crew running out of hours, and knock-on delays from the airline's earlier flights.
Also owed, whatever the cause
Once a delay passes 2 hours (short flights), 3 hours (medium) or 4 hours (long), the airline must give you meals and drinks, two phone calls or emails, and a hotel with transport if you are stuck overnight. Keep receipts if it doesn't.
How to claim
- Write to the airline. Quote "Regulation (EC) 261/2004, Article 7". Give the flight number, date, booking reference and how late you arrived.
- If it refuses or ignores you, complain to the national enforcement body of the country you departed from. Each EU country has one.
- Or hand it to a claim company, which takes a cut only if it wins.
Deadlines vary by country, from 1 year in Belgium to 6 in Ireland and the UK. Most are 2 to 3 years.