Does compensation depend on what I paid for the ticket?

No. Compensation is a fixed amount set by distance band: €250, €400 or €600 per passenger. A budget ticket bought for €30 attracts exactly the same amount as a full-fare one.

The airline gave me a voucher. Can I still claim cash?

Usually yes. Accepting food, a hotel or a rebooking does not waive your right to compensation. Be careful only with documents that explicitly settle all claims — send them to us before you sign anything.

My flight was delayed at departure but arrived almost on time. Am I owed anything?

Compensation is based on arrival delay at your final destination, so a departure delay the crew made up in the air generally doesn't qualify. You may still have been entitled to food and drink during the wait.

Do children and infants get compensation too?

Any passenger holding a ticket at a fare available to the public is entitled to the full amount, including children. Infants travelling free of charge on a lap are the usual exception.

EU Regulation 261/2004

Your rights as an air passenger in Europe

EU law gives you fixed compensation, free care during the wait, and a choice between a refund or a replacement flight. Airlines are not obliged to tell you any of this.

€250 to €600 per passenger
Applies for up to 3 years back
Independent of ticket price

Compensation amounts

How much is your disrupted flight worth?

Under EU Regulation 261/2004 your compensation depends on flight distance, not on what you paid for the ticket. A €29 ticket can be worth €400.

Open the calculator

Short haulUp to 1,500 km

€250

Arrival 3+ hours late

Paris to Madrid, Berlin to Vienna, Warsaw to Budapest.

Medium haul1,500 – 3,500 km

€400

Arrival 3+ hours late

Athens to London, Stockholm to Barcelona, Warsaw to Lisbon.

Long haulOver 3,500 km

€600

Arrival 3+ hours late

Paris to New York, Vienna to Bangkok, Warsaw to Doha.

When it applies

Two questions decide whether you're covered

The regulation follows the airport and the airline, not your nationality. You do not need to be an EU citizen to be protected.

Departing any EU airport

You're covered regardless of which airline you flew — including non-EU carriers leaving from an EU, Icelandic, Norwegian or Swiss airport.

Arriving in the EU on an EU airline

Flying into Europe from anywhere in the world is covered as long as the operating carrier is registered in the EU.

Connections on one booking

If a delayed first leg makes you miss a connection, what matters is how late you reached your final destination — not the length of the first delay.

Codeshare and charter flights

The airline that actually operated the aircraft is liable, even if you booked through a different carrier, a tour operator or an agency.

What qualifies

Disruptions the airline owes you for

The trigger is nearly always your arrival time at the final destination — not how long you sat at the gate.

You are usually entitled to compensation

In these situations the airline is liable unless it can prove an extraordinary circumstance.

Arrival 3 or more hours late
Cancellation announced fewer than 14 days before departure
Denied boarding because the flight was overbooked
A missed connection that made you land 3+ hours late
Being rerouted onto a much later flight against your will

Compensation is usually refused

These count as extraordinary circumstances — but airlines claim them far more often than the facts justify, which is exactly what we check.

Severe weather that genuinely made the flight unsafe
Air traffic control restrictions or airport closures
Security alerts, medical emergencies or bird strikes
Strikes by third parties such as airport or ATC staff
Political instability at the departure or arrival airport

Routine technical faults, crew shortages, aircraft rotation problems and strikes by the airline's own staff are not extraordinary circumstances. Courts have repeatedly confirmed this, and it's the single most common reason claims are wrongly rejected.

Right to care

What the airline owes you while you wait

These duties apply during any long delay, even when no compensation is payable. Keep every receipt — you can reclaim what you paid yourself.

Food and drink

Meals and refreshments in reasonable proportion to the waiting time, from a delay of two hours onwards.

Hotel and transfers

If you have to wait overnight, the airline pays for accommodation and the transport between the airport and the hotel.

Two phone calls or emails

You are entitled to contact whoever needs to know, at the airline's expense.

Refund or rerouting

For cancellations and delays over five hours you may choose a full refund instead of travelling, or a replacement flight at the earliest opportunity.

Time limits

You have longer than the airline implies

The deadline is set by national law, not by the airline's own policy. In most of the markets we serve you can still claim for flights up to three years old, and in some countries considerably longer.

If you're unsure whether your flight is still within the limit, submit it anyway. Checking costs you nothing and takes two minutes.

3Time limits