Which flights are covered
- Flights within the EU, on any airline.
- Flights leaving the EU for a country outside it, on any airline.
- Flights arriving in the EU from outside it, on an EU airline.
When you can claim
How much
Some long flights have in-between amounts, and a re-routing that gets you there with a delay can halve the sum. Nothing is owed when the airline proves extraordinary circumstances, such as air traffic decisions, political instability, bad weather or security risks, that it could not have avoided. Technical faults and strikes by the airline's own staff do not count as extraordinary.
What the airline owes you while you wait
- Meals and refreshments in proportion to the wait, plus two free phone calls or emails.
- A hotel and transport to and from the airport, if the new departure is the day after the planned one or later.
- A refund of your ticket if the delay is 5 hours or more.
- Keep receipts for necessary, reasonable costs if the airline did not offer help.
What to do
- Keep your boarding pass, booking confirmation and any messages from the airline.
- Write down the planned and actual arrival times, and the reason the airline gave.
- Complain to the airline first. If there is no reply within 2 months, you can go to the national authority.
- Or use a claims company, which handles the claim for a fee.
Flight compensation questions
How much flight delay compensation can I get?
Under EU rules the amount depends on the flight distance: 250 euros for 1,500 km or less, 400 euros for flights within the EU over 1,500 km and other flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km, and 600 euros for flights over 3,500 km.
How late does a flight have to be to claim?
You can claim when you reach your final destination 3 hours or more late, unless extraordinary circumstances caused the delay. With a missed connection, the delay at your final stop counts.
Am I owed flight cancelled compensation?
Yes, if the airline told you less than 14 days before departure, using the same distance-based amounts. You are not owed it if you were told earlier or were offered a re-routing within the time windows the rules set. The airline must prove when it told you.
Can I get denied boarding compensation?
Yes, if you arrived on time for check-in and were refused a seat. The exceptions are reasonable health, safety or security grounds, and missing travel documents.
What does the airline owe me while I wait?
Meals and refreshments in proportion to the wait, plus two free calls or emails. If the new departure is the next day or later, a hotel and transport to it. At 5 hours or more of delay you can ask for a refund of the ticket. Keep receipts if you pay for these yourself.
What is EU261?
EU261 is the common name for Regulation 261/2004, the EU rule on air passenger rights. It covers flights within the EU, flights leaving the EU on any airline, and flights arriving in the EU on an EU airline.
Source: the European Union's Your Europe passenger rights guide, checked 8 November 2026. Rules for other regions differ, and this page is general information, not legal advice.