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Flight delayed or cancelled in Europe? Here is what you're owed
Rules checked 2026-11-12 on the official EU (europa.eu) and UK (caa.co.uk) pages.
Short answer: if your flight left an EU airport (any airline) or landed in the EU on an EU airline, and you reached your final destination 3 hours or more late, the airline owes you €250, €400 or €600 per person, by distance, unless it proves extraordinary circumstances. Claim it from the airline yourself first, with its own complaint form. That costs nothing. A claim service takes a share of the same money.
This page covers EU and UK rules only. US rules are different and are not covered here.
| Flight distance | Delay at arrival | Per person |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | 3 hours or more | €250 |
| Over 1,500 km inside the EU, and 1,500 to 3,500 km elsewhere | 3 hours or more | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km | 3 to 4 hours | €300 |
| Over 3,500 km | 4 hours or more | €600 |
Cancelled flights
- Same amounts (€250, €400, €600) if the airline told you less than 14 days before departure.
- No compensation if you were told more than 14 days ahead, or if the replacement flight left close to the original times (told 2 weeks to 7 days ahead: departs at most 2 hours earlier and arrives less than 4 hours later; told under 7 days ahead: at most 1 hour earlier and less than 2 hours later).
- If you accept re-routing, the amount can be cut by 50% (€125, €200 or €300).
What the airline owes you at the airport, whatever the cause
- Meals and drinks once the delay reaches 2 hours (flights up to 1,500 km), 3 hours (1,500 to 3,500 km, and longer flights inside the EU) or 4 hours (all other flights).
- A hotel and transport to it if the new departure is the next day or later.
- Your money back if the delay reaches 5 hours and you decide not to travel, plus a flight back to where you started if you were on a connection.
When the airline does not have to pay
"Extraordinary circumstances": bad weather, air traffic control decisions, political instability, security risks. The airline has to prove the link and that it could not have avoided the delay with all reasonable measures. Most technical problems and strikes by the airline's own staff do not count as extraordinary.
UK flights (UK261, caa.co.uk)
| Flight distance | Delay at arrival | Per person |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1,500 km | More than 3 hours | £220 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | More than 3 hours | £350 |
| Over 3,500 km | 3 to 4 hours | £260 |
| Over 3,500 km | More than 4 hours | £520 |
Care at the airport follows the same 2, 3 and 4 hour steps as the EU.
Lost, damaged or late luggage
- The airline is liable for checked bags that are lost, damaged or delayed, up to about €1,300 per passenger.
- Complain to the airline in writing within 7 days for damaged or lost bags, and within 21 days of getting a delayed bag back. Miss the deadline and the claim is gone.
- Keep receipts for anything you had to buy while the bag was missing and include them in the claim.
Bumped off an overbooked flight
If you are denied boarding against your will, you should always receive €250, €400 or €600 by distance, unless there were health, safety or security grounds or your travel documents were missing.
How to claim, for free
- Use the airline's own complaint form. Give the booking reference, flight number, the delay at arrival and the amount you are claiming from the table above. Keep boarding passes and any receipts.
- No answer within 2 months, or a refusal you think is wrong: complain to the national enforcement body of the country where it happened (listed on the EU page below). Its opinion is not binding, but it is free.
- Still refused: a claim service or small-claims court. Claim services charge nothing if they lose and keep a share of the payout if they win. Worth it when the airline stonewalls or you do not want the paperwork, not before you have tried the form yourself.
Where to start
We do not link a claim service yet. If you use one, read its fee first: it comes out of your payout.