If your flight touches the EU and arrives long enough late, the airline may owe you a fixed cash sum on top of getting you to your destination. This is a legal entitlement, not a goodwill gesture, and it is independent of what you paid for the ticket.
Which flights are covered
- Any flight departing from an EU airport, on any airline.
- Flights arriving in the EU from outside it, but only when operated by an EU carrier.
- Flights within the EU, on any airline.
How much you are owed
| Flight distance | Delay on arrival | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | 3 hours or more | 250 EUR |
| Over 1,500 km within the EU | 3 hours or more | 400 EUR |
| 1,500 km to 3,500 km | 3 hours or more | 400 EUR |
| Over 3,500 km | 4 hours or more | 600 EUR |
The clock that matters is arrival, not departure. A flight that leaves four hours late but makes up time in the air and lands two hours late does not qualify.
Meals, calls and a hotel while you wait
Separately from compensation, the airline has to look after you during the wait. This right applies even when the delay is caused by something outside the airline’s control.
- Flights up to 1,500 km: food and refreshments from 2 hours of delay.
- Flights over 1,500 km within the EU: from 3 hours.
- All other flights: from 4 hours.
- Two phone calls or emails, at the airline’s expense.
- Hotel accommodation and transfers when the new departure is the next day.
Cancellations
If the airline tells you more than 14 days before departure, no compensation is due. Inside 14 days, compensation depends on how close to departure you were told and what re-routing you were offered. A refund or an alternative flight is always your choice.
When the airline can refuse
Airlines do not pay when the cause was an "extraordinary circumstance": air traffic control decisions, severe weather, political instability, security risks. What generally does not count is just as important.
- Most technical faults with the aircraft are the airline’s own responsibility.
- A strike by the airline’s own staff is usually not extraordinary.
- Knock-on delays from earlier rotations are normally the airline’s problem, not yours.
How to claim
- Keep the boarding pass and booking reference, and note the actual arrival time.
- Ask at the gate, in writing if you can, for the stated reason for the delay.
- Claim directly with the airline first. It is free and often enough.
- If the airline refuses or goes quiet, escalate to the national enforcement body, or use a claims service that takes a percentage.
Sources
This page is informational and is not legal advice. Rules change, so check the official sources before you travel.