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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →If your flight is covered by EU air-passenger rules, claim in writing from the airline that operated the disrupted flight. For a delay, the key test is whether you reached your final destination at least three hours late. For a cancellation, compensation may be due if you were told less than 14 days before departure, unless the airline offered qualifying rerouting or proves extraordinary circumstances. This guide reflects the established Regulation 261/2004 guidance checked by the EU on 21 September 2026; confirm which rules apply to your travel date because a 2026 revision has also been approved.
First check whether EU flight rules cover your journey
You do not have to be an EU citizen to claim. The rules generally cover:
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- A flight within the EU, whether operated by an EU or non-EU airline.
- A flight departing the EU for a non-EU country, whether operated by an EU or non-EU airline.
- A flight arriving in the EU from outside the EU, if operated by an EU airline.
The EU guidance also includes Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, as well as the EU countries and specified outermost regions. If you already received benefits for the same journey under non-EU rules, that may affect coverage.
Check the disrupted flight itself, not just where you bought the ticket. The carrier operating the flight may be different from the ticket seller or the airline whose code appears on your booking.
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How much compensation can a delay qualify for?
For a delay claim, measure the lateness when you arrive at your final destination—not the departure delay. Under the established EU guidance, arrival at least three hours late may qualify, unless the airline proves extraordinary circumstances. The amounts are fixed by flight distance and category:
| Flight category | Typical compensation | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Flights of 1,500 km or less | €250 | Arrival at least three hours late, subject to the applicable exceptions. |
| Qualifying intra-EU flights over 1,500 km, and other flights between 1,500 km and 3,500 km | €400 | Arrival at least three hours late, subject to the applicable exceptions. |
| Qualifying flights over 3,500 km | €600 | For certain long-haul flights arriving from three to under four hours late, the amount is €300 instead. |
Compensation can also be reduced by 50% in defined rerouting situations if the alternative flight gets you to your final destination within the prescribed delay window. The distance band and arrival time matter; a long departure delay alone does not establish eligibility.
When does a cancellation qualify?
A cancellation may qualify for compensation if the airline told you less than 14 days before the scheduled departure. The airline does not owe cancellation compensation in specified cases where it offered rerouting that met the relevant timing limits:
| When you were notified | Rerouting that can remove the compensation entitlement |
|---|---|
| Between 7 and 14 days before departure | The alternative departs no more than two hours earlier and arrives less than four hours after the original scheduled arrival. |
| Less than 7 days before departure | The alternative departs no more than one hour earlier and arrives less than two hours after the original scheduled arrival. |
These timing exceptions concern compensation only. They do not take away your separate right to choose reimbursement or rerouting after a cancellation.
What can you choose after a cancellation?
The airline must offer you one of three options. Choose carefully: selecting one ends your right to the other two, although compensation may still be payable.
- Reimbursement: a refund of the ticket, including an applicable return to your initial departure airport.
- Rerouting at the earliest opportunity: travel to your final destination under comparable conditions, subject to available seats.
- Rerouting at a later date: travel at a time convenient to you, under comparable conditions and subject to available seats.
A ticket refund should be paid within seven days under the EU FAQ. EU rules do not specify a deadline for paying compensation.
Care and assistance are separate from compensation
While you wait after a cancellation or qualifying disruption, the right to care and assistance is separate from the right to compensation. It can continue even where extraordinary circumstances remove the airline’s obligation to pay compensation. Keep receipts for necessary care expenses and any messages about the disruption; these records can support a request for reimbursement.
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An airline can avoid paying compensation if it proves both that an extraordinary circumstance caused the delay or cancellation and that the disruption could not have been avoided even if it had taken all reasonable measures. It is not enough simply to label an event “extraordinary.”
Official EU guidance gives air-traffic-management decisions, political instability, adverse weather and security risks as examples. It says most technical problems discovered during ordinary maintenance or caused by failure to maintain the aircraft, and strikes by the airline’s own staff, are not extraordinary circumstances. An external strike may qualify depending on the facts.
If the airline relies on this defence, ask it to explain the specific cause and provide supporting evidence, such as relevant logbook extracts or incident reports. The airline should also provide evidence to the enforcement body and to you, subject to national rules on access to documents.
How to make the claim
- Check coverage and calculate the arrival delay. Confirm the route falls within the rules and work out when you reached the final destination. Include a connection if it was part of the same reservation.
- Identify the operating carrier. Claim from the airline that operated the disrupted flight, even if another company sold your ticket or marketed the flight.
- Gather supporting records. Save your booking confirmation, boarding pass, disruption notices, arrival information, receipts for necessary care expenses and the airline’s stated reason. These can help substantiate your account; they are not all formal prerequisites listed in the guidance.
- Write to the airline. Use its complaint form if available. Give the route, flight number and date; state the cancellation notice date or your arrival delay at the final destination; request compensation under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004; and provide payment details. If the airline cites extraordinary circumstances, ask for the evidence supporting that claim.
- Keep a copy and wait for the response. Save your submission and any reply so you can provide them if you escalate.
What to do if the airline rejects the claim or does not reply
If the airline has not answered within two months, or its answer is unsatisfactory, complain to the national enforcement body in the country where the incident occurred. The authority’s opinion is non-binding, so it may not resolve the dispute. Depending on what is available in the relevant country, you can also consider out-of-court dispute resolution or court proceedings; the European Small Claims procedure may be suitable for some cases.
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There is no single EU-wide court filing deadline stated in the guidance. Limitation periods depend on national law, so check the deadline that applies where you would bring the case rather than relying on a general online estimate.
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Missed connections, codeshares and return trips
Connections on one reservation
If the flights were part of one reservation, assess a missed-connection delay at the final destination. Arrival there three hours or more late may qualify if extraordinary circumstances did not cause the disruption.
Codeshares and ticket sellers
Send the complaint to the operating airline for the affected flight, not automatically to the ticket seller or the carrier whose code was used to market it.
Outbound and return journeys
The EU guidance treats outbound and return flights as separate flights, even if you booked them together. Assess the disruption to each flight on its own.
Which rules apply to a flight disrupted in 2026?
As of 4 October 2026, the established EU claim guidance checked on 21 September 2026 sets out the Regulation 261/2004 thresholds and process described above. Council and Commission pages also describe a revision approved in July 2026, including additional provisions such as self-rerouting and revised procedures. Those pages do not conclusively establish when the revised rules take effect. Before relying on a new remedy or deadline for a current disruption, confirm its effective date in the operative legal text. For a claim, the relevant rules depend on the date of travel and the provisions then in force.
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