If an airline rejects your EU flight compensation claim, save its full response and travel records, then check the reason against the facts of your trip. If you are dissatisfied with the reply—or the airline has not answered within two months—you can complain to the relevant national enforcement body in the country where the incident took place. Its opinion is non-binding; ADR or court action may be other options, depending on your circumstances. Court filing deadlines are set by national law, so check the applicable deadline promptly.
First, check whether the refusal addresses your actual case
EU Regulation 261/2004 covers qualifying denied boarding, cancellations and long delays, subject to conditions and exceptions. Under the European Commission’s current guidance, compensation may be due for a cancellation or an arrival delay of three hours or more. The Council describes the relevant triggers as cancellations with less than 14 days’ notice and arrival delays of more than three hours. These summaries do not establish that every disruption qualifies: the itinerary, operating carrier, notice, rerouting and actual arrival time all matter. See the European Commission’s air passenger rights guidance and the Council’s overview.
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The Commission’s standard compensation amounts are:
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|---|---|
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| Between 1,500 and 3,500 km | €400 |
| More than 3,500 km | €600 |
These are the Commission’s standard figures in its 2026 summary, not a guarantee of payment in an individual case. An airline may cite extraordinary circumstances. Ask it to explain the factual basis for that position, then assess it against your records and the applicable rules; the label alone does not resolve whether the exception applies in your case.
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Preserve the refusal and evidence before escalating
Keep the complete airline response and claim reference, along with records that help establish what happened. Useful items include:
- Booking confirmation and itinerary, including connecting flights.
- Boarding passes and airline disruption notices.
- Details of any rerouting and the arrival time at your final destination.
- Your original claim and the airline’s full reply.
- Any explanation or evidence the airline provides for an extraordinary-circumstances refusal.
If the refusal is unclear, ask the airline to identify the specific reason and, where relevant, the facts supporting its extraordinary-circumstances argument. Keeping this material helps you explain the dispute; it does not itself establish entitlement.
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Escalate in this order
- Allow the airline time to respond. If it has not replied within two months, or you are dissatisfied with its reply, the Commission says you may complain to the relevant national authority. The Commission’s national enforcement body directory provides country-specific information.
- Contact the authority for the country where the incident took place. Check its current instructions for the right form or address, the kinds of complaints it handles and the documents it requests. Do not assume that the airline’s home country or your residence is automatically the right place to complain.
- Understand the authority’s role. Your Europe says the national authority should provide a non-binding legal opinion on how to proceed. This is not a guaranteed order requiring the airline to pay an individual passenger.
- Check whether ADR is available to you. The Commission says out-of-court dispute resolution may be an option, but access under this guidance is “only available to EU residents.” Confirm that the relevant ADR entity handles both the airline and your type of claim.
- Consider court action before time runs out. Your Europe identifies the European Small Claims Procedure as a possible route for eligible cross-border disputes and describes venue options for flights with EU airlines. The Commission’s consumer-redress overview gives the procedure a €5,000 ceiling. National law sets the limitation period for an action against an airline; there is no single EU-wide filing deadline stated in the cited guidance. Check the relevant country’s rules promptly.
- Get local legal advice if the dispute is contested. The route, airline domicile, connection structure, appropriate court and national deadline can affect where and how to proceed. The Commission confirms that limitation periods are determined by each Member State’s rules.
Official guidance for these routes is available from Your Europe, the Commission’s consumer redress information, and its air passenger rights page.
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These routes are not interchangeable. Before choosing, compare what each can do for your individual claim, whether its outcome is binding, whether you are eligible, which disputes it accepts, what it costs, where it has jurisdiction, what evidence it asks for and—especially for court—when you must file.
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| Route | What to check | Key limitation in the cited guidance |
|---|---|---|
| National enforcement body | Use the body for the country where the incident took place and follow its current process. | The authority’s opinion is non-binding. |
| ADR | Confirm eligibility and that the designated entity handles the airline and claim type. | The Commission guidance cited here limits access to EU residents. |
| Court | Check jurisdiction, evidence, applicable procedure and local legal advice where needed. | National limitation periods apply; the European Small Claims Procedure is for eligible cross-border disputes and has a €5,000 ceiling in the Commission’s overview. |
What the 2026 rule change means
The European Commission’s notice dated 28 July 2026 says revised air passenger rules should enter into force the following summer and that existing EU rules remain in effect until then. For a claim being assessed on 4 October 2026, Regulation 261/2004 remains the applicable framework described by that notice. Check for a more recent commencement update before relying on a future change.
If you use a private claim-assistance company instead of pursuing the official routes yourself, read its contract and fees carefully. The Commission flags consumer-protection information relevant to claim agencies, but the cited guidance does not establish terms for any particular company.
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