Your air passenger rights when your flight is disrupted
Delayed or cancelled flight, overbooking or missed connection? European rules protect passengers and may provide assistance, reimbursement, rerouting or compensation of up to €600 per passenger, depending on the situation.
Eligibility depends on factors including the journey, the delay, the reason for the disruption and the solutions offered by the airline.
When do European air passenger rights apply?
European Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 governs passenger rights in cases of denied boarding, cancellation or significant delay. Whether it applies depends mainly on the departure airport, arrival airport and the airline that actually operates the flight.
Flight departing from the European Union
The rules may apply regardless of the nationality of the airline operating the flight.
Flight within the European Union
Passengers are protected on flights within the EU, including when the operating carrier is not a European airline.
Flight to the EU from a non-EU country
The rules may apply when the flight is operated by an airline established in the European Union.
Iceland, Norway and Switzerland
These protections also extend to relevant flights to and from these three countries.
The passenger’s nationality is not the main criterion. The route and status of the operating airline are the primary factors determining whether the rules apply.
What are your rights depending on the disruption?
Passenger protection is not limited to possible compensation. Depending on the disruption, the airline may also have to provide meals, accommodation, reimbursement or rerouting to your final destination.
Delayed flight
Assistance may be due while you are waiting at the airport. A significant delay on arrival at your final destination may also entitle you to compensation, unless extraordinary circumstances apply.
View your rights for a delayed flight →Cancelled flight
You must be offered a choice between certain reimbursement or rerouting options. Compensation may also be due depending on when you were informed, the alternative offered and the reason for the cancellation.
View your rights for a cancelled flight →Denied boarding
If you arrived on time with the required documents and were denied boarding against your will because of overbooking or an operational reason, you may be entitled to compensation, assistance and a choice between reimbursement and rerouting.
Check this situation →Missed connection
When the flights are included under a single booking, the delay at the final destination may be taken into account. Connections purchased separately are generally not assessed in the same way.
View your rights for a missed connection →How much compensation could you receive?
When the applicable conditions are met, standard compensation is calculated mainly according to the flight distance. For a delayed flight, the arrival time at the final destination is essential. Sufficiently prompt rerouting may result in a reduction of the amount.
Up to 1,500 km
Reference amount for a short flight that meets the compensation requirements.
From 1,500 to 3,500 km
Reference amount for eligible flights, as well as certain journeys of more than 1,500 km within the EU.
More than 3,500 km
Maximum reference amount for certain long-haul flights between the EU and a non-EU country.
What actually affects your compensation
- The total distance of the relevant journey
- The delay at the final destination
- When the cancellation was announced
- The rerouting offered by the airline
- The exact cause of the disruption
- Whether denied boarding was voluntary or involuntary
The amounts shown are reference amounts and do not automatically guarantee compensation. Each claim must be assessed individually.
Assistance, reimbursement and rerouting: your other rights
Financial compensation is only one part of your rights. During a disruption, the airline may have to provide assistance depending on the waiting time, flight distance and circumstances.
Refreshments and meals
These should be provided in reasonable quantities once the waiting time reaches the relevant threshold for the flight distance.
Communications
Assistance may include the opportunity to make two communications, for example by telephone or email.
Accommodation and transport
If an additional overnight stay becomes necessary, hotel accommodation and transport between the airport and the hotel may be due.
Reimbursement or rerouting
In the event of cancellation, you must be offered a choice between the available reimbursement or rerouting options, depending on your situation.
If the airline does not provide the required assistance, keep receipts for necessary, reasonable and appropriate expenses incurred during the wait. Reimbursement may be requested, subject to review.
What are extraordinary circumstances?
An airline may be exempt from paying compensation when it proves that the disruption was caused by events beyond its reasonable control and that the delay or cancellation could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken.
Situations that may be extraordinary
- Certain weather conditions that make the flight unsafe
- Serious security risks
- Certain air traffic management decisions
- Political instability affecting the flight
- Certain strikes external to the airline
Situations that do not always exclude compensation
- Most technical problems related to normal maintenance
- A general statement without explanation or evidence
- Certain internal strikes involving the airline’s staff
- An operational problem arising from the airline’s normal activity
- A cause with no proven direct link to your disruption
Even when no standard compensation is due, rights to assistance, reimbursement or rerouting may still apply depending on the situation. Read our detailed guide .
How can you enforce your rights with the airline?
A strong claim begins with accurate information. It is useful to act methodically, keep your supporting documents and avoid relying solely on the very general reason provided at the airport.
Gather your travel information
Keep the booking confirmation, flight number, boarding passes and messages sent by the airline.
Record the actual times
For a delayed flight or missed connection, the arrival time at the final destination may be decisive.
Ask for the exact reason for the disruption
General terms such as “operational reasons” or “technical problem” should be assessed in light of the actual facts.
Submit a complete claim
You can claim directly from the airline or ask Fly Claim to handle the process and support you throughout the case.
Baggage, downgrading and passengers with reduced mobility
Other rules may protect travellers beyond flight delays and cancellations. The conditions, procedures and legal basis may, however, differ from those governing compensation for a disrupted flight.
Delayed, lost or damaged baggage
Report the problem promptly at the airport, keep the property irregularity report and comply with the applicable claim deadlines.
Downgrading
If the airline places you in a lower travel class than the one booked, part of the ticket price may have to be reimbursed according to the distance.
Disability or reduced mobility
Passengers concerned have specific rights to assistance and must not be subjected to unjustified discrimination.
Frequently asked questions about air passenger rights
How many hours of delay are required for compensation?
An arrival delay of at least three hours at the final destination may entitle you to compensation when the other conditions are met. For certain flights of more than 3,500 km between the EU and a non-EU country, the maximum amount may depend on a delay of at least four hours.
What is the difference between reimbursement and compensation?
Reimbursement concerns the ticket price in certain situations. Standard compensation is intended to compensate for the disruption when its specific requirements are met. Both rights may sometimes apply together.
Does the airline have to pay for a hotel after a cancellation?
If rerouting requires one or more overnight stays, the airline may have to provide accommodation and transport between the airport and the accommodation.
Is a technical problem always an extraordinary circumstance?
No. Most technical problems discovered during normal maintenance are not automatically considered extraordinary. The exact cause and the airline’s evidence must be assessed.
Can I receive compensation for a missed connection?
This may be possible when the flights are included under a single booking, European rules apply and you arrive at the final destination with a sufficient delay not caused by extraordinary circumstances.
Do I have to accept an airline voucher?
Always check the conditions before accepting. A voucher is not necessarily equivalent to a cash reimbursement, and accepting it may affect other available options.
Does Fly Claim charge upfront fees?
No. You can submit your claim without paying any upfront fees. The commission set out in Fly Claim’s terms only applies if the claim succeeds.
Check now whether you could receive compensation
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