Under EU rules, flight delays or cancellations of three hours or more can trigger €250–€600 in compensation unless caused by extraordinary circumstances like air-traffic control strikes, while passengers always keep rights to care and rerouting or refunds.

Flight delays and cancellations are part of modern air travel, but in Europe they do not have to leave you powerless. Under EU rules, a delay or cancellation that gets you to your final destination three hours or more late can trigger cash compensation between 250 and 600 euros, provided the disruption was not caused by so called extraordinary circumstances such as air traffic control strikes or severe weather.

Separate from this cash payout, you always keep core rights to care at the airport as well as rerouting or a refund. Understanding these overlapping protections can turn a ruined travel day into a manageable inconvenience and, in many cases, a substantial payout.

How EU Flight Compensation Works Today

Current EU rules on flight compensation are built around Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, often shortened to EU261. It sets common standards for all airlines that depart from an EU airport, plus non EU departures operated by EU or EEA carriers, covering delays, cancellations and denied boarding.

The regulation is now more than 20 years old but remains in force while the EU debates reforms that could change some thresholds in the coming years. For now, the three hour delay rule and the 250 to 600 euro compensation bands remain the core of passenger protection in Europe.

The framework distinguishes between three key rights: the right to compensation in cash, the right to care and the right to choose between rerouting or a refund. Compensation in cash is what most people think of when they hear about EU261: a fixed sum based on the distance of your journey when a disruption meets the conditions and is not caused by extraordinary circumstances.

The right to care covers meals, refreshments, communications and, where necessary, hotel accommodation during long waits. The right to rerouting or refund allows you to abandon the journey and get your money back or insist on being carried to your final destination as soon as possible or at a later date that suits you.

These rights are layered rather than mutually exclusive. A long delay could unlock both care and compensation. A cancellation might entitle you to a refund or rerouting and, if it is announced too close to departure without extraordinary circumstances, a cash payout on top.

Even when extraordinary circumstances remove the right to compensation, your rights to care and rerouting or refund remain. This is a crucial distinction for travellers facing storms, air traffic control problems or security incidents.

While the basic idea appears simple, the details are technical. Eligibility depends on where you are flying, which airline operates the flight, how long you are delayed on arrival and whether the airline can prove the cause was outside its control.

For connecting itineraries, what matters is often the delay at the final destination on a single booking, not individual legs in isolation. Knowing this legal architecture is the first step in understanding when that stressful disruption may be worth several hundred euros.

When You Are Covered: Routes, Airlines and Connections

EU261 does not follow your nationality but instead follows your route and the airline operating your flight. It covers any flight that departs from an airport in the EU, as well as Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, regardless of which airline operates the service. It also applies to flights arriving in the EU when the operating carrier is an EU or EEA airline.

This means a US resident flying from New York to Paris on an EU airline is protected, while the same route on a non EU carrier is not, unless it is part of a larger itinerary that begins in the EU under one booking.

For travellers connecting through Europe, the key concept is the final destination on a single reservation. If you fly from Los Angeles to Frankfurt and then onward to Vienna on one ticket and miss the connection in Frankfurt, your eligibility for compensation is judged by how late you arrive in Vienna.

If you reach Vienna three hours or more later than scheduled, and the delay is not caused by extraordinary circumstances, you may be entitled to compensation even if the initial delay on the first leg was slightly shorter. This can also apply when only part of the trip is in EU airspace, provided the relevant segment is operated by an EU carrier and belongs to the same booking.

Conversely, separate tickets are treated as separate journeys. If you buy one ticket from Chicago to London and another from London to Rome, the missed connection in London is usually your responsibility, because EU261 looks at each contract of carriage independently.

The first airline’s obligations end when you land in London, and the second airline has no liability for a delay on a flight you never boarded. In practical terms, this is an important reason to favor through tickets when connecting in Europe, especially during seasons of disruption.

The rules also apply even if a flight is operated by one carrier on behalf of another under a codeshare. What matters is the operating carrier that actually flies the plane, not the marketing airline whose code is on your ticket.

If the operating airline is EU based or is any carrier departing from an EU airport, your rights under EU261 follow that operating airline’s obligations. When in doubt, checking the “operated by” line on your booking or boarding pass can clarify which rules apply.

Compensation Amounts for Delays and Cancellations

When a delay or cancellation meets the legal conditions and is not the result of extraordinary circumstances, EU261 offers flat rate compensation based on distance. For flights of 1,500 kilometers or less, the compensation is 250 euros per person.

For medium haul journeys within the EU that exceed 1,500 kilometers and for other flights between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometers, the amount rises to 400 euros. For long haul journeys over 3,500 kilometers, the payment can reach 600 euros. These are per passenger amounts, meaning a family of four on a disrupted long haul flight can sometimes claim 2,400 euros in total.

Crucially, the compensation turns on the time you arrive at your final destination, not just the departure delay. For cancellations, many scenarios qualify, including situations where your flight leaves but returns to the origin airport and you are put onto a different service.

For delays, a series of court rulings has established that arriving three hours or more late can be treated like a cancellation for compensation purposes. That means a three hour and one minute delay to your final destination can be worth as much as a complete cancellation when the other conditions are satisfied.

There are partial reductions in some situations. If the airline offers you an alternative route that gets you to your final destination with a shorter delay, the compensation may be cut by 50 percent, particularly on long haul itineraries where the replacement flight still arrives reasonably close to the original schedule.

However, this reduction applies to the compensation amount, not to your rights to care or rerouting. You never lose the right to be carried to your destination or refunded simply because the airline offers a reroute; the question is only how much extra you are owed in cash.

Although the rules are harmonized, claims are not automatic. Airlines typically require passengers to submit a claim form, either directly or through a third party service. Some carriers are quick to pay when the facts are clear; others routinely dispute claims and argue extraordinary circumstances.

If the airline rejects your claim and you believe you are in the right, you can escalate to the national enforcement body in the country where the disruption occurred or where the flight was due to depart. Courts in several EU countries have also consistently backed passengers when the airline’s justification is weak or unsupported.

Extraordinary Circumstances: When Airlines Do Not Owe Cash

The largest grey area in EU flight compensation is the definition of extraordinary circumstances. EU law uses this term for events that are genuinely beyond the airline’s control and could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken.

Classic examples include severe and unexpected weather, political instability, security threats, airspace closures and decisions taken by air traffic control that significantly restrict operations. Air traffic control strikes, border control walkouts and other strikes by third party staff, such as baggage handlers, are usually treated as extraordinary circumstances because they originate outside the airline itself.

In contrast, many technical problems with the aircraft are explicitly not extraordinary. Routine mechanical failures, issues discovered during maintenance and most unexpected defects that arise from normal operations are considered inherent in running an airline and therefore remain the carrier’s responsibility.

Collisions between ground vehicles and aircraft, such as mobile stairs bumping a wing, also fall on the airline’s side of the ledger. Strikes by an airline’s own staff, including wildcat actions and union organized walkouts over pay and working conditions, have been held by European courts to be part of normal labor relations rather than extraordinary events.

The line can be complex at the margins. Recent guidance and case law have, for instance, treated some lightning strikes and unexpected safety inspections as extraordinary when they force mandatory checks and ground the aircraft beyond the airline’s ability to control the delay.

Major safety recalls or hidden manufacturing defects that suddenly require extensive inspections of a particular model may also qualify. In these cases, passengers generally retain the right to care and rerouting or refund, but the airline can avoid paying cash compensation if it can demonstrate a direct causal link between the extraordinary event and the delay or cancellation and show that no reasonable alternative was available.

Because the burden of proof lies with the airline, you do not have to prove what went wrong. Instead, the airline must demonstrate that the event meets the legal test for extraordinary circumstances. If you receive a rejection citing weather or air traffic control, it is reasonable to ask for more detail.

National enforcement bodies and courts have become increasingly skeptical when airlines use generic explanations that are not supported by contemporaneous records. For travellers, keeping boarding passes, booking confirmations and any written updates received from the airline can be invaluable evidence if a dispute arises over the true cause of the disruption.

Rights to Care, Rerouting and Refunds

Even when extraordinary circumstances remove the right to a cash payout, you still retain robust rights to care and rerouting or a refund. The right to care typically starts after a certain waiting time that depends on the distance of your journey and the length of the delay.

Once triggered, the airline must provide meals and refreshments in reasonable relation to the waiting time, access to communications such as phone calls or emails and hotel accommodation with transport to and from the hotel when an overnight stay becomes necessary. These entitlements apply regardless of who caused the disruption.

In the case of cancellations or long delays that make your trip pointless, you also have the right to choose between a refund of your ticket or rerouting to your final destination under comparable transport conditions.

A refund must cover the unused portion of your ticket and, if the disruption makes the purpose of your journey obsolete, any segments already flown that are now effectively useless, along with a free return flight to your original point of departure.

Rerouting must be offered at the earliest opportunity or at a later date of your choice, subject to seat availability. Importantly, the choice belongs to you, not the airline, and you do not have to accept vouchers instead of cash unless you prefer to do so.

There is often confusion about whether the airline must pay for care when a disruption stretches over several days due to bad weather or large scale airspace closures. Under EU261, the duty of care can indeed continue for the entire period you are waiting for rerouting, even when extraordinary circumstances apply.

This means that food, accommodation and reasonable local transport should be covered for as long as it takes to get you to your destination or back home. While some airlines have tried to limit this obligation, courts have consistently confirmed that the regulation aims to shield passengers from excessive hardship, particularly during extraordinary but prolonged disruptions.

If the airline fails to provide care on the spot, you can usually buy meals or hotels yourself and later seek reimbursement, provided you keep all receipts and ensure your expenses are reasonable under the circumstances.

Booking a mid range airport hotel and standard meals is far easier to justify than luxury suites and gourmet dining. Submitting these receipts with a clear summary of what happened and when you requested assistance can streamline the reimbursement process. If the airline refuses to reimburse your documented expenses despite an obvious duty of care, the same complaint routes used for compensation claims are available.

Recent Developments and Possible Future Changes

As of late 2025, EU261 remains in force in its original form, but political pressure to update the rules is mounting. Airlines have long argued that paying fixed cash compensation for relatively modest delays is disproportionate, while consumer groups highlight that the regulation gives passengers predictable rights and has raised service standards.

After more than a decade of debate, EU member states reached a political agreement in 2025 on a package that would, among other changes, lengthen the delay thresholds for compensation to four hours on short haul flights and six hours on long haul journeys, while slightly revising the compensation amounts.

Under that political deal, which still requires negotiation and approval by the European Parliament before it can become law, short haul passengers would see compensation rise modestly from 250 to around 300 euros, while long haul compensation would fall from 600 to about 500 euros.

Many consumer advocates worry that, because a large share of delays fall between two and four hours, the jump to a four hour threshold would sharply reduce the number of eligible passengers. Industry groups, on the other hand, continue to lobby for even longer thresholds, arguing that current rules load the costs of rare but expensive disruptions onto all ticket prices.

The European Parliament has suggested a different direction in some discussions, including ideas to scrap delay thresholds altogether and instead reinforce other rights such as free cabin baggage and simplified claims.

Negotiations between the Parliament, Commission and Council are ongoing, and it remains unclear whether a compromise will ultimately favor airlines or passengers. Until any revised regulation formally passes and comes into effect on a specified date, the existing three hour delay rule and current compensation bands continue to govern claims.

Travellers should therefore treat any news of possible reforms as a signal that the landscape may change in the future, not as a reason to hold back current claims. Your rights are determined by the rules in force on the date of the disruption, not by later political agreements.

If your flight today meets the three hour threshold and is not affected by extraordinary circumstances, you can still pursue compensation under current law, even if the EU later adopts a higher threshold for future flights.

How to Make a Claim and Improve Your Chances of Success

Understanding your rights is only half the battle. To actually receive compensation or reimbursement, you must usually take the initiative. The first step is to gather documentation. Keep your booking confirmation, boarding passes, any rebooking emails and messages from the airline that describe the cause of the disruption.

Note the actual arrival time at your final destination, not just the departure delay. The arrival time is typically when at least one aircraft door is opened and passengers are permitted to disembark.

Most airlines provide an online form for EU261 claims, often buried in the customer service or help section of their website. When completing it, be concise and factual. State the date, flight number, route, scheduled and actual arrival times and whether the flight was delayed, cancelled or subject to denied boarding.

Cite EU Regulation 261/2004 and request the appropriate amount of compensation based on distance, as well as reimbursement of any documented care expenses the airline failed to cover on the day. Attach copies of boarding passes and receipts where relevant.

If the airline responds that extraordinary circumstances apply, read the explanation closely. A generic statement that there was a “technical issue” is often not enough to escape liability. If you believe the explanation is inconsistent with your experience or known events, politely ask for more detail and mention that you may seek assistance from the relevant national enforcement body.

Each EU country designates an authority, such as a civil aviation regulator or consumer agency, to handle complaints when airlines appear to misapply the rules.

Some passengers prefer to use specialist claim companies or law firms that handle EU261 cases in exchange for a percentage of any payout. These services can simplify the process and take over the correspondence, which is appealing when the airline is unresponsive. However, they also reduce your net recovery.

Because the claims process is often manageable without legal training, especially in clear cut cases of long delays with well known causes, it is worth trying to deal with the airline directly first. If months pass without a satisfactory response, involving a regulator, consumer protection body or professional service may then be justified.

EU261 vs UK261 and Other Jurisdictions

Since the United Kingdom left the EU, it has retained its own version of these rules, commonly referred to as UK261. The UK regulation is essentially a copy of the EU framework with some adjustments, most notably replacing the euro compensation amounts with figures in pounds.

The structure of rights remains familiar: compensation for long delays and cancellations within the carrier’s control, a duty of care during disruptions and a choice between rerouting or refund when journeys are significantly affected.

For travellers, this means that flights departing from UK airports are covered by UK law, whether or not they touch the EU. Flights departing from EU airports remain covered by EU261, including journeys into the UK.

In practice, many itineraries that connect the UK and the EU can fall under one or both regimes, but the substance of your rights will look similar regardless. The main operational difference is who enforces the rules: UK regulators and courts handle UK261 claims while EU national authorities handle EU261 disputes.

Outside Europe, other jurisdictions have their own frameworks, many of which are less generous than EU261. For example, in the United States, federal rules focus primarily on refunds when flights are cancelled or significantly changed, leaving many aspects of compensation and care to airline policies rather than law.

Canada and some Latin American countries have begun to introduce clearer statutory rights, but the scope and certainty of cash compensation often remain narrower than in Europe. For international travellers, this patchwork means that the protection on any given leg of a journey depends on which country’s rules apply.

If you are booking complex international trips, it is worth paying attention to which segments originate in the EU or UK and which airlines operate them. In some cases, structuring your itinerary so that key long haul legs depart from an EU airport on an EU carrier can bring your most critical flights under the umbrella of EU261, offering an extra measure of legal protection if things go wrong.

While no set of rules can remove all the stress from disrupted travel, knowing where your strongest rights lie allows you to plan with more confidence.

The Takeaway

EU flight compensation rules are among the most robust passenger protections in the world, but they are also nuanced. At their core, they promise that if you arrive at your final destination three hours or more late due to a delay or cancellation within the airline’s control, you may be entitled to 250 to 600 euros in cash compensation, depending on distance.

Separate from that, you always keep rights to care at the airport and to choose between rerouting or a refund when your journey is severely disrupted, even when extraordinary circumstances like air traffic control strikes or major storms are to blame.

For travellers, the practical lesson is simple: document everything, understand whether your route and airline bring you under EU261, and do not hesitate to invoke your rights when disruptions strike.

Political debates in Brussels may eventually tweak thresholds and amounts, but the fundamental principle is unlikely to change: airlines that seriously disrupt your plans without a truly external cause should compensate you fairly, not merely apologize. Armed with that knowledge, you can approach European air travel with a little more leverage and a lot less uncertainty.

FAQ

Q1: Do I get compensation for every delay of three hours or more?
Not automatically. You are entitled to compensation only if your delay of three hours or more at the final destination is caused by circumstances within the airline’s control and your flight falls under EU261 coverage. Extraordinary circumstances such as severe weather, air traffic control strikes or security incidents usually remove the right to cash compensation, though your rights to care and rerouting or refund remain.

Q2: How do I know if my flight is covered by EU261?
Your flight is covered if it departs from an airport in the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland, regardless of the airline, or if it arrives in the EU and is operated by an EU or EEA carrier. The rules apply based on the route and operating airline, not the passenger’s nationality or place of residence.

Q3: What counts as my “final destination” for delay calculations?
The final destination is the last point on your ticketed itinerary under a single booking reference. For connecting journeys, what matters is how late you arrive at that final point, not just the delay on an intermediate leg. If a missed connection causes you to reach the final destination three hours or more late, you may qualify for compensation.

Q4: Can technical problems with the aircraft be treated as extraordinary circumstances?
Most technical problems do not count as extraordinary circumstances. Routine mechanical faults, issues discovered during maintenance and many unexpected technical defects are considered inherent in the operation of an airline and therefore remain the carrier’s responsibility. Only truly exceptional technical issues, such as certain hidden manufacturing defects or safety directives that ground aircraft fleet wide, may qualify as extraordinary.

Q5: What are my rights if my flight is cancelled due to bad weather?
When severe weather causes a cancellation, the airline usually does not owe cash compensation because the event is outside its control. However, you still have the right to choose between a refund and rerouting under comparable conditions as soon as possible or at a later date. You also retain the right to care, including meals, refreshments and hotel accommodation if necessary while you wait for your new flight.

Q6: Does accepting vouchers affect my rights to compensation?
If an airline offers vouchers instead of cash, you are free to decline and insist on the monetary compensation or refund you are legally owed. If you knowingly accept vouchers as full and final settlement of your claim, you may later find it difficult to pursue additional cash, so be sure you understand the terms before agreeing.

Q7: How long do I have to file a claim under EU261?
The time limit for bringing a claim is governed by the national law of the country where you pursue it, often ranging from two to several years. Because limitation periods differ widely, it is sensible to submit your claim as soon as possible after the disruption and, if necessary, check the specific time limits in the relevant EU country before delaying action.

Q8: Can I claim both EU261 compensation and reimbursement from travel insurance?
In many cases you can claim under both, but the details depend on your policy and local law. Travel insurance may cover additional losses such as missed hotel nights or tours, while EU261 provides fixed compensation and care rights. However, insurers sometimes require you to disclose any compensation received from the airline and may deduct that amount from what they pay, so read your policy conditions carefully.

Q9: What should I do if the airline ignores my compensation request?
If the airline does not respond within a reasonable period, or denies your claim without a convincing explanation, you can escalate the matter to the national enforcement body in the relevant EU country or to an approved alternative dispute resolution scheme if available. In some cases, small claims court proceedings are also possible. Keeping clear records of your correspondence strengthens your position if you need to escalate.

Q10: Do EU261 rules apply if I booked through a travel agent or online platform?
Yes. Your rights under EU261 depend on the route and operating airline, not on how you bought the ticket. Whether you booked directly with the airline, through a traditional travel agent or via an online travel platform, the airline that operated the disrupted flight remains responsible for honoring your rights to compensation, care and rerouting or refunds.