Flight delay compensation: amounts, distances and how to claim

Flight delay compensation: if your flight reaches its final destination 3 hours or more late, the airline owes you fixed compensation of €250, €400 or €600 under EU rules (or £220 to £520 under UK rules), depending on the flight distance, unless extraordinary circumstances apply (weather, air traffic control strike…). The same amounts apply to a flight canceled less than 14 days before departure. If you are refused boarding, our guide to overbooking and your rights covers the remedies.

These rights come from European Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, which covers flights departing from the European Union and flights to the EU operated by an EU airline, and from its UK version, UK261. The difficulty is the distance: the amount depends on the « great circle » distance between the departure airport and the final destination, which is rarely printed on your ticket.

Flight distance	Delay on arrival	Compensation
1,500 km (932 mi) or less	3 h or more	€250
More than 1,500 km within the EU	3 h or more	€400
1,500 to 3,500 km (932 to 2,175 mi) (other flights)	3 h or more	€400
More than 3,500 km (2,175 mi) outside the EU	3 h to under 4 h	€300
More than 3,500 km (2,175 mi) outside the EU	4 h or more	€600

The 3-hour rule for delays comes from case law of the Court of Justice of the EU, applied by airlines and set out by Your Europe. Compensation is due per person, babies included if they have a ticket, whatever price was paid.

The UK261 scale

UK261 is the UK’s version of the regulation. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) says it covers flights departing from an airport in the UK on any airline, flights arriving at a UK airport on an EU or UK airline, and flights arriving at an EU airport on a UK airline (CAA, read 12 November 2026). Compensation is not linked to the ticket price and is claimed from the airline; it is not paid automatically.

Flight distance	Delay on arrival	Compensation per person
Under 1,500 km (932 mi) (e.g. Glasgow to Amsterdam)	More than 3 h	£220
1,500 to 3,500 km (932 to 2,175 mi) (e.g. East Midlands to Marrakesh)	More than 3 h	£350
Over 3,500 km (2,175 mi) (e.g. London to New York)	Between 3 and 4 h	£260
Over 3,500 km (2,175 mi) (e.g. London to New York)	More than 4 h	£520

How much for your flight? Calculating the distance

The regulation says distances are « measured by the great circle route method », that is, the shortest path over the surface of the globe. For a flight with a connection, what counts is the distance between the departure airport and the final destination, not the sum of the legs. The CAA gives the same rule for UK261: for a booking with several flights, your rights depend on the distance between the first and last airport in the booking, and late arrival at the connection destination is not taken into account for compensation.

Three points the scale alone does not show:

• Distances close to a band limit matter: a flight of 1,470 km pays the 1,500 km band (€250), not €400; a few dozen kilometers more and the amount changes.
• The EU’s outermost regions count as the EU: a flight between mainland EU and an outermost region such as Réunion or Guadeloupe is an intra-EU flight of more than 1,500 km, so €400, even though the distance exceeds 3,500 km. The French Court of Cassation ruled this for a Paris-Réunion flight, quashing a decision that had awarded €600.
• Long-haul flights outside the EU come down to the hour: beyond 3,500 km, a delay between 3 and 4 hours gives €300 (EU) or £260 (UK); from 4 hours, €600 or £520.

Is your flight covered? The decision tree

1. Your flight departs from an EU airport (including EU outermost regions) → the EU regulation applies, whatever the airline.
2. Your flight departs from a non-EU country → it applies only if the airline is European (Air France, Lufthansa, Ryanair…). For example, a return flight Bangkok-Paris on a Thai airline is not covered. For US travelers: a flight from New York to Europe on a US airline is not covered by the EU regulation, while the same flight on a European airline is covered only on the return from the EU. Departing the UK, UK261 applies on any airline.
3. You arrive 3 hours or more late at the final destination (measured when the aircraft doors open) → go to step 4. Under 3 hours: no fixed compensation, but assistance may apply.
4. The airline claims an extraordinary circumstance (weather, air traffic control decision, security risk, political instability) → it must prove it. Most technical problems and strikes by its own staff are not extraordinary. The CAA says weather and air traffic control employee strikes are examples of extraordinary circumstances that do not give compensation.
5. You had a connection on a single booking → the delay is measured at the final arrival. If your booking has separate tickets (« self-transfer »), the CAA says you have no statutory right to care, compensation or transport to your last destination if a delay makes you miss a flight.
6. Work out the great circle distance from departure to final destination, and read the amount in the scale.

You are told	Fixed compensation (EU)
At least 14 days before departure	No
Between 14 and 7 days before	No, if the rerouting offered leaves no earlier than 2 h before the planned time and arrives less than 4 h after; otherwise yes
Less than 7 days before	No, if the rerouting leaves no earlier than 1 h before and arrives less than 2 h after; otherwise yes

The UK CAA applies the same logic under UK261: if you received less than 14 days’ notice of the cancellation you may be able to claim compensation, depending on what caused it, and disruption from extreme weather or air traffic control employee strikes is not eligible (CAA, « Cancellations » page, read 12 November 2026).

In every cancellation case, even with plenty of notice, you choose between a refund of the ticket and rerouting to your final destination. If the rerouting gets you there no more than 2, 3 or 4 hours after the planned time (depending on distance), the airline may cut the compensation by 50%.

Assistance at the airport: meals, hotel, refund

• Meals and refreshments, and two communications (calls or emails): after 2 hours’ delay at departure for flights of 1,500 km or less, 3 hours for flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km and longer intra-EU flights, 4 hours beyond. The CAA gives the same thresholds for UK261 and adds that care is owed whatever the reason for the delay.
• Hotel and transfer if the new departure is only the next day.
• Refund of the ticket if the delay at departure reaches 5 hours and you give up the trip (with a flight back to your starting point if you had a connection).
• If the airline provides nothing, buy what is reasonable and keep all receipts: costs you advance can be claimed afterwards. The CAA says airlines are unlikely to consider alcoholic drinks, luxury hotels or luxury meals reasonable.
• This assistance is due even in extraordinary circumstances.

How to claim: the steps

1. At the airport: ask for the cause of the delay or cancellation to be confirmed, note the actual arrival time, photograph the departures board and keep your boarding pass and receipts.
2. Written claim to the airline: through its online form or by letter. Give the flight number, date, delay and amount claimed. The CAA says compensation is not paid automatically and that you must claim it from the airline in the first instance, with itemized receipts for expenses.
3. No answer, or a refusal: in the UK, the CAA says that if the airline takes more than eight weeks to respond, or you are not satisfied with its final response, you can escalate to an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider if your airline is signed up to one, or to the CAA’s Passenger Advice and Complaints Team (PACT) if not. For EU flights, Your Europe lists the national enforcement bodies.
4. Time limits: they vary by country, so check promptly. Compensation is paid in money; vouchers only if you accept them in writing.

Specialist companies can make the claim for you in exchange for a commission on the compensation. Claiming directly is free and the steps above are enough in most cases.

Beyond the fixed amount: actual damages and insurance

• Montreal Convention: if the delay caused you proven loss (a lost hotel night, a missed appointment), you may be able to claim individual compensation, with no delay threshold and subject to short time limits. It stacks with the European fixed amount only for a separate loss.
• Baggage: delay, loss or damage fall under the Montreal Convention, not Regulation 261/2004.
• Insurance and bank card: some cover costs linked to a delay or cancellation; compare cover in our travel insurance guide and our cancellation insurance page.

United States: different rules

For flights within and from the United States, passenger protections are set by the U.S. Department of Transportation and are not the same as the European or UK ones. The Department’s aviation consumer pages are at transportation.gov/airconsumer; they could not be read on 12 November 2026, so we do not reproduce figures from them. Check them, and your airline’s contract of carriage, before relying on the European figures above.

A reform under discussion

The 2004 regulation is being revised. According to a written question published in the French National Assembly’s official journal on 24 March 2026, the Council of the EU adopted a position in June 2025 that would raise the delay threshold for compensation and reduce the amounts, while the European Parliament voted in January 2026 to keep the current system. Until a new text is adopted and published, the rules on this page apply.

To reduce risk beforehand, see our tips for cheap flights, and for long journeys our pages on time difference and jet lag, Réunion and Guadeloupe.

Frequently asked questions

Our sources

• Your Europe (European Commission), air passenger rights (last checked by the site on 21 September 2026), consulted on 14 October 2026
• Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 of 11 February 2004, articles 5, 6 and 7, consulted on 14 October 2026
• UK Civil Aviation Authority, Delays, Cancellations and Denied boarding, read 12 November 2026
• Gazette du Palais, 12 October 2016: ruling of the French Court of Cassation (first civil chamber) on compensation for a Paris-Réunion flight
• French National Assembly, written question no. 13825 (Journal officiel of 24 March 2026) on the revision of Regulation 261/2004
• U.S. Department of Transportation, aviation consumer protection (not readable on 12 November 2026)
• Our methodology

Updated November 2026.