Flight delayed or cancelled? Your compensation rights in the EU

Under EU law, passengers whose flight arrives three hours or more late, is cancelled at short notice, or who are denied boarding can be entitled to fixed compensation of up to €600 per person — on top of the airline's duty to look after them while they wait. Many eligible passengers never claim.

When the EU rules apply

According to the European Union's official guidance, EU air passenger rights apply when:

• your flight is within the EU, operated by any airline;
• your flight arrives in the EU from outside it and is operated by an EU airline;
• your flight departs from the EU to a non-EU country, operated by any airline;

and you have not already received compensation or assistance for the same problem under another country's law. The rules also apply to flights to and from Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.

How much

For a delay of three hours or more at your final destination, or a cancellation, the amounts set by EU law are:

• €250 for flights of 1,500 km or less;
• €400 for flights of more than 1,500 km within the EU, and other flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km;
• €600 for flights of more than 3,500 km.

For the longest flights between the EU and a non-EU country, the amount can be halved to €300 when the arrival delay is at least three but less than four hours. If you are re-routed and arrive only slightly late, compensation may also be reduced by half.

Care while you wait

Separately from compensation, the airline must look after you while you wait: refreshments and food, accommodation and transport to it if you are rebooked to travel the next day, and two phone calls or emails. If it does not, and you pay for necessary, reasonable expenses yourself, the airline should reimburse you — so keep every receipt.

How to claim

Always complain to the airline that operated the flight first, using its own complaint form — that may not be the airline you bought the ticket from. Outbound and return flights count as two separate flights, even on one booking. If the airline does not resolve it, the European Consumer Centre in your country can advise, and each country has a national authority that enforces the rules.

Claim services handle the process for you in exchange for a share of the compensation, which is worth considering if you do not want to deal with the airline yourself. AirHelp and Compensair both handle claims for delays, cancellations, denied boarding and missed connections. Check the fee each takes before you sign.

Source: Your Europe — Air passenger rights (europa.eu), checked September 2026.