Claiming flight compensation for a family or group

Updated 13 October 2026

You travelled as a family or a group on one booking. The flight was delayed, cancelled or overbooked. Perhaps the airline has already said no, or you are about to claim and are wondering whether to hand it to a claim company. EU261 compensation is owed to each passenger, not to the booking. A claim company takes its fee from every one of those payouts.

What a rejection means for a group

When the airline rejects a family claim, it usually gives one reason for everyone: extraordinary circumstances, notice in time, or no record of the claim. The reason is the same for all of you, so one reply can answer it for the whole booking.

Sometimes the airline pays one passenger and ignores the rest. Check that every name on the booking is in the answer.

What the rules say

Regulation 261/2004 sets the amounts per passenger:

• Article 7(1): €250 for flights up to 1,500 km, €400 for flights within the EU over 1,500 km and other flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km, €600 for flights over 3,500 km.
• Children with their own paid seat are owed the same amount as adults.
• Article 3: each passenger needs a confirmed reservation and must have been at check-in on time.
• Article 9: the airline must provide care during the wait, such as meals, refreshments and a hotel if needed. That applies to each of you.

A long delay counts like a cancellation if you arrived 3 hours or more late (Sturgeon, C-402/07). Use the compensation calculator to check the band for your flight.

So four passengers on a 1,500 to 3,500 km flight are owed 4 × €400 = €1,600. On a flight over 3,500 km, 4 × €600 = €2,400.

What a claim company costs a family

Claim companies take a percentage of each passenger's payout, typically 25 to 35%. The Danish consumer council Tænk found fees of 30 to 40% at Danish firms (Tænk).

• Four passengers at €400, 35%: €560 of €1,600 goes to the claim company.
• Four passengers at €600, 35%: up to €840 goes to the claim company.

In fairness, a claim company takes payment only if you win, and it handles everything for you.

One claim for the whole booking

You do not need a separate claim for each person. Send one claim that covers everyone:

• List every passenger by name, with the booking reference and flight number, and the amount you claim for each.
• Authorisation from the other adults. The boards may ask for a signed authorisation from every adult on the booking. Finland's KRIL requires a signed power of attorney from every adult you claim for. Denmark's Trafikstyrelsen requires one for each co-passenger, stating both names, the departure date, and the date and signature. There, a claim with missing details is rejected.
• One email thread. Keep all messages with the airline in the same case, so nothing gets split.
• All boarding passes, for every passenger, including the children.
• Receipts for everyone for meals, drinks, hotel and transport you paid during the wait. Under Article 9 the airline should have provided these.

Step by step

1. Check the rejection. The rejection checker helps you see whether the airline's reason holds up.
2. Reply in writing in the same case. Name every passenger, state the amount per passenger, and ask the airline to prove its reason if it claims extraordinary circumstances.
3. Wait for the answer. About 4 weeks in Sweden and Norway, 6 weeks in Denmark, before you can go further. See airline not responding.
4. Go to the board for the country where the disruption happened, with the authorisations attached. See the Nordic complaint boards.

Each passenger has their own claim, so the deadlines apply per passenger. Check them in EU261 time limits in the Nordics.

When it is worth it

The bigger the group, the more a percentage fee costs you, and the more a flat fee makes sense. It is usually worth it when the airline's reason is weak, such as a technical fault or crew shortage, and you are willing to send the documents yourself.

A claim company may suit you better if you want someone else to handle every step, or if you would rather pay nothing unless you win.

Appeal My Flight writes the reply to the airline and the board complaint for €29 per booking, whatever the number of passengers. You send it yourself and keep the full payout. We charge the flat fee even if the airline still refuses, and we cannot promise an outcome.

FAQ

Do children get the same compensation as adults?

Yes. A child with their own paid seat is owed the same amount as an adult under Article 7.

Do I need a separate claim for each passenger?

No. One claim can cover the whole booking if it names every passenger. The boards may ask for a signed authorisation from each adult.

The airline paid me but not the others. What now?

Reply in the same case, list the passengers who were not paid, and ask for their compensation. Each passenger has their own claim.

Got the airline's reply? Paste it into the rejection checker and see what EU court rulings say about their excuse.