Why you may be owed compensation
EU Regulation 261/2004 gives air passengers fixed compensation. It doesn't depend on what your ticket cost.
When it applies
Your flight arrived 3 hours or more late, was cancelled less than 14 days before departure, or you were denied boarding. The flight left from the EU, EEA or Switzerland, or arrived there on an EU/EEA airline.
How much
€250 for flights up to 1,500 km, €400 up to 3,500 km, €600 for longer flights. Per passenger, including children with their own seat.
The main exception
Airlines don't pay for “extraordinary circumstances”, such as storms or air traffic control limits. They must prove it. Technical faults and strikes by their own staff usually don't count.
Don't wait too long
Claims have time limits. In Finland, Denmark and Norway generally 3 years. Complaint boards also have their own deadlines.
How EU261 compensation is calculated
| Flight distance | Compensation per passenger |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | €250 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km, and all flights within the EU over 1,500 km | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km | €600 |
Delay. What counts is the delay at your final destination, measured when the doors open. If you arrive 3 hours or more late, you are owed the same as for a cancellation (Sturgeon C-402/07; Germanwings C-452/13). On flights over 3,500 km that arrive 3 to 4 hours late, the airline may halve the amount.
Cancellation. You are owed compensation unless you were told at least 14 days before departure, or later but with an alternative flight close to your original times.
Denied boarding. If the flight was overbooked and you were not let on, you are owed compensation straight away.
Which flights. All flights departing from the EU, the EEA (including Norway and Iceland) or Switzerland, and flights into them on an EU or EEA airline. The ticket price does not matter. Children with their own seat are owed the same.
The exception. The airline does not pay if it can prove extraordinary circumstances, such as a storm or air traffic control restrictions, and that it took all reasonable measures. Technical faults, crew sickness and strikes by its own staff usually do not count.
Official sources
- Your Europe: air passenger rights (European Commission)
- The regulation itself (EUR-Lex)
- Finland: Consumer Advisory and Consumer Disputes Board (KKV, KRIL)
- Sweden: National Board for Consumer Disputes (ARN)
- Denmark: Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority (Trafikstyrelsen)
- Norway: Transport Complaints Board (Transportklagenemnda)
Got the airline's reply? Paste it into the rejection checker and see what EU court rulings say about their excuse.