Flight delay compensation under EU 261

If your flight departs from an EU airport, or lands in the EU on an EU carrier, and it is cancelled or reaches your final destination three hours or more late, you are entitled to fixed compensation of €250, €400 or €600 under EU Regulation 261/2004. The main exception is a disruption caused by extraordinary circumstances that the airline could not have avoided even with all reasonable measures.

The Regulation itself only mentions cancellation, but the Court of Justice of the European Union extended the right to long delays in the Sturgeon judgment of 19 November 2009 (C-402/07 and C-432/07). Passengers who reach their final destination three hours or more behind schedule are treated the same as passengers on a cancelled flight.

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When are you entitled to compensation?

Three conditions apply. The flight left from an airport in the EU, or it landed in the EU and was operated by an EU carrier. You had a confirmed reservation and checked in on time. And you reached your final destination at least three hours later than scheduled, or the flight was cancelled without sufficient notice.

Arrival time means the moment the aircraft doors open at the destination, not the moment of touchdown. Where a delay is close to the three-hour mark, that distinction can decide the claim. A missed connection also counts, as long as the flights were part of one booking and you reached your final destination three hours or more late.

When does a cancellation not entitle you to compensation?

No compensation is due if the airline informed you of the cancellation more than 14 days before departure. With 7 to 14 days’ notice, or less than 7 days’ notice, you are not entitled either if the airline offered re-routing within strict time margins around your original departure and arrival times, according to the European Commission’s Your Europe portal.

How much compensation can you claim?

The amount depends on the flight distance, not on the ticket price. It is €250 for flights up to 1,500 kilometres, €400 for longer flights within the EU and for other flights between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometres, and €600 for flights over 3,500 kilometres. For that longest category, the airline may halve the amount to €300 if you arrive between three and four hours late.

Compensation comes on top of the airline’s duty of care during the delay, such as meals, refreshments and, where needed, accommodation and transport. If the flight is cancelled, it also comes on top of your right to choose between a refund and re-routing.

When can the airline refuse to pay?

The airline is not liable if the disruption was caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even with all reasonable measures. Severe weather, air traffic control restrictions, political instability and security risks can fall into that category.

Much of what airlines rely on does not qualify. The Court of Justice ruled in Wallentin-Hermann v Alitalia (C-549/07) that a technical defect arising in the normal course of operating an aircraft is generally not extraordinary. In the TUIfly case (C-195/17), it ruled that a wildcat strike among the airline’s own staff, following the airline’s own decisions, is not extraordinary either. The airline has to prove both the extraordinary circumstances and the reasonable measures it took.

What should you check as a passenger?

Most claims succeed or fail on documents you collect on the day itself.

Keep your boarding pass, booking confirmation and any messages from the airline.
Note the time the aircraft doors opened at your final destination.
Check which airline actually operated the flight; that carrier is liable.
Ask the airline in writing for the reason of the delay or cancellation.
Keep receipts for meals, hotels and transport the airline did not provide.
Note the date of the flight: the two-year deadline runs from the day the flight arrived or should have arrived.

How do you make a claim?

Claim from the operating carrier, not from the travel agent or the airline whose code was on your ticket. State the flight number and date, the scheduled and actual arrival times, and the amount you claim. If the airline does not respond within two months or rejects the claim, you can also complain to the national enforcement body in the country where the incident happened.

That body does not award compensation itself, so for payment you may have to go to court. In the Netherlands, a claim of this size goes to the subdistrict court (kantonrechter), where you do not need a lawyer.

How long do you have to bring a claim?

In the Netherlands, two years. Dutch courts apply the two-year period of Article 8:1835 of the Dutch Civil Code (BW) for claims under a contract of carriage by air. This is an expiry period: a letter to the airline does not stop it, so you must start court proceedings within two years. In a 2023 ruling, the subdistrict court of Haarlem declared passengers’ claims inadmissible because the summons came too late (ECLI:NL:RBNHO:2023:501).

What can we do for you with a flight compensation claim?

Our civil lawyers handle claims against airlines for individual passengers and for companies with travelling staff:

We check whether the Regulation applies and which compensation category fits your flight.
We assess whether the airline’s reliance on extraordinary circumstances holds up.
We send a demand letter to the operating carrier with a payment deadline.
We start proceedings at the subdistrict court in good time before the two-year period ends.
We bundle the claims of colleagues or family members on the same flight.

Summary

A flight cancelled or arriving three hours or more late can entitle you to €250, €400 or €600, depending on distance.
The right applies to flights departing from the EU and to flights into the EU on an EU carrier.
The airline does not have to pay if it proves extraordinary circumstances despite all reasonable measures; technical defects and own-staff strikes generally do not count.
In the Netherlands, you must start court proceedings within two years; a letter does not stop that period.