Flight Delay Compensation in Europe: Where to Start

Sources checked September 8, 2026. A starting checklist for a delayed European flight, with links to detailed rights guides. AI-generated illustration of generic travel context, not a photograph of the reported event, airport or a customer.

Start here: Keep the booking, identify the operating carrier and record the actual arrival delay at your final destination. Then choose the guide matching the disruption. A late departure alone does not prove a fixed compensation claim.

What is EU261?

Regulation 261/2004 provides a framework for covered denied boarding, cancellations and long delays. The EU's passenger-rights guidance explains the separate remedies. This short article helps organise the first checks; the main authority guide contains the detailed coverage and exceptions.

Which journey are you assessing?

Retain all sectors when the journey connects. A single booking and separately purchased tickets can lead to different questions. Do not infer the operating carrier solely from a booking platform or marketing logo.

What happened to the flight?

A delay claim normally asks about final arrival of at least three hours and the cause. Cancellation and denied boarding have different tests. Confirm the disruption before treating one threshold as a rule for every situation.

Do not choose the maximum first

EU261 has €250, €400 and €600 base bands for qualifying claims. Intra-EU flights over 1,500 km use the middle band, including beyond 3,500 km. Notice exceptions and permitted reductions can matter. Use the delay guide for the full calculation rather than assuming every three-hour delay pays €600.

UK261 uses sterling amounts. Ticket price and the cost of a missed holiday are not the basis for the flat-rate band; additional losses need separate review.

Choose the matching guide

Delayed flight

Save final arrival evidence and the airline's cause. Use flight delay compensation for thresholds, care and the long-delay refund choice.

Cancelled flight

Keep when you were informed and the offered departure and arrival times. Use cancellation rights; fewer than 14 days' notice is not a guarantee.

Denied boarding

Record timely presentation, documents, the reason for refusal and whether you volunteered. Use the denied-boarding guide.

Ask for the actual reason

Save the airline's exact explanation and ask how the event affected the service. Weather, crew, a technical issue or an earlier flight should not be decided from the label alone. The examples guide helps identify the question; the rejection guide helps organise a response.

Keep evidence before deciding

Do not discard the booking after receiving a refund or replacement flight. Keep those records with the disruption notice and actual arrival time.

Compensation is not the only question

Each has conditions. A fixed compensation refusal does not automatically resolve the other requests, and a ticket refund is not normally payable after using the affected transport.

A five-step starting file

1. Original booking and operating carrier.
2. Flight date, route and actual disruption.
3. Airline reason and notification time.
4. Replacement travel and final arrival.
5. Separate itemised money requests and supporting records.

Submit directly through the airline's official process and retain the reference. Check the relevant deadline and dispute route if needed. The evidence checklist provides a fuller file structure.

Use the detailed guide for the decision

Check the coverage, exceptions and evidence for your particular journey before choosing a claim route. For legal changes announced in 2026, use the reform update and distinguish future application from the rules governing the disruption.

Check your next step

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