If a covered flight reaches its final destination at least three hours late, fixed compensation may be payable. First establish the route, operating airline, arrival delay and cause. EU261 and UK261 are related systems, but use different coverage rules and currencies.
Do not confuse compensation with airport assistance or a ticket refund. You may have a right to care before the compensation threshold, including during extraordinary circumstances. This guide explains the rules applicable at its 8 September 2026 review; future EU reforms are not applied automatically to your disruption.
How Flight Delays Are Measured
Compare scheduled arrival with actual arrival at the relevant final destination, not simply the time spent waiting to depart.
The arrival-time rule
Under EU case law, arrival means a door has opened and passengers are permitted to leave. Touchdown can be earlier. Keep your own timing notes and any airline records. See CJEU C-452/13.
Time made up in the air
A four-hour departure delay does not automatically establish a three-hour arrival delay. If the relevant arrival delay is under three hours, ordinary EU261 delay compensation will generally not apply, even though care rights may have arisen.
Connections matter
On a covered single reservation, a short first-leg delay can lead to a much longer final arrival delay. Separate self-transfer tickets need a different analysis. Use our connecting-flight guide rather than adding the durations of individual delays.
Compensation Tiers: How Much Could Apply?
These EU amounts are per eligible passenger, not per booking. The route must be covered and all claim conditions must be met.
On a small screen, swipe the table sideways to see every column. Keyboard users can focus the table and use the arrow keys.
| Flight distance and category | Final arrival delay | EU amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1,500 km or less | At least 3 hours | €250 |
| Over 1,500 km within the EU; other covered flights over 1,500 km up to 3,500 km | At least 3 hours | €400 |
| Other covered flights over 3,500 km | At least 3 hours but less than 4 | €300 reduced long-haul amount |
| Other covered flights over 3,500 km | At least 4 hours | €600 |
The long-haul distinction matters: €600 is not the automatic amount for every three-hour delay over 3,500 km. The EU's arrival-delay table includes €300 below four hours. Do not put an intra-EU flight over 3,500 km into the wrong distance band.
UK amounts are separate
For eligible UK261 claims, the CAA lists £220 for short-haul and £350 for medium-haul flights. For long-haul delays it distinguishes £260 at three to four hours and £520 for longer delays. These are statutory sterling amounts, not approximate euro conversions. Check the CAA delay guidance and your exact timing.
Vouchers and ticket price
A cheap ticket does not reduce a qualifying fixed claim. Where compensation is owed, a voucher is not compulsory. Read whether an offer covers meals, expenses, compensation or a full settlement before agreeing to it.
Your Right to Care at the Airport
Care uses departure-delay thresholds. Fixed delay compensation uses final arrival delay. These clocks answer different questions.
When assistance should be provided
On a covered EU flight, care includes food and refreshments appropriate to the wait and communication. When the delay makes an overnight stay necessary, accommodation and transport can also be required. An extraordinary-circumstances defence to compensation does not by itself cancel those duties.
EU departure-delay thresholds
- 2 hours: flights of 1,500 km or less.
- 3 hours: intra-EU flights over 1,500 km and other flights over 1,500 km up to 3,500 km.
- 4 hours: the remaining longer flights.
See Articles 6 and 9 of Regulation 261/2004.
If help is missing: ask the airline first and keep a record. If you must arrange care yourself, keep itemised receipts and spending reasonable. Explain why the costs were necessary. Lost holiday enjoyment, luxury purchases and missed separate bookings are not automatically reimbursable as care expenses.
Five hours late and no longer travelling?
A departure delay of at least five hours can give you the choice to abandon the trip and obtain reimbursement for unused travel, and relevant used parts if the journey no longer serves its original purpose, with a return to the first departure point where applicable. Do not choose a refund while assuming that the airline must also provide your onward replacement journey. A delay is not automatically a cancellation after five hours.
What Counts as Extraordinary Circumstances?
The airline must establish both a qualifying event and its effect on your flight, and explain why reasonable measures could not have avoided the delay. Ask for more than a generic explanation.
Events that may qualify
- Unsafe weather affecting the operation
- Relevant air traffic restrictions
- Security or political events
- Certain external airport disruptions
- Some bird-strike cases
Events to examine closely
- Routine technical problems
- Crew sickness or scheduling problems
- Ordinary staffing shortages
- Internal operational failures
- Internal airline strikes
These examples are starting points, not automatic decisions. A cause affecting an earlier rotation also needs a link to your delay and a reasonable-measures assessment. Our evidence and rejection guide and crew-sickness article cover narrower questions.
Special Note for Serbia and the Western Balkans
Establish the applicable regime before using a compensation table.
EU and UK coverage first
EU departures can be covered regardless of the airline's nationality. A non-EU departure to the EU normally needs an EU operating carrier for EU261. UK261 has a different route test. See the route coverage matrix and UK guide.
National rules still matter
The Serbian Civil Aviation Directorate specifically distinguishes national delay-compensation rules from EU case law while explaining care rights. Do not promise an EU amount for every Balkan departure. Start with the ECAA guide and the relevant authority.
Step-by-Step Checklist for Delayed Passengers
At the airport
- Ask for the delay reason and available care.
- Keep the booking, boarding pass and airline messages.
- Record scheduled and actual arrival, with supporting evidence.
After the journey
- Keep itemised expenses separate from fixed compensation.
- Submit the claim through the operating airline's official channel.
- Save your submission and response before choosing an escalation route.
For airline-specific channels, use our Ryanair, easyJet or Lufthansa guides. You can claim directly; a paid partner is optional.
How Long Do You Have to Claim?
Do not use a universal one-year deadline or assume every claim follows the departure country's time limit. EU261 court limitation periods depend on national rules. Airline complaints, ADR applications and court proceedings can have different requirements.
Keep evidence now and check the applicable procedure promptly, especially for an older disruption. Correspondence alone should not be assumed to stop a court deadline. The Commission's CJEU summary explains the national-law approach in C-139/11. Our claim follow-up guide distinguishes waiting for a reply from the legal time limit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get compensation for a two-hour delay?
Ordinary EU261 delay compensation normally requires at least three hours at the relevant final destination. Care may start earlier. If a short initial delay caused a missed connection on a covered single reservation, check the final arrival delay for the whole journey.
Is a four-hour departure delay enough?
Not by itself. Check the actual arrival delay, route coverage and cause. Time made up during the journey can bring the arrival delay below the compensation threshold without erasing care rights that arose at departure.
Is every long-haul delay worth €600?
No. For covered flights over 3,500 km outside the intra-EU band, the EU guidance distinguishes €300 for arrival delays of at least three but less than four hours and €600 from four hours. Other claim conditions still apply.
What if my flight was part of a package holiday?
A passenger-rights claim against the airline may still exist. Package-travel rights against the organiser are separate and can affect the refund route. Keep your package contract and avoid claiming the same loss twice.
Does my nationality matter?
Geographic coverage depends on the route and operating carrier, not citizenship. Booking and travel requirements still need to be met, and a non-EU route is not automatically covered because the passenger lives in Europe.
Need Help Understanding Your Delay?
Start with the route, actual arrival time and the airline's explanation.
Official Resources and Review Scope
Reviewed on 8 September 2026 using the EU, CJEU, CAA and Serbian authority sources linked in this guide. It is general information, not an individual eligibility decision or legal opinion.