Who can claim?
- If your flight was delayed, cancelled or if you were denied boarding due to overbooking
- Departing from any EU / UK airport on any airline
- Arriving at any EU / UK airport on a European airline
- Overall arrival delay at least three hours (through no fault of your own)
- All nationalities / passport holders are covered & eligible to claim!
- Up to €600 per passenger
What Are Air Passenger Rights?
Air passenger rights involve specific laws that support travelers and advocate for protection and compensation when people face flight disruptions.
The European Union Regulation EC No 261/2004, commonly referred to as EU261, is a regulation that offers rights and compensation to passengers affected by flight delays, cancellations, and overbooking. It is designed to ensure that air passengers receive fair treatment and financial compensation when their flights, which either originate from an EU country or arrive in an EU country with an EU airline, don't go as planned.
Claims are not just limited to EU or GB citizens; travellers of any nationality are covered by EU261 if their flight meets the following ciriteria:
| Departing From | Arriving To | Can I Claim? |
|---|---|---|
| Airport inside EU/UK | Airport inside EU/UK | ✅ Covered (any airline) |
| Airport inside EU/UK | Airport outside EU/UK | ✅ Covered (any airline) |
| Airport outside EU/UK | Airport inside EU/UK | ✅ Covered (EU/UK airline) |
| Airport outside EU/UK | Airport outside EU/UK | ✖️ Not covered |
Flight Delay Compensation
According to the EU passenger rights regulation, you are entitled to compensation ranging from €250 to €600, depending on the total distance of your flight. The table below shows you exactly how much you can claim.
The amount of the compensation depends on the flight distance:
- For flights shorter than 1,500 km, the compensation is €250.
- For flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km, the compensation is €400.
- For flights of over 1,500 km within the EU, the compensation is €400.
- For flights of over 3,500 km outside of the EU, the compensation is €600 —but if your flight was delayed by fewer than 4 hours, the total amount might be reduced by 50%.
Flight Cancellation Compensation
The compensation claim that you can make for a cancelled flight depends on several factors, like flight distance and when the cancellation was made:
| Cancellation Notice | Alternative Flight | Can I Claim? |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 7 days | Departs 1hr+ earlier or arrives 2hr+ later | ✅ Covered |
| 7-14 days | Departs 1hr+ earlier or arrives 2hr+ later | ✅ Covered |
| Fewer than 14 days | No alternative offered | ✅ Covered |
- For flights shorter than 1,500 km, the compensation is up to €250.
- For flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km, the compensation is up to €400.
- For flights of over 1,500 km, the compensation is up to €600.
Denied boarding due to overbooking
Overbooking is a common practice among airlines. They usually sell more tickets than there are seats on the plane. If in the end all the passengers went to board the plane, the airline must ask some passengers to give away their seats, rebooking them on another flight and/or offering them vouchers. If no volunteers are found by the airline, the airline will have to deny boarding to random passengers.
If you were denied boarding: you have air passenger rights! Denying passengers boarding is the same as a flight cancellation, according to the EU261. You could then be entitled to flight compensation, flight refund or both, if you did not fly with the airline in the end.
- For flights shorter than 1,500 km, the compensation is up to €250.
- For flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km, the compensation is up to €400.
- For flights of over 1,500 km, the compensation is up to €600.
Missed Connection Compensation
A missed connection is a situation where a passenger misses one or more flights in the course of a journey as a result of the delay or cancellation of one or more previous services.
There can be lots of reasons for delay or cancellation, but if it's through no fault of the passenger, then they are entitled to compensation for the missed connection.
- For flights shorter than 1,500 km, the compensation is up to €250.
- For flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km, the compensation is up to €400.
- For flights of over 1,500 km, the compensation is up to €600.
An important thing to note is that to be eligible for compensation under EU law, your tickets must be on the same reservation. So, if your ticket includes both legs of the journey, it is considered a single ticket.
Can the airline deny my air passenger rights?
If extraordinary circumstances caused your delayed flight, you wouldn't be entitled to compensation from the airline.
Extraordinary circumstances can be:
- Unusual weather conditions (weather which presents a safety risk)
- Terrorist/military action (an event that constitutes a threat to the general security)
- Curfew/flight ban
- Acute illness or illness of passengers
Passengers should be aware that airlines sometimes qualify a reason for delay as an “extraordinary circumstance”, though the cause was actually within the airline’s control. This is done in an attempt to avoid the compensation obligation. We have seen many cases where an airline denies valid claims (e.g. by indicating unusual weather, even though the weather was not a contributing factor to a delay or cancellation). This is why FlyFairly exists; to fight airlines on your behalf and ensure you get the compensation you're owed!
Circumstances that may lead to compensation:
The following are circumstances that are not considered “exceptional or extraordinary circumstances” and may lead to compensation:
- Technical problems
- Insufficient flight crew/crew shortage
- Traffic or congestion at the airport
- Late arrival of the aircraft due to operational reasons, which are the airline’s fault