The European Union has the most consumer friendly policies when it comes to what passengers are entitled to in the event that their flight is significantly delayed or canceled. For example, if your long haul flight is delayed by at least four hours, you could be entitled to 600 Euro cash, which is huge. In this post I wanted to go over everything you need to know about how this policy works.
In this post:
What is EU261 flight delay compensation?
Regulation 261/2004 (commonly referred to as EU261) is the European Union’s official rule that dictates what airlines owe passengers in the event of flight delays or cancelations. This can include everything from cash compensation, to hotels, to meal vouchers. This is truly the most generous protection you’ll find anywhere in the world when it comes to airline passenger rights.
Europe flight delay compensation basics
Under what circumstances are you entitled to compensation in Europe if your flight is delayed or canceled? As you might expect, this can be difficult to understand at times, since rules differ based on the airline you’re flying with, the cause of the delay, etc. In this post I’ll go over all the details.
Which airlines & countries are covered by EU261?
EU261 rules apply in the following situations:
- If you are traveling from a European Union airport on any airline
- If you are traveling to a European Union airport on a European Union-based airline
In other words:
- If you’re flying from Frankfurt to Newark, EU261 would apply regardless of whether you’re traveling with Lufthansa or United
- If you’re flying from Newark to Frankfurt, EU261 would only apply on Lufthansa, and not on United (since United isn’t a European Union-based airline)
A few more things to note:
- Even though Norway and Switzerland aren’t in the European Union, EU261 applies for these countries as well; furthermore, the United Kingdom has separate rules that are almost identical to EU261
- You’re only eligible for EU261 coverage if you have a confirmed reservation, and are traveling on a revenue or award ticket (in other words, staff travel or other industrial discount tickets don’t qualify)
- Frustratingly, EU261 doesn’t apply if you’re merely connecting in the European Union between two other destinations; for example, it wouldn’t apply to a New York to Paris to Johannesburg itinerary
How much money is EU261 compensation?
The amount of cash compensation you’re entitled to under EU261 varies based on the length of the flight… sort of:
- If your flight covers a distance of under 1,500km (930 miles), you’re entitled to 250 Euro compensation if you’re delayed by at least two hours
- If your flight covers a distance of 1,500-3,500km (930-2,200 miles), you’re entitled to 400 Euro compensation if you’re delayed by at least three hours
- If your flight covers a distance of over 3,500km (2,200 miles), you’re entitled to 600 Euro compensation if you’re delayed by at least four hours
So as you can see, the longer the flight, the longer the delay has to be in order to get compensated. However, you’re also potentially going to get more compensation. There are a couple more details to be aware of:
- A delay is calculated based on the time that you arrive at your gate and the doors open, rather than based on when you touch down at your destination
- Furthermore, the delay is calculated based on how late you reach your final destination; if you’re flying from Berlin to Frankfurt to New York, and your Berlin to Frankfurt flight is delayed by an hour and causes you to miss your connecting flight and arrive in New York at least four hours late, you’d be entitled to cash compensation
Which delays qualify for EU261 compensation?
If you’re looking for compensation through EU261, you’re entitled to that for any delay or cancelation that isn’t due to “extraordinary circumstances.” The issue is that this can be a bit of a gray area, and airlines have been known to play games. That’s because what constitutes “extraordinary circumstances” isn’t explicitly defined.
As a general rule of thumb:
- Weather delays, air traffic control delays, delays due to strikes, delays due to political instability, etc., would be considered extraordinary circumstances, so EU261 compensation wouldn’t apply
- A mechanical problem, a late inbound aircraft, a crew related delay, etc., wouldn’t be considered extraordinary circumstances, so EU261 compensation would apply
Do flight cancelations qualify for EU261 compensation?
Not only does the above compensation apply if your flight is delayed, but it also applies if it’s canceled. EU261 compensation applies in the event that your flight is canceled within 14 days of departure. If your flight is canceled further out than that, then the compensation wouldn’t apply.
Furthermore, as is the case with delays, extraordinary circumstances are excluded from being eligible for compensation.
How do you claim EU261 compensation?
Claiming EU261 compensation is potentially the tricky part, as airlines often do everything in their power to get out of paying this compensation. There are two general ways you can approach this:
- You can contact the airline to try to claim EU261 compensation, and some airlines have forms on their websites through which this can be done
- You can use a third party service that helps consumers with this, though they usually take a significant cut; I’ve never used one of these so can’t personally vouch for any, but you can easily find them online
I’d always recommend doing everything in your power to request the compensation directly, so you can keep the entire amount. If you’re going to claim EU261 compensation, a few things to keep in mind:
- This isn’t something you need to do at the airport, so don’t take this up with airport staff, but rather take it up with customer relations after the fact
- I’d recommend keeping as much documentation as possible, including taking pictures of the flight status page reflecting the delay, keeping boarding passes, etc.
- Expect that airlines may try to do everything in their power to get out of paying this compensation; this can include claiming that there were “extraordinary circumstances,” just not responding for a long time, etc.
Does EU261 cover hotels & meals?
Not only does EU261 offer cash compensation in the event of a delay or cancelation, but it also offers passengers other forms of assistance, including:
- Hotel accommodation in the event of an overnight delay, including transport to and from the hotel
- Meals and refreshments
- Two telephone calls or emails
This should be offered proactively in the event of a significant delay or cancelation. There’s no promise of how efficiently any of this will be offered, though. For example, if you have a flight canceled at an outstation (non-hub airport), you might have two agents trying to work on hotels for hundreds of passengers, which could take hours. So be prepared to be patient.
What’s also nice is that the duty of care applies even if the delay or cancelation is due to extraordinary circumstances. So if your flight is delayed overnight due to weather, you’d still be owed a hotel room and meals.
What about delayed & lost bags with EU261?
While EU261 is extremely generous when it comes to flight delays and cancelations, unfortunately it’s a bit less generous when it comes to delayed and lost bags. As a matter of fact, the Montreal Convention and/or the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations are often more generous.
Under EU261 regulations:
- You’re limited to $1,700 in compensation in the event of lost luggage
- You can be reimbursed for necessary expenses due to delayed luggage, though you’ll only be reimbursed at the rate of 50% for things you can continue to use (like clothes), while toiletries and single-use items will be reimbursed at 100%
- Airlines have a lot of discretion regarding what they consider reasonable and necessary expenses
Just as a point of comparison, under DOT regulations in the United States, you can be compensated up to $3,800 for lost bags on domestic flights, and you can also be fully reimbursed for necessary expenses due to lost bags (rather than just 50% for items you can reuse, under EU261 regulations).
Should EU261 compensation impact how you plan travel?
As I said, EU261 is the most consumer friendly government regulations out there when it comes to flight delays and cancelations. In the United States, airlines can delay your flight by 12 hours or cancel your flight, and you’re entitled to exactly zero dollars compensation. So it’s great to see that in at least some part of the world there’s some protection for consumers.
EU261 compensation certainly makes me feel less frustrated in situations where my flight is delayed or canceled. But I think there’s also an interesting angle here in general, which might put consumers at ease.
Many European airports have unrealistically short minimum connection times, and then they encourage passengers to book very short connections. Often people will misconnect, though perhaps one silver lining here is that you could end up getting EU261 compensation.
As mentioned above, the length of the delay is measured based on how late you arrive at your final destination. Say you’re flying Lufthansa from Chicago to Munich to Berlin with a 45 minute connection. If your Chicago to Munich flight is delayed by an hour (causing you to misconnect), and you end up being rebooked on another flight that gets you to Berlin more than four hours late, you’d be entitled to 600 Euro cash compensation.
That certainly takes the sting out of misconnecting a bit…
Bottom line
The European Union has the most consumer friendly rules that you’ll find anywhere in the world when it comes to flight delays and cancelations. Under EU rules, you’re entitled to 600 Euro in cash compensation in the event that you’re traveling long haul and arrive at your destination at least four hours behind schedule.
While there are some terms to be aware of, in many ways the rules are as good as they sound. Actually getting an airline to pay, especially in a timely manner, could be a different story, though.
Hopefully the above is a useful rundown of how EU261 works. While there’s a bit more nuance, I tried to strike the right balance between keeping this brief and easy, and being thorough.
Have you ever been able to get EU261 compensation? If so, what was your experience like?
If your flight covers a distance of under 1,500km (930 miles), you’re entitled to 250 Euro compensation if you’re delayed by at least two hours.
No. You are NEVER entitled to compensation for delays less than 3 hours. You are entitled for food vouchers and phone calls for delay of 2+ hours.
Hello: I really need some help on this issue.
Very long story short:
1. I flew ITA Airways from IAD to FCO on March 10th 2024. This interantional flight was delayed over 3 hours and ITA confirmed it qualified for EU261 delayed flight delay of EU600.
2. The flight was on a Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles ticket [prefix 932] and ITA can only process EU261 claims on their ticket stock [prefix...
Hello: I really need some help on this issue.
Very long story short:
1. I flew ITA Airways from IAD to FCO on March 10th 2024. This interantional flight was delayed over 3 hours and ITA confirmed it qualified for EU261 delayed flight delay of EU600.
2. The flight was on a Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles ticket [prefix 932] and ITA can only process EU261 claims on their ticket stock [prefix 055].
3. I have requested help from Virgin multiple times to initiate this claim manually with ITA. There is certainly an anomaly with the EU261 claiming system when one is flying on a codeshare/partner ticket and EU261 is clearly the responsibility of the OPERATING airline.
"ITA can only process EU261 claims on their ticket stock [prefix 055]"
Not your problem. ITA was the operating carrier, you had a boarding pass for an ITA flight and they are 100% obliged to take care of your case. Virgin Atlantic has nothing to do with it.
Hello: I really need some help on this issue.
Very long story short:
1. I flew ITA Airways from IAD to FCO on March 10th 2024. This interantional flight was delayed over 3 hours and ITA confirmed it qualified for EU261 delayed flight delay of EU600.
2. The flight was on a Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles ticket [prefix 932] and ITA can only process EU261 claims on their ticket stock [prefix...
Hello: I really need some help on this issue.
Very long story short:
1. I flew ITA Airways from IAD to FCO on March 10th 2024. This interantional flight was delayed over 3 hours and ITA confirmed it qualified for EU261 delayed flight delay of EU600.
2. The flight was on a Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles ticket [prefix 932] and ITA can only process EU261 claims on their ticket stock [prefix 055].
3. I have requested help from Virgin multiple times to initiate this claim manually with ITA. There is certainly an anomaly with the EU261 claiming system when one is flying on a codeshare/partner ticket and EU261 is clearly the responsibility of the OPERATING airline.
Passengers should not accept any reimbursement for reasonable expenses that are reduced by the airline, such as 50% of your clothes or asking you to return the clothes if you want 100%. According to the DOT, these practices go against the Montreal Convention. The convention does not give airlines the ability to make this determination. The convention clearly states that the carrier is LIABLE for reasonable expenses incurred due to luggage delay. It does not...
Passengers should not accept any reimbursement for reasonable expenses that are reduced by the airline, such as 50% of your clothes or asking you to return the clothes if you want 100%. According to the DOT, these practices go against the Montreal Convention. The convention does not give airlines the ability to make this determination. The convention clearly states that the carrier is LIABLE for reasonable expenses incurred due to luggage delay. It does not talk about partially liable, or the carrier will determine the amount to be compensated. The US courts and the DOT has said that any such practices are against the Montreal Convention
It is important to clarify the information regarding baggage delay. The description provided makes it appear as though the EU261 regulation covers luggage delay in a less generous manner than the Montreal convention or the DOT domestic flight regulation. However, this is not the case. The EU261 regulation does not address baggage delay compensation at all. The compensation amount of $1700 mentioned is what the Montreal convention states regarding luggage delay compensation.
It is important to clarify the information regarding baggage delay. The description provided makes it appear as though the EU261 regulation covers luggage delay in a less generous manner than the Montreal convention or the DOT domestic flight regulation. However, this is not the case. The EU261 regulation does not address baggage delay compensation at all. The compensation amount of $1700 mentioned is what the Montreal convention states regarding luggage delay compensation.
Actually, the baggage compensation part is wrong. EC261/2004 is only about flight irregularities, not baggage. Even in EU, baggage is regulated by Montreal Concention.
It's important to note that EU261 does not handle baggage delay issues. In case of lost, damaged or delayed baggage, the Montreal Convention usually covers most international flights. According to the convention, you are entitled to receive up to 1,131 Special Drawing Rights (SDR), which is approximately US$1,700, for reasonable expenses. However, I disagree with the policy of airlines reimbursing only 50% of the cost of clothes. The US Department of Transportation has stated that...
It's important to note that EU261 does not handle baggage delay issues. In case of lost, damaged or delayed baggage, the Montreal Convention usually covers most international flights. According to the convention, you are entitled to receive up to 1,131 Special Drawing Rights (SDR), which is approximately US$1,700, for reasonable expenses. However, I disagree with the policy of airlines reimbursing only 50% of the cost of clothes. The US Department of Transportation has stated that this policy goes against the Montreal Convention. You can find more information on this at https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/lufthansa-fined-improperly-limiting-reimbursements-delayed-baggage.
In a couple of weeks, I have a flight from Brussels to Tokyo via Helsinki with just over 2 hours in transit in Helsinki, so fingers crossed! I would love to get paid to spend a day in Helsinki.
BA cancelled the last flight of the day from Newcastle to London - we think it was simply due to too few passengers. We travelled the next day. I put in my claim for hotel rooms, taxis and meals. I had no idea about EU261 but BA reimbursed me all my costs as well as €250 per passenger and even explained that that was what I was due! Good for them.
I've read repeatedly that strikes - being predictable by nature - do NOT count as an exemption from EU261. Are you sure?
Strikes of the own airline crew entitles you to compensation (like it happened the last few weeks within LH and OS)
Exactly as Thomas says. During the LH groundcrew strike, I stranded in MEX for two days and the EUR 600 plus hotel were paid. LH has a website for this, which is quiet convenient. On a sidenote, I was travelling on a first class award ticket and was rebooked to full fare first, netting me nearly 20K miles & more miles as well as 300 status points. Together with the EU261 compensation not bad indeed!
Exactly as Thomas says. During the LH groundcrew strike, I stranded in MEX for two days and the EUR 600 plus hotel were paid. LH has a website for this, which is quiet convenient. On a sidenote, I was travelling on a first class award ticket and was rebooked to full fare first, netting me nearly 20K miles & more miles as well as 300 status points. Together with the EU261 compensation not bad indeed!
https://www.lufthansa.com/de/de/kompensation-bei-flugunregelmaessigkeiten
Does this or any similar law apply to flights that get diverted?
In December, I flew on KLM from SFO to AMS. Mid flight, we diverted to St John’s, Canada due to a medical emergency with a passenger. We all stayed on the plane and eventually continued on to Amsterdam. I’ve always wondered if we were entitled to any sort of compensation for the delay. The airline never mentioned or offered us anything other than an apology.
No, for circumstances like this that are out of the airline’s responsibility(weather, medical emergencies, unruly passengers, …), you are not entitled to financial EU261 compensation. However you are still entitled to some basics such as refreshments, free international call to inform someone who’d wait for you at your destination, eventually a hotel, …
My experience with Etihad claiming EU 261 has been extremely frustrating. My compensation claim was approved and their remittance advice dated 6 December stated that payment should have been deposited to my bank account within 7 business days. It still had not been remitted. I've sent emails and called on four occasions. Horrible experience. Dreadful airline.
How about the Inbound flight delay due to ill passenger? The crew timed out because of that. And the airline says they are not responsible. Is there any court cases on inbound flight delays?
Sickness of a passenger is extraordinary. In addition fighting for compensation because someone was ill is disrespectful and hopefully not the claimant the next time.
Sadly the attitude of many people nowadays is that they don’t care whether someone was ill or even died. Hopefully next time it’s not them
I was in Italy in 2017 when British Air computers crashed. Had to spend the night near Pisa Airport and return to the airport the next day. Since the crash was massive, we were told to find our own hotels and keep receipts. Next day got a flight Pisa to LHR, but we were late arriving and I had to spend the night in London. Same thing, I had to find my own accommodations. I...
I was in Italy in 2017 when British Air computers crashed. Had to spend the night near Pisa Airport and return to the airport the next day. Since the crash was massive, we were told to find our own hotels and keep receipts. Next day got a flight Pisa to LHR, but we were late arriving and I had to spend the night in London. Same thing, I had to find my own accommodations. I was able to claim the 600 euros plus lodging, meals and transportation. One meal was over the limit and I had to pay the difference. It took a lot of effort to finally get paid, but they did pay me. Also, it was a sea of luggage at LHR and I had to locate my own bag. Overall, it was an ordeal, but the compensation softened the blow.
Worth mentioned that it covers onward connections, provided you start your journey in the EU. For example, EWR to DEN on UA would be covered if you started in FRA (and it’s a single ticket)
Does anyone know if this is applicable also to staff travel fares?
No. And staff should know that. It’s not available for tickets not available to the general public.
It absolutely works great! Our British Airways flight was delayed hours due to a mechanical from Rome to Heathrow, which caused us to miss our connecting flight to O’Hare. So we had to overnight at a hotel at the airport. I filed all the necessary paperwork with BA, but as you indicated they drug their feet. So I just started hammering them on their social media website. They begged me to IM them and I...
It absolutely works great! Our British Airways flight was delayed hours due to a mechanical from Rome to Heathrow, which caused us to miss our connecting flight to O’Hare. So we had to overnight at a hotel at the airport. I filed all the necessary paperwork with BA, but as you indicated they drug their feet. So I just started hammering them on their social media website. They begged me to IM them and I told them I would stop when I got the money EFT’d into our checking account. It was deposited within 48 hours! Got the EU261 compensation, plus hotel and meal charges.
Crew strike is not considered extraordinary situation and gives access to compensation.
Also many countries, like Italy, have a free service that allows you to claim your compensation and reimbursement. It’s a sort of group chat with the airline legal and a conciliator where you try to negotiate. The service in Italy is called Conciliaweb. I used it several times and always managed to get my compensation (after the airline rejected my request initially).
So I had a unique situation in December; booked LH J from IAD-MUC right after the giant snowstorm in Munich that closed the airport for a few days. Things still looked dicey—several future flights that week on the same segment were proactively canceled—but my inbound aircraft made it to IAD on time and LH was showing an on-time departure for my flight. So I schlepped out to Dulles and sat in the lounge.
About...
So I had a unique situation in December; booked LH J from IAD-MUC right after the giant snowstorm in Munich that closed the airport for a few days. Things still looked dicey—several future flights that week on the same segment were proactively canceled—but my inbound aircraft made it to IAD on time and LH was showing an on-time departure for my flight. So I schlepped out to Dulles and sat in the lounge.
About 10 minutes before boarding, they announced the flight was canceled. Thankfully most pax had already headed to the gate, so there were maybe 15-20 people at the lounge entrance waiting for rebooking (they tried some shady stuff by insisting that we all had to go join the scrum at the gate; fat chance). I got rebooked on UA direct to LHR (my final destination) the next morning, so no bones from me about that.
Where it gets interesting: LH actually ferried the aircraft back to MUC that night without pax. So, this was technically *not* a weather-related cancelation but instead an operational decision. The aircraft landed at MUC slightly behind schedule; the runway and airport were open at that time.
I applied for EC261, was automatically rejected by the LH claim system, wrote an email, went back and forth with LH and we ended up agreeing the best outcome would be for me to try small claims court. Not gonna waste my time for 600 euros but it was an interesting learning experience.
So to those who are well-versed in all of this, did I have a case?
You could try one of those EC261 agencies that take a cut of your compensation. It is basically just filling out a form and they will do the legal work for you.
My IAD-LHR OW on Virgin Atlantic had a schedule change (4 months before departure) it now departs 4 1/2 hours later. The delay doesn't matter to us since we originate in IAD. Does that mean we can request the ~€600 after we take our trip due to the time change/delay?
No as it’s more than 2 weeks notice. If it’s 4 hrs earlier and your notified within 2 weeks it’s 50%
"If your flight covers a distance of over 3,500km (2,200 miles), you’re entitled to 600 Euro compensation if you’re delayed by at least four hours"
You will get 50% between 3 and 4 hours, so 300 Euro
Ha, I love that Condor is the cover photo here. They once sold me a 40-minute ITD connection at FRA for a trip on which I had no particular time constraints; I booked that itinerary lightning fast and then checked an empty bag for good measure. It ended exactly how you would expect.
Under the rules, I believe you are also entitled to compensation if there is a schedule change within two weeks of departure and it is longer than a four hour change. My husband and I were booked on Royal Air Maroc from Malaga,Spain to Casablanca, Morocco recently. About ten days out our we got a notice that the flight was changed to five hours later. This did not work for us and we have claimed...
Under the rules, I believe you are also entitled to compensation if there is a schedule change within two weeks of departure and it is longer than a four hour change. My husband and I were booked on Royal Air Maroc from Malaga,Spain to Casablanca, Morocco recently. About ten days out our we got a notice that the flight was changed to five hours later. This did not work for us and we have claimed EC261 compensation. It should be 250E each. This sort of thing happens a fair amount and you should mention it to your followers.
Hi, my flight from UK to Vienna was delayed by 10 hours . Am I entitled to compensation if after receiving the delay notice (same day as travel) I decided not to take the flight (I purchased another one with different airline)?
Yes depending on the reason and if the alternate flight was a similar time to the original. Moreover if the price was higher they should refund any difference between that and the original fare which should be refunded
If your flight is operated by United from
The USA and codeshared by Lufthansa the courts deem you’re entitled to compensation now if the delay was within a the airline’s control. They say it’s decision to codeshare and accept the consequences and upto Lufthansa to invoice United.
I know this as I won a claim recently and was paid eur600.
It's actually EC261. It's commonly referred to as EU261 because people get it wrong so often that it's become known as that. But the EU website you link up top never refers to it as such -- only by its true name, EC261.