Late arrivals under EU 261
Flight delayed? Claim up to €600 for each passenger
When you reach your destination three hours or more behind schedule and the airline caused it, European law sets a fixed cash sum on top of any meals or hotel you were given. The figure depends on flight distance — the ticket price is irrelevant.
- €250, €400 or €600, set by distance
- Final arrival 3+ hours behind schedule
- 3-year window to claim
How much compensation do you get for a delayed flight?
If you land at your final destination at least three hours late and the airline is to blame, Regulation (EC) 261/2004 gives each passenger €250, €400 or €600. Which of the three applies depends on the flight distance; the fare you paid plays no part. Arrivals less than three hours late do not earn this compensation.
Do you qualify?
Which delays earn compensation
Two things have to line up: a long enough delay and a route covered by EU 261. If the airline pleads extraordinary circumstances, we test that claim for you.
- You reached your final destination at least 3 hours late (long-haul arrivals 3–4 h late earn €300 rather than €600).
- Your flight left an EU/EEA airport, or landed in the EU/EEA with an EU/EEA-based carrier.
- The airline was responsible — crew shortages, technical faults, scheduling — rather than a truly extraordinary event.
- Your booking was confirmed and you checked in by the deadline.
- The flight took place within the past three years (exact limitation periods differ a little between countries).
What you can receive
What a delayed flight can pay
These figures come straight from Regulation 261/2004. Long-haul flights landing 3 to 4 hours late are paid half the top rate, i.e. €300.
| Payout | Applies when |
|---|---|
| €250 · flights up to 1,500 km | Shorter routes like Bucharest–Vienna or Chișinău–Warsaw, landing at least 3 hours behind schedule. |
| €400 · flights of 1,500–3,500 km | Mid-range routes like Bucharest–London or Kyiv–Lisbon, delayed by 3 hours or more. |
| €600 · flights beyond 3,500 km | Long-haul routes arriving 4+ hours late. A delay of 3 to 4 hours pays €300 instead. |
Delayed flight?
Landed three hours late? That’s money owed, not misfortune.
Send us the flight number. We’ll verify the arrival delay using the airline’s own records and then make them pay.
- Eligibility check at no cost
- No win, no fee
- Filed in two minutes
Our process
How a delay becomes a payment
You submit the details once. We collect the evidence, deal with the airline and take it further if they say no.
Two-minute claim form
Enter the flight number, date and who travelled; airline records fill in the rest.
We confirm the facts
We compare arrival times, delay codes and any extraordinary-circumstances excuse with independent flight data.
We take on the airline
Formal demands, complaints to regulators, court if necessary — you never have to write to the carrier.
Money in your account
The compensation is paid out to you. We only deduct our fee when the claim succeeds.
Common questions
Flight delay compensation: common questions
Answers to what travellers want to know after a long wait at the gate.
More passenger guides
The flight went badly. The compensation is still on the table.
It takes less than two minutes to see whether your flight qualifies. If it does, we run the claim from start to finish, and our fee only applies once the airline has paid.