Regulation (EC) 261/2004
Air passenger rights in Europe, explained clearly
When a flight is late, cancelled or overbooked, EU rules set a fixed cash payment, oblige the airline to look after you at the airport and let you choose between your money back and another flight. The airline has no duty to mention any of it.
- €250–€600 for each passenger
- Flights from the past 3 years count
- The fare you paid makes no difference
Where the rules reach
It comes down to two questions: where from, and with whom
What counts is the departure airport and the operating airline. Your passport plays no part, so travellers from outside the EU are protected in exactly the same way.
Flights out of an EU airport
Every airline is bound by the rules here, non-EU carriers included, whenever the flight departs from EU territory or from Iceland, Norway or Switzerland.
Flights into the EU with an EU carrier
Inbound flights from any country in the world qualify, provided the airline operating them is registered in the EU.
Connecting flights booked together
When a late first flight causes you to miss the next one, the delay is measured at your final destination, not on the opening leg.
Codeshares and charters
Liability sits with the carrier that flew the plane, even when your booking was made with another airline, a tour operator or a travel agent.
What you can receive
What could your flight pay out?
EU Regulation 261/2004 ties compensation to how far you flew, not to the fare. Even a €29 ticket can earn you €400.
Short flights
1,500 km or less
For example Bucharest–Vienna, Chișinău–Warsaw or Kyiv–Budapest.
Mid-range flights
1,500 to 3,500 km
Think Bucharest–London, Chișinău–Barcelona or Kyiv–Lisbon.
Long-haul flights
More than 3,500 km
Such as Bucharest–New York, Vienna–Bangkok or Warsaw–Doha.
Each passenger receives the same fixed sum, in addition to any refund or alternative flight. For long-haul trips arriving 3 to 4 hours late, the amount is €300.
Put the law to work
Knowing the rules is half the job. Claiming finishes it.
EU law backs you, yet airlines seldom pay unless someone pushes. Check your flight and we’ll hold them to the regulation.
- Eligibility check at no cost
- No win, no fee
- Filed in two minutes
Qualifying cases
When the airline has to pay
In almost every case, what counts is the moment you land at your final destination, not the hours spent at the gate.
Compensation is normally due
The airline must pay in these cases unless it can show that an extraordinary circumstance caused the disruption.
- Reaching your destination 3+ hours late (4+ on long-haul)
- A cancellation with less than 14 days’ notice
- Being refused boarding on an overbooked flight
- Missing a connection and landing 3+ hours late
- Being moved to a far later flight without your consent
When airlines usually refuse to pay
These are treated as extraordinary circumstances. Airlines cite them much more often than the evidence supports, and that is precisely what we verify.
- Weather severe enough to make flying genuinely unsafe
- Airport closures or limits imposed by air traffic control
- Bird strikes, security threats or medical emergencies
- Industrial action by outside staff, like airport or ATC workers
- Political unrest at the origin or destination airport
Everyday technical problems, crew shortages, knock-on delays from the aircraft’s earlier flights and walkouts by the airline’s own employees do not count as extraordinary circumstances. Courts have ruled this way again and again, yet it remains the most frequent reason valid claims get turned down.
Care at the airport
Your entitlements during the wait
The airline owes you this support during any lengthy delay, whether or not compensation is due. Hold on to all receipts, because anything you had to pay for yourself can be recovered.
Something to eat and drink
Once the delay reaches two hours, the airline must provide food and drinks in line with how long you are kept waiting.
Overnight stay and transport
When the wait stretches overnight, your hotel room is on the airline, along with the trip from the airport to the hotel and back.
Two free calls or emails
The airline covers the cost of letting family, work or anyone else know about the disruption.
Your money back or a new flight
If your flight is cancelled or delayed by more than five hours, you can drop the trip for a full refund or take the earliest available alternative flight.
Deadlines
More time to claim than airlines suggest
How long you have depends on national law, not on any rule the airline sets for itself. Across most of our markets, flights from as far back as three years can still be claimed, and certain countries allow considerably more time.
Not sure your flight is still in time? Send it to us regardless: the check is free and only takes two minutes.
Common questions
What travellers usually want to know
Answers on who qualifies, how long it takes and how the money reaches you. Can’t see your question? Write to us and expect a reply within six hours.
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.