airBaltic compensation: up to €400 for a delayed or cancelled flight
airBaltic is Latvia's national airline, majority-owned by the Latvian state and flying an all-Airbus A220 fleet from its main base in Riga, with further bases in Tallinn and Vilnius. More than 30 airBaltic passengers have already brought their claims to us, mostly after disrupted flights between the Baltics, Spain and France. If you reached your destination three or more hours late, or your flight was cancelled at short notice, you may be owed €250 or €400 per person.
Because AS Air Baltic Corporation is licensed in Latvia, it counts as an EU airline. That means Regulation (EC) 261/2004 covers every airBaltic flight leaving an EU airport and also its flights into the EU from outside, including services from the UK.
Late arrival
You landed at your final destination at least three hours behind the scheduled time.
3 hours or moreCancellation
airBaltic scrapped the flight and told you less than two weeks before departure.
Under 14 days' noticeBumped off the flight
The flight was full and you were refused boarding despite a valid ticket and arriving on time.
Payable on the spotNo compensation
Genuinely extraordinary events such as a closed airspace or a severe snowstorm in Riga, provided the airline can prove them.
Extraordinary circumstancesNot sure which box you fall into? Enter your airBaltic flight and we will check it for free.
How much airBaltic pays: real routes and amounts
Fare price makes no difference. The figure depends only on the distance between your departure airport and final destination. These are the routes we see most often in airBaltic claims:
| Distance | airBaltic routes from our cases | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | Vilnius–Riga, Riga–Tallinn | €250 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | Madrid–Riga, Tallinn–Málaga, Paris–Vilnius | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km | Uncommon on a network built around Europe | €600 |
Compensation is per passenger, and children with their own seat count in full. A couple travelling with their teenage son on a Tallinn–Málaga flight that arrived four hours late would be due €1,200 between them.
airBaltic flight delayed? What to do
Around six in ten of the airBaltic claims we handle concern a delay. The clock stops when the aircraft door opens at your destination, not when the wheels touch down, so a few minutes can matter. While you are still at the airport:
- Keep your boarding pass, on paper or in the airBaltic app.
- Screenshot every notification: the first reason given for the delay is often the most revealing.
- Ask the transfer desk in Riga for written confirmation if you miss an onward flight.
- Keep receipts for food, transport or a hotel you paid for yourself.
- Say no to travel credit offered instead of cash until you know what you are owed.
Meals and hotel while you wait
On top of any compensation, airBaltic has to provide refreshments and, for an overnight delay, a hotel and transfers:
| Flight distance | Care from |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | 2 hours |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | 3 hours |
| Over 3,500 km | 4 hours |
| Delay over 5 hours | You can abandon the trip and get your fare back |
Missed connection in Riga
Most airBaltic journeys between Western Europe and the Nordics or the Baltics involve a change of plane in Riga. On a single booking, what matters is your arrival time at the final destination, and the amount is based on the whole journey. With two separate bookings, each flight is assessed on its own. More on the airBaltic delayed flight page.
airBaltic cancelled flight: refund and compensation
Nearly three in ten of our airBaltic cases involve a cancellation. In 2025 the airline cut thousands of flights and suspended a number of routes, blaming long maintenance waits for the Pratt & Whitney engines on its A220s. Engine maintenance and aircraft shortages are part of running an airline, so they do not normally excuse airBaltic from paying.
Always owed: you choose between your money back and an alternative flight.
Added on top if you were told about the cancellation less than 14 days before departure.
| Notice given | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more | Not due; refund or rebooking still apply |
| 7 to 13 days | Due, unless the new flight leaves no more than 2 hours early and lands less than 4 hours late |
| Under 7 days | Due, unless the new flight leaves no more than 1 hour early and lands less than 2 hours late |
Dropped routes and retimed flights. A route withdrawn or a departure moved by several hours shortly before travel can count as a cancellation. Already had your fare refunded? Check whether compensation is still due. Full details on the airBaltic cancelled flight page.
airBaltic overbooking and denied boarding
Fewer than one in ten airBaltic claims we receive involve denied boarding. If you were left behind because too many seats were sold, compensation is due immediately, alongside rebooking or a refund. It does not apply if you were turned away over an expired passport or for reaching the gate after it closed. See our guide to airBaltic overbooking.
airBaltic strike: who walked out matters
When airBaltic's own pilots or cabin crew strike, compensation is normally payable, because the EU Court of Justice treats industrial action by an airline's staff as part of its ordinary business (case C-28/20). A French air traffic control strike grounding your Paris–Vilnius flight is a different story: no compensation, but meals, accommodation and the choice of refund or rebooking still apply.
airBaltic rejected your claim? Excuses worth challenging
A refusal is not the final word. These are the reasons we come across most and how European courts view them.
Maintaining aircraft is part of an airline's normal activity, even when spare parts arrive late from the supplier.
EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07airBaltic staff striking: payable. Air traffic controllers or airport workers: not payable.
EU Court of Justice, case C-28/20A knock-on delay is not extraordinary in itself unless an extraordinary event caused it in the first place.
Baltic winter weather can rule compensation out, but only if it really caused your delay. We check conditions at the time of your flight.
Lufthansa or SWISS flights operated by airBaltic
Since 2022 airBaltic has leased A220s with crew to other carriers, mainly SWISS and the wider Lufthansa Group. If your booking says "operated by airBaltic", the claim goes to airBaltic as the operating carrier, even though you bought the ticket elsewhere. Just give us the flight number and we will direct the claim correctly.
airBaltic's Chapter 11 filing: your rights still apply
In September 2026 airBaltic filed for a voluntary Chapter 11 restructuring in a New York court. The airline says flights are running as normal and tickets remain valid. EU261 applies exactly as before, with the same amounts.
How to claim from airBaltic: on your own or with us
airBaltic's passenger rights page links to a claim form for refunds and compensation.
Free, but you handle the correspondence and any rejection yourself. After that, you turn to the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed (the CAA for UK departures) or the small claims court.
Two minutes to fill in the form and sign online. We take care of the claim, the formal demand and court action with our own lawyers. You pay only if you are compensated: 25% + VAT. Legal costs are ours, even if the case is lost.
If airBaltic has already turned you down
You can still pass the case to us. We review the airline's reasoning and, if it falls short, start again with a formal letter before action.
What you will need
- Booking referenceConfirmation email or airBaltic boarding pass.
- IDFor every passenger, including children.
- airBaltic messagesEmails or app alerts about the delay, cancellation or new times.
How long you have to claim
The Regulation sets no deadline of its own; national law decides, as the EU Court of Justice confirmed (case C-139/11). An airBaltic flight from a few years back may still be eligible: enter the date and we will tell you.
How long airBaltic takes to pay
If airBaltic accepts the claim, payment usually comes through within a few weeks. If it refuses or goes quiet, a formal demand and possibly court proceedings add a few months. Once the money arrives we transfer your share: €173.75 out of €250, or €278 out of €400.
Lost or damaged luggage on airBaltic
Bags fall under the Montreal Convention, not EU261. Report the problem at the baggage desk before leaving the airport and get a Property Irregularity Report (PIR). Then write to airBaltic within 7 days for damage, or within 21 days of getting the bag back for a delay.
airBaltic contact details and flight status
- Registered office
- AS Air Baltic Corporation, Riga International Airport, Mārupe municipality, Latvia
- Claims
- Claim form on the "Passenger rights" page of airbaltic.com
- Latvian enforcement body
- Consumer Rights Protection Centre (PTAC), for flights departing Latvia
- Flight status
- airBaltic app or official website
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