Binter compensation: delayed and cancelled flights around the Canary Islands
If you are holidaying in the Canaries and hopping between islands, chances are you fly Binter. Its aircraft link Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Lanzarote and the smaller islands many times a day, and also reach Madeira, mainland Spain and West Africa. We have already helped more than 160 Binter passengers. Even on a 30-minute island hop, a 3-hour delay, a late cancellation or being bumped can earn you €250 per person, and €400 on flights to mainland Spain over 1,500 km.
Binter Canarias is a Spanish airline based in Telde on Gran Canaria, so it is an EU carrier. Regulation (EC) 261/2004 covers all its flights departing the EU and also those arriving in the Canaries or Madeira from outside the EU, such as Morocco, Senegal or Cape Verde.
Delay
You reached your destination island 3 hours or more after the scheduled time.
3+ hoursCancellation
Binter cancelled with under 14 days' notice and offered no alternative at a similar time.
Under 14 daysBumped
Small aircraft fill up fast: if you were entitled to your seat and still left behind, compensation applies.
Due on the dayWhen it is not owed
If Binter proves an outside event it could not avoid, such as fog closing the airport, an air traffic control strike or an official ban.
Proven extraordinary eventWas your Binter flight late, cancelled or overbooked? Enter the airports and date and we will tell you within 2 minutes whether you can claim. Check your Binter flight.
How much Binter pays per passenger
Inter-island fares are often cheap, but compensation is a fixed sum based only on the distance flown.
| Distance | Binter routes | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | Gran Canaria–Lanzarote, Tenerife North–Gran Canaria, Lanzarote–Tenerife North, Funchal–Porto Santo, Gran Canaria–Jerez | €250 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | Gran Canaria–Madrid, Gran Canaria–Palma | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km | No Binter routes | €600 |
Each passenger is paid in full, including children with their own seat. A family of four stuck on a Lanzarote–Tenerife North flight that arrived 3 hours late can claim €1,000, often more than the tickets cost.
Binter flight delayed: what to do
More than 2 in 3 of the Binter claims we handle are about delays. On a network of short hops, the same aircraft flies many legs a day and an early problem rolls on into the evening. The delay is measured when the doors open at your destination. While you wait at Gran Canaria or Tenerife North:
- Keep your boarding pass, including the one in the Binter app.
- Ask the Binter desk for the reason and save any text or app notification.
- Note the actual arrival time: on short flights minutes matter.
- Keep receipts for food or taxis if no vouchers were given.
- Do not trade compensation for BinterMás points or sign any waiver.
Care while you wait
Whatever the cause, Binter must give you food and drink and, if you are stuck overnight, a hotel and transport.
| Flight | Care from |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km (between islands) | 2 hours |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km (Canaries–Madrid) | 3 hours |
| Over 3,500 km | 4 hours |
| Over 5 hours | You can drop the flight and get your money back |
Missed connections via Gran Canaria or Tenerife North
Many Binter journeys, such as Funchal to Lanzarote, connect through Gran Canaria. On one booking, the delay at the final destination and the total distance count; on separate tickets, each flight stands alone. More on our page about Binter delayed flight compensation.
Binter flight cancelled: refund and compensation
About 1 in 5 Binter claims we receive concerns a cancellation. Between islands Binter usually moves you to the next flight, but that does not cancel your right to compensation.
Choose between your fare back and another flight to the same island.
Added when notice came less than 14 days ahead and the alternative falls outside the time limits.
| Binter's notice | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more | No; choose refund or rebooking |
| 7 to 13 days | Yes, unless the alternative left no more than 2 hours early and arrived less than 4 hours late |
| Under 7 days | Yes, unless the alternative left no more than 1 hour early and arrived less than 2 hours late |
Schedule change. If Binter moves a flight by several hours shortly before departure, the EU Court of Justice may treat it as a cancellation. Check your case and see our page about Binter cancelled flight compensation.
Binter overbooking: 1 claim in 10
Around 1 in 10 of our Binter files involves denied boarding, a high share explained by small aircraft and routes busy with locals and tourists alike. If you were left behind against your will, compensation is due straight away, along with a new flight or a refund.
It does not apply if the reason lay with you: expired ID, arriving after the gate closed or disruptive behaviour. Read our guide on Binter overbooking and denied boarding.
Binter strikes: when you are compensated
If your flight is axed because Binter pilots, engineers or cabin crew strike, compensation still applies: the EU Court of Justice regards a strike by the airline's own staff as part of its normal activity (case C-28/20). An air traffic controllers' strike is outside Binter's control: no compensation, but care plus a refund or new flight.
Binter refused your claim? Reasons it often gives
A fault on one of Binter's ATR or Embraer aircraft is part of routine maintenance, unless it is a hidden manufacturing defect flagged by the maker or the authorities.
EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07Fog and Saharan dust can genuinely shut an airport. But if other flights operated in the same window, the excuse wobbles: we check weather data and airport movements.
An aircraft running late from earlier legs that day is a Binter planning issue, not an extraordinary circumstance.
Flights operated by Canarias Airlines and Naysa
Some flights sold by Binter are operated by group companies Canarias Airlines and Naysa, flying the same ATR 72-600 aircraft. The operating airline is shown on your booking. Your rights do not change: on our form, just enter Binter and the flight number.
Binter flights to Morocco, Senegal and Cape Verde
As an EU airline, Binter also owes compensation on flights arriving in the Canaries from outside the EU. Covered in both directions are, among others:
- routes to Agadir and other Moroccan cities
- flights to Dakar (Senegal) and Nouakchott (Mauritania)
- the link with Sal, Cape Verde
- Madeira and the Azores, Portuguese regions inside the EU
How to claim from Binter: alone or with us
Binter takes complaints through the contact form on its website and on paper forms at the airports it serves. Your two options:
Free, but you write, wait and assess the reply yourself. If refused, you can go to the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed (AESA in Spain) or to court.
A 2-minute form and an online signature. We handle the claim, formal demand and court action with our own lawyers. You pay only if you win: 25% + VAT. Legal costs are ours, even if the case is lost.
If Binter has already said no
Send us its reply: if the reason does not hold up, we start with a formal demand.
Documents you need
- Boarding pass or bookingAn app screenshot is fine.
- Passport or IDFor each passenger.
- Binter messagesTexts or emails about the delay or cancellation, plus receipts.
Deadline for a Binter claim
The time limit is set not by the Regulation but by the law of the country where you claim, as the EU Court of Justice confirmed (case C-139/11). Many Binter flights from previous years can still be claimed: enter the date and we will check.
How long Binter takes to pay
If Binter accepts, the transfer usually arrives within a few weeks. If a formal demand or a court case in Spain or Portugal is needed, it takes several months. From €250 you keep €173.75, from €400 you keep €278.
Lost or damaged luggage on Binter
Bags are covered by the Montreal Convention. If your case is missing or broken, file a PIR at the baggage office at the arrival airport, then send Binter a written claim within 7 days for damage or within 21 days of delivery for a delay.
Binter contacts and flight status
- Head office
- Binter Canarias, Telde, Gran Canaria, Spain
- Hubs
- Gran Canaria and Tenerife North airports
- Complaints
- Contact form on the Binter website or paper forms at the airport
- Frequent flyer
- BinterMás
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