EVA Air compensation: €600 on flights leaving Europe
EVA Air, the trading name of EVA Airways Corporation, is Taiwan's long-haul carrier, with its hub at Taipei-Taoyuan and services to six European cities including London Heathrow, Amsterdam and Vienna. We have received more than 30 EVA Air claims so far: over 6 in 10 concern a delay and about 3 in 10 a cancellation. As almost all of these are intercontinental journeys, the amount at stake is the top band: €600 per passenger.
EVA Air is not a European airline. EU Regulation 261/2004 only applies to its flights taking off from an airport in the EU, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland. The return leg from Taipei to Paris, Munich or Amsterdam is not covered, which is worth knowing before you book.
Late into Asia
You left Europe and reached Taipei or your onward destination three hours or more behind schedule.
3 hours or moreFlight cancelled
EVA Air cancelled your departure from a European airport with less than 14 days' warning.
Short noticeBumped
The flight was full and you were left behind in Europe despite having everything in order.
Due on the spotWhen nothing is owed
Flights from Taipei to Europe, flights within Asia or North America, or genuinely exceptional events.
Not coveredEnter your departure, arrival and date to find out straight away: check your EVA Air flight.
How much EVA Air pays: examples from our customers
Whether you flew Economy or Royal Laurel business class makes no difference: only the distance to your final destination counts. These are the EVA Air journeys we see most often.
| Route | Covered by | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam–Bangkok | EU rules: departs from the EU | €600 |
| Vienna–Tokyo via Taipei | EU rules: arrival in Tokyo counts | €600 |
| Munich–Taipei | EU rules: departs from the EU | €600 |
| London–Bangkok | UK261, the British version | Paid in pounds |
| Vancouver–Taipei, Taipei–Europe | Neither: no departure from Europe | Not due |
Every passenger is entitled to the full amount, including children with their own seat. Two adults and two children stranded in Amsterdam by a last-minute cancellation could claim €2,400 in total. In our form you enter the flight once and add the others travelling with you.
EVA Air flight delayed: what to do before a long-haul departure
Delays are the most common issue in the EVA Air claims we handle. On routes of more than 9,000 km, what counts is your arrival time at the final destination, taken when the first door opens. At the airport:
- Keep your boarding pass from the EVA Air app or your check-in email.
- Take a photo of the departures board showing the revised time and the BR flight number.
- Ask the EVA desk for a written statement of the reason for the delay.
- Hold on to receipts for food and transport if no care is provided.
- Turn down miles in place of cash: Infinity MileageLands points or vouchers cannot replace compensation unless you agree in writing.
Care at Heathrow, Schiphol and other European airports
On a flight to Asia, EVA Air must provide meals and drinks after a 4-hour wait, plus a hotel and transfers if departure slips to the next day.
| Distance | Care from |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | 2 hours |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | 3 hours |
| Over 3,500 km, such as Munich–Taipei | 4 hours |
| Delay over 5 hours | You may cancel the trip and get your fare back |
Missed connection in Taipei
Many passengers continue from Taoyuan to Bangkok, Tokyo, Manila or Australia. With a single booking that started in Europe, your arrival at the final destination is what counts: if your Vienna departure leaves late and you miss the Tokyo connection, the €600 is based on the whole journey. Read more on our page about a delayed EVA Air flight.
EVA Air flight cancelled: refund and compensation
When EVA Air cancels a flight leaving Europe you have two separate rights, which airline replies tend to blur together.
Choose between your fare back and an alternative flight to the same destination.
Added if you were told fewer than 14 days before departure and the cause was not exceptional.
| Notice received | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more | No: refund or new flight only |
| 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 EVA Air moved your European departure by several hours shortly before travel, the Court of Justice of the EU may treat it as a cancellation. Check your case or read our page on a cancelled EVA Air flight.
EVA Air overbooking in Europe
None of the EVA Air claims we have received so far involved overbooking, but the rule applies here too: if you are refused boarding in Paris, Milan or Amsterdam because the flight is oversold, €600 is payable immediately. It is not due if you lacked a visa or travel documents required at your destination. Details in our guide to EVA Air overbooking and denied boarding.
Strikes and EVA Air flights
EVA Air has faced strikes by its own cabin crew in Taiwan before. If a departure from Europe is cancelled because EVA employees walk out, compensation is normally due: the Court of Justice of the EU treats this as a risk inherent in running an airline (case C-28/20). Strikes by air traffic controllers or airport ground staff in Europe count as extraordinary circumstances.
EVA Air rejected your claim? Replies worth challenging
On a long-haul network, each aircraft shuttles between Taipei and Europe, so a hold-up on the outbound sector carries through to the return. This is how we judge the explanations we see most.
Faults found during normal operation are part of running an airline. Only hidden manufacturing defects announced by the maker or the authorities are excluded.
Court of Justice of the EU, case C-549/07A typhoon can genuinely shut Taoyuan. EVA Air still has to show that this event caused your delay out of Europe and that it did what it could to limit the knock-on effect.
EVA crew on strike: payable. Controllers or airport staff: not payable.
Court of Justice of the EU, case C-28/20In this direction neither EU nor UK rules bind a non-European carrier, whatever the cause.
Star Alliance, codeshares and UNI Air
EVA Air has been a Star Alliance member since 2013, so many of its flights also carry partner codes, and vice versa. Your claim always goes to the airline that actually operated the flight, shown on your booking. UNI Air, the group's regional subsidiary, mainly flies within Taiwan and to nearby Asian destinations, which fall outside European rules.
Flying EVA Air from London Heathrow
Since Brexit, flights departing from Heathrow, such as London–Bangkok, are covered by UK261 rather than the EU Regulation. The rights are almost identical, with amounts set in pounds sterling. Flights from Taipei to London remain outside both regimes, because EVA Air is neither a UK nor an EU carrier. If EVA Air does not settle a UK claim, the CAA is the body to turn to.
How to claim from EVA Air
You can write to EVA Air using the contact form on its official website, evaair.com, quoting your booking reference and flight number. Here is how the options compare:
Free, but you are corresponding with an airline based in Taiwan. If it will not pay, you can go to the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed or to the civil courts.
The form and online signature take a few minutes. We handle the claim, the formal demand and any court action with our own lawyers. You pay only if compensation is recovered: 25% + VAT. Legal costs stay with us even if the judge rules against us.
After EVA Air has refused
Forward us the airline's email: we review weather data, flight records and the aircraft's previous rotations before challenging it.
Useful documents
- Ticket or confirmationShowing the BR flights and full itinerary, including connections.
- PassportFor everyone on the booking.
- Airline noticesRebooking emails, meal vouchers, receipts.
Deadline to claim
The Regulation sets no deadline: the national limitation period of the country where you bring the claim applies (Court of Justice of the EU, case C-139/11). A trip from a few years ago may still be claimable: enter the date.
When EVA Air pays out
If EVA Air accepts the claim, the transfer usually arrives within a few weeks. If it refuses, a formal demand and possible court action take a few months. We keep you updated by email and, once paid, send you €417 out of every €600.
Delayed or damaged baggage with EVA Air
Baggage is governed by the Montreal Convention. Before leaving the arrivals hall, file a PIR, then write to EVA Air within 7 days for damage or within 21 days of delivery for a delay, keeping receipts for any essentials you had to buy.
EVA Air contact details and flight status
- Head office
- EVA Airways Corporation, Luzhu, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Hub
- Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport
- Complaints
- Contact form on the official website, evaair.com
- Flight status
- EVA Air app or the timetable and flight status section of evaair.com
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