ITA Airways compensation and refunds: when you can claim €250 to €600
We have taken on more than 500 claims against ITA Airways, mostly for flights from Rome Fiumicino, Milan Linate, Catania, Palermo and Paris. Unlike a low-cost airline, ITA flies long-haul, so a late Rome–New York or Rome–São Paulo flight can be worth up to €600 per passenger. On domestic and European routes the amount is €250 or €400, on top of any ticket refund.
ITA Airways (Italia Trasporto Aereo S.p.A.) is an Italian, and therefore EU, airline. Regulation (EC) 261/2004 covers its flights leaving the EU and also the flights it operates into Europe from outside, such as the return legs from New York or São Paulo to Rome. That matters if you are travelling from the US: flying ITA home to Italy keeps you protected.
Delayed flight
You reached your final destination at least 3 hours late, measured until the aircraft doors opened.
3+ hours on arrivalCancelled flight
ITA told you less than 14 days before departure and the alternative it offered did not meet the legal time limits.
Under 14 days' noticeOverbooking
You had a confirmed booking, checked in on time and were left behind because the flight was full.
Payable straight awayWhen it is not due
If ITA proves extraordinary circumstances, such as a storm that closes the airport or an air traffic control strike. The burden of proof is on the airline.
Extraordinary circumstancesTell us where you flew from, where to and when: check your ITA Airways flight and you will know in two minutes whether you have a claim.
How much ITA Airways pays: €250, €400 or €600 per passenger
Economy or business makes no difference. The amount depends only on the distance between your departure airport and your final destination.
| Flight distance | ITA Airways routes | You get |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | Rome–Paris, Rome–Barcelona, Rome–Nice, Milan Linate–Rome, Catania–Rome | €250 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | Rome–Cairo | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km | Rome–New York, Rome–São Paulo | €600 |
Compensation is due to every passenger: a family of four whose Rome–New York flight landed 5 hours late is owed €2,400 in total. Children with their own seat receive the same as adults. In our form you enter the flight once and add your travel companions.
ITA Airways flight delayed? What to do to claim
Delays are by far the main reason for the ITA claims we handle, at more than 6 in 10, on domestic flights between Sicily, Rome and Milan as well as on Paris routes and long-haul. What counts is the time the doors open at your destination, not touchdown. While you wait:
- Keep every boarding pass, paper or in the ITA Airways app, for each leg of the trip.
- Save ITA's emails and texts giving the reason for the delay: they help if a different reason appears later.
- Photograph the departures board and note when you actually leave the aircraft.
- Ask for meal vouchers at the ITA desk or gate, and keep receipts for anything you pay for yourself.
- Do not accept vouchers instead of cash before you know what you are owed.
The care ITA must give you while you wait
Separately from compensation, ITA must provide meals and refreshments and, if you can only leave the next day, a hotel and transport to it.
| 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 Rome
Many ITA journeys connect at Fiumicino, for example Catania–Rome–New York on a single ticket. If the first flight is late, you miss the connection and reach New York 3 hours or more behind schedule, compensation is based on the Catania–New York distance, so €600. With separate tickets each flight stands alone. Find out more on our page about ITA Airways delay compensation.
ITA Airways flight cancelled: refund, rebooking and compensation
Around 2 in 10 of the ITA claims we handle concern a cancellation. When ITA cancels, it offers to rebook you or refund the ticket: that is one right, but not the only one.
Always due: you choose between getting the ticket price back and an alternative flight to your destination.
Added on top if you were told less than 14 days before departure, unless there were extraordinary circumstances.
| When ITA told you | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more before | Not due (refund or rebooking still apply) |
| 7 to 13 days before | Due, unless the new flight left no more than 2 hours earlier and arrived less than 4 hours after the original time |
| Less than 7 days before | Due, unless the new flight left no more than 1 hour earlier and arrived less than 2 hours after the original time |
Schedule changes. If ITA brings forward or pushes back your flight by several hours just days before departure, the EU Court of Justice may treat it as a cancellation. Already refunded? Check whether compensation is due as well. More on our page about compensation for a cancelled ITA Airways flight.
ITA Airways overbooking and denied boarding
In our data denied boarding accounts for around 15 in every 100 ITA claims, a high share for a full-service airline. If you turn up on time with a valid ticket and are left behind because the flight is full, compensation is due straight away, along with a new flight or a refund. Before refusing anyone, ITA must first ask for volunteers to give up their seats.
Nothing is due if boarding is refused for reasons linked to you, such as a passport or visa not valid for your destination. If in doubt, check your case and read our guide to ITA Airways overbooking and denied boarding.
ITA Airways strikes: when you can claim
Air transport strikes are common in Italy, but who strikes is what matters. If ITA's own pilots or cabin crew walk out, compensation is normally payable: the EU Court of Justice has held that a strike by an airline's staff is part of its normal activity (case C-28/20). A strike by air traffic controllers or airport staff is an extraordinary circumstance: you still get care and a refund or rebooking, but no compensation.
ITA Airways rejected your claim? The usual reasons
ITA's replies often point to operational reasons or outside events. This is how EU case law treats them.
Faults, even on a long-haul aircraft, are part of an airline's normal operations. The only exception is a hidden manufacturing defect flagged by the manufacturer or the authorities.
EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07If ITA staff strike, compensation is normally due. If air traffic controllers or airport staff strike, it is not.
EU Court of Justice, case C-28/20If your plane arrived late from an earlier flight, ITA remains responsible unless it proves an extraordinary event set off the chain.
These rule out compensation only when they genuinely affected your flight. We check the weather and airport restrictions for that time before giving you an answer.
ITA long-haul flights: covered in both directions
ITA runs its intercontinental flights from Rome Fiumicino. As an EU airline, it owes compensation on flights it operates into Italy from outside Europe as well:
- flights from New York and other US airports to Rome
- flights from São Paulo to Rome
- flights from the Middle East and Africa, such as Cairo–Rome
Codeshare flights. If your ticket shows an AZ flight number but another airline operated the flight, that operating airline owes the compensation. If it is a non-EU airline and the flight left from outside Europe, the Regulation does not apply. We check who actually operated your flight.
ITA Airways, Alitalia and the Lufthansa Group
ITA Airways has flown since 15 October 2021 and is a separate company from Alitalia: the European Commission found that it is not Alitalia's economic successor, so Alitalia flights are not claimed from ITA. The Lufthansa Group became a shareholder in January 2025, and since 1 April 2026 ITA has been a Star Alliance member, with Miles & More replacing its Volare loyalty scheme. None of this changes your passenger rights: claims for flights ITA operated go to ITA.
How to claim from ITA Airways: on your own or with us
You can claim directly using the compensation request form on the ITA Airways website, with your booking reference, flight number and passenger details.
Free, but you follow the case and deal with any rejection yourself. If ITA does not pay, you can turn to the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed (ENAC for flights from Italy) or go to court, at your own time and cost.
Give us the details in two minutes and sign online. We handle the claim, the formal demand and any court case with our own lawyers. You pay only if you are compensated: 25% + VAT. Legal costs are ours, even if the case is lost.
If ITA has already rejected your claim
Already written to ITA and been turned down? Pass the case to us anyway: we assess the reason and, if it does not hold up, start with a formal demand.
Documents to have ready
- Ticket and boarding passesFor every leg, connecting flights included.
- Passport or IDFor each passenger, children included.
- ITA's messagesEmails and texts about the delay or cancellation, its reply to your claim, receipts.
How long you have to claim from ITA Airways
The Regulation sets no deadline: national law in the country where you bring the claim decides, as the EU Court of Justice ruled (case C-139/11). Even if your ITA flight was some time ago, you may still be in time: enter the date and we will check.
How long ITA Airways compensation takes
If ITA accepts the claim, payment 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 transfer your share once ITA pays.
Lost or damaged luggage with ITA Airways
Luggage falls under the Montreal Convention, not Regulation 261. If your bag fails to arrive, for example after a connection in Rome, file a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at the baggage office straight away. Write to ITA within 7 days for damage, or within 21 days of getting the bag back if it was delayed.
ITA Airways contact details and flight status
- Registered office
- Italia Trasporto Aereo S.p.A., Via XX Settembre 97, 00187 Rome, Italy
- Hub
- Rome Fiumicino, with Milan Linate as its second base
- Claims
- Compensation request form on ita-airways.com
- Flight status
- ITA Airways app or official website
Ryanair
Wizz Air
Vueling