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✓ You only pay if you get compensation✓ Up to €600 per passenger✓ EC Regulation 261/2004
Middle East AirlinesDelay · Cancellation · Overbooking

Middle East Airlines compensation: up to €600 per passenger

Middle East Airlines flight delayed, cancelled or overbooked? Check for free in 2 minutes: we handle the claim, all the way to court if needed.

  • Up to €600 per passenger
  • Check in just 2 minutes
  • Nothing upfront: you only pay if you get compensation
  • Legal assistance specialised in air travel
DelayFlight24 applies European Regulation EC 261/2004
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  • Data protected
  • Nothing upfront
  • You only pay if we win
  • Transparent feeOnly 25% + VAT and only if Middle East Airlines pays: out of €400 you receive €278.
  • All the way to courtIf Middle East Airlines does not pay, our lawyers take the airline to court, at no extra cost to you.
  • Claims handled87,810 passengers have already trusted usupdated in real time

In short

  • Delay: if you arrive 3 hours or more late, Middle East Airlines owes €250 to €600 per person, depending on the distance.
  • Cancellation: you are owed compensation if you were told less than 14 days before departure, on top of a ticket refund or an alternative flight.
  • Not owed for extraordinary circumstances (severe weather, air traffic control strikes). Technical faults and strikes by the airline's own staff usually are not extraordinary.
  • With DelayFlight24 you pay nothing upfront: if Middle East Airlines pays, you keep €173.75 out of €250 or €278 out of €400.

Middle East Airlines compensation: which MEA flights qualify

Middle East Airlines – Air Liban, better known as MEA, is Lebanon's flag carrier. From its base at Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport it serves London Heathrow, Paris, Frankfurt, Brussels, Geneva and more. If your MEA flight left Europe and landed very late, was cancelled or you were bumped, you could be owed a fixed payment of up to €600 per passenger.

There is one big catch. MEA is a Lebanese airline, not a European one, so Regulation (EC) 261/2004 only applies to its flights departing from an airport in the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland. Frankfurt to Beirut is covered; the Beirut to Frankfurt return is not.

Late arrival

Your MEA flight from Europe reached its final destination 3 hours or more late.

Departures from Europe

Cancellation

MEA scrapped the flight and told you less than 14 days before departure.

Short notice

Bumped

Oversold flight, boarding refused despite a valid ticket.

Payable on the day

Not covered

Flights from Beirut, and genuine outside events such as closed airspace.

Exclusions

Not sure where your trip stands? Enter your MEA flight and we will tell you whether it qualifies.

How much MEA owes per route

Distance to your final destination sets the amount, not the fare. Most nonstop routes from continental Europe to Beirut sit in the middle band.

Distance Sample MEA departures from Europe Payment
Up to 1,500 km Athens–Beirut, Larnaca–Beirut €250
1,500 to 3,500 km Brussels–Beirut, Amsterdam–Beirut, Geneva–Beirut, Rome–Beirut €400
Over 3,500 km Paris–Beirut–Abidjan on one booking €600

Every passenger has their own claim. A couple travelling with two children in their own seats on a Brussels–Beirut flight cancelled at the last minute could be owed €1,600 between them.

MEA flight delayed: what to do at the airport

Delay is measured on arrival, at the moment the first aircraft door opens in Beirut. If your MEA departure from Europe is running late:

  1. Snap the departures board showing the ME flight number and revised time.
  2. Ask the MEA desk for the reason and write down what you are told.
  3. Keep your boarding pass and e-ticket receipt, paper or digital.
  4. Note your landing time in Beirut: it decides whether you pass the 3-hour mark.
  5. Do not sign any waiver or swap your cash entitlement for a voucher.

Meals, drinks and hotel while you wait

On departures from Europe, MEA must look after you once the wait reaches these limits:

Flight Care from
Up to 1,500 km (Athens–Beirut) 2 hours
1,500 to 3,500 km (Geneva–Beirut) 3 hours
Over 3,500 km 4 hours
Delay of 5 hours or more You may drop the trip and get a refund

Connecting in Beirut

With a single booking from Europe via Beirut, only the arrival at your final stop counts: reaching Abidjan 3 hours late after a missed connection in Beirut means €600. More on our page about a delayed Middle East Airlines flight.

Does your Middle East Airlines flight qualify?Check in 2 minutes, with no obligation.
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Middle East Airlines flight cancelled

When MEA cancels a departure from Europe, two separate rights add up:

Refund or new flight

Your choice: your money back within 7 days or the next available seat to Beirut.

Compensation of €250 to €600

On top of that, if the notice reached you less than 14 days ahead.

Notice given Compensation
14 days or more None
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

Schedule changes. A big shift in departure time announced shortly before travel can count as a cancellation. See our page on a cancelled MEA flight.

MEA overbooking on flights to Lebanon

If MEA refuses to board you against your will at Heathrow, Paris or Frankfurt, compensation is due straight away. Not if the problem was yours, such as an expired passport. Read more about Middle East Airlines overbooking.

Strikes and MEA flights

If MEA's own pilots or cabin crew walk out, the airline still has to pay: the EU Court of Justice treats staff strikes as part of normal business (case C-28/20). A strike by European air traffic controllers or airport workers is different: no compensation, although meals and rerouting still apply.

Middle East Airlines turned you down? The usual reasons

Usually payable
"Technical fault"

A problem found during routine maintenance is part of running an airline.

EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07
It depends
"Regional security situation"

A real airspace closure lets MEA off; a vague reference does not.

Often not payable
"Your flight departed Beirut"

Here MEA is right: as a non-EU airline, its flights from Lebanon to Europe fall outside the Regulation.

Has MEA already said no? Send us the reply: if the reason does not stand up, we follow up with a formal demand and, where needed, court action. Check your MEA flight.

Flights from Beirut, London and SkyTeam codeshares

MEA has been a SkyTeam member since 2012. What matters is the airline that actually operates the flight: if you hold an MEA ticket but the Beirut–Paris leg is flown by a European carrier such as Air France, that leg is covered even towards Europe. Flights leaving the UK fall under the UK's own version of the rules (UK261), overseen by the CAA.

Claiming from Middle East Airlines: alone or with us

On your own

You write to MEA customer service, wait, and if refused turn to the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed or to the courts.

With DelayFlight24

Two minutes online; we handle the claim, formal demand and any court case with our own lawyers. Fee only on success: 25% + VAT, legal costs included even if we lose.

Documents to have ready

  • MEA e-ticketWith the booking reference and the ME flight number.
  • Passport or IDFor every traveller, children too.
  • Messages and receiptsDelay alerts, airline emails, meal or hotel receipts.

Time limits

The Regulation sets no deadline of its own: national law decides (EU Court of Justice, case C-139/11). A Frankfurt–Beirut flight from a few years back may still be claimable: give us the date and we will check.

How long MEA takes to pay

If MEA accepts, payment usually comes through within a few weeks. If it refuses, the formal demand and any court case add several months. We send you your share by bank transfer.

Delayed or damaged bags with MEA

Luggage is governed by the Montreal Convention, on flights from Beirut too. Fill in a PIR at the baggage desk before leaving the airport, then write to MEA within 7 days for damage and within 21 days of delivery for delayed bags.

Middle East Airlines contacts and flight status

Head office
Middle East Airlines – Air Liban S.A.L., Beirut, by Rafic Hariri International Airport, Lebanon
Complaints
Customer service channels listed on mea.com.lb
Flight status
MEA official website
Nothing to pay unless you get paid. Our lawyers' costs stay with us even if a case is lost. Start with your MEA flight.

What if Middle East Airlines does not pay? We go all the way

Many airlines only pay when they realise we will not give up. If they refuse or do not reply, our lawyers take legal action, and you do not have to do anything.

Claim to the airline

We send the formal claim with all the documents.

Formal notice

If they do not pay, we send a formal notice with legal value.

Our lawyers in court

Our lawyers take the airline to court, all the way to a judgement.

  • If we lose, you pay nothingNo fee and no costs. If we win, the fee is 40% + VAT.
  • Legal costs are on usYou pay nothing for the court case, even if we lose.
  • All the way to a judgementWe do not stop at the formal notice: if needed we go to court.

Middle East Airlines compensation: frequently asked questions

Is Middle East Airlines an EU airline?
No. Middle East Airlines – Air Liban is based in Beirut and holds a Lebanese licence. EU Regulation 261/2004 therefore only covers its flights departing from the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland.
Can I claim for a delayed MEA flight from Beirut to Europe?
Usually not. For a non-EU airline, flights arriving in Europe from outside are not covered. The exception is a leg operated by a European carrier on a codeshare, which can qualify.
How much is MEA compensation for a Brussels–Beirut delay?
€400 per passenger, as the route is between 1,500 and 3,500 km. You need to have reached Beirut at least 3 hours late, with no extraordinary circumstances behind it.
I missed my connection in Beirut to West Africa. What am I owed?
If it was one booking starting in Europe and you reached your final destination 3 hours or more late, compensation is based on the total distance. Paris to Abidjan via Beirut is worth €600.
Can MEA refuse because of the security situation in the region?
Only if a specific event, such as an airspace closure, actually caused the delay or cancellation. A general statement is not enough, so we check what happened on your travel date.
What about MEA flights from London Heathrow?
Departures from the UK are covered by UK261, the British version of the rules, enforced by the Civil Aviation Authority. Send us the flight and we will tell you how it applies.
If MEA cancels, do I get a refund and compensation?
Yes, for a departure from Europe with less than 14 days' notice: you can choose a refund or a new flight and also claim the fixed compensation.
What does DelayFlight24 charge for an MEA claim?
Nothing upfront. If we recover the money we keep 25% + VAT: you get €173.75 from €250, €278 from €400 and €417 from €600. No win, no fee.

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