Royal Jordanian compensation: when you are entitled to claim
Royal Jordanian is Jordan's flag carrier: it is based in Amman, flies from Queen Alia International Airport and has been a oneworld member since 2007. From the UK it links London Heathrow, London Stansted and Manchester with Amman, and from there continues to the Middle East, Asia and North America. We have already handled around 70 Royal Jordanian claims, mostly on flights from Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Milan and Rome.
One point many passengers miss: Royal Jordanian is a non-EU airline. Regulation (EC) 261/2004 binds it only on flights departing from an airport in the EU, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland. Departures from the UK are covered by the UK's own version of the rules (UK261). A Paris–Amman flight is covered; the Amman–Paris return, unfortunately, is not.
Delay
A flight leaving Heathrow, Manchester or an EU airport that reached its final destination at least 3 hours late.
3 hours, departing EuropeCancellation
A flight to Amman cancelled with less than 14 days' notice and no alternative at similar times.
Under 14 daysOverbooking
Refused boarding at a European airport because the flight was full, despite a valid boarding pass and travel documents.
Due immediatelyWhen it is not due
Flights from Amman to Europe, and disruption caused by outside events such as a security closure of airspace.
ExclusionsUnsure about your route? Check your Royal Jordanian flight in two minutes.
How much Royal Jordanian pays: €250, €400 or €600
The sum is based on the distance between the European departure airport and the final destination on the ticket, whatever you paid. Almost every direct flight from Western Europe to Amman falls into the €400 band.
| Distance | Royal Jordanian routes | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | Larnaca–Amman, Paphos–Amman | €250 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | Paris–Amman, Barcelona–Amman, Milan–Amman, Rome–Amman | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km | Paris–Amman–Bangkok or Rome–Amman–Bangkok on one ticket | €600 |
Compensation is owed to each passenger, children with their own seat included. A family of four on a Paris–Amman flight that landed 4 hours late is entitled to €1,600. On UK departures the amounts are set in pounds under UK261. In our form, enter the flight once and add your fellow travellers: many of our Royal Jordanian clients travel as families or groups.
Delayed Royal Jordanian flight: what to do
More than 8 in 10 Royal Jordanian claims we receive concern a delay. The 3 hours are measured when the doors open at your final destination, not at take-off. At the airport:
- Keep your boarding pass, printed or in the Royal Jordanian app, for every leg.
- Photograph the departures board at Heathrow or your EU airport showing the revised time.
- Ask the Royal Jordanian desk for the reason and write it down with the time.
- Keep receipts for food and transport if no meal vouchers were handed out.
- Do not accept vouchers or miles instead of cash before checking what you are owed.
Care at the airport
Before you board in Europe, Royal Jordanian must provide meals and drinks and, if the departure slips to the next day, a hotel and transfer:
| Flight distance | Care after |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | 2 hours |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | 3 hours |
| Over 3,500 km | 4 hours |
| Over 5 hours | You can give up the flight and get the ticket refunded |
Missed connection in Amman
The classic case is a late flight from Europe and a missed onward connection to Bangkok or North America at Queen Alia. On a single booking that started in the EU, the delay at the final destination counts and the amount is based on the whole journey. Read more on the delayed Royal Jordanian flight page.
Cancelled Royal Jordanian flight: refund and compensation
Roughly one in six Royal Jordanian claims we receive involves a cancellation. They are two separate rights:
You choose between getting the fare back and a new flight to Amman or your final destination.
Added if the cancellation was notified less than 14 days ahead.
| Notice received | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more | Not due |
| 7 to 13 days | Due, unless the alternative left no more than 2 hours early and arrived less than 4 hours late |
| Under 7 days | Due, unless the alternative left no more than 1 hour early and arrived less than 2 hours late |
Schedule change. A major retiming notified shortly before departure can count as a cancellation. See the cancelled Royal Jordanian flight page.
Royal Jordanian overbooking
It is rare among our cases, but if you were not boarded at Heathrow or an EU airport because the flight was oversold, compensation is due straight away along with an alternative flight. It does not apply if boarding was refused over incomplete travel documents. Read the guide to Royal Jordanian overbooking.
Royal Jordanian strikes
If Royal Jordanian's own staff, pilots or crew, stop work, compensation is normally due (case C-28/20). If air traffic controllers or airport staff strike instead, the airline does not owe compensation but must still provide care and a refund or rerouting.
Royal Jordanian rejected your claim? The usual reasons
A fault found during routine maintenance is a risk for the airline, not an extraordinary event.
EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07On 13 June 2025 Jordan temporarily closed its airspace: that is an outside event. If your flight was cancelled days later, though, the excuse needs checking.
A knock-on delay of the same aircraft is not enough on its own to rule out compensation.
Correct: on flights to Europe from non-EU countries the regulation does not apply to Royal Jordanian.
Amman–Europe flights and oneworld codeshares
Amman–Paris is among the routes reported to us most often. On that flight, operated by Royal Jordanian, Regulation 261/2004 does not apply, and the same goes for Amman–London or Amman–Rome. It is different for a flight sold with an RJ number but operated by a European oneworld partner: the operating airline is what counts, so compensation may be due on arrival in the EU. The operating carrier is shown on your booking.
How to claim from Royal Jordanian
Write to customer service via rj.com. If there is no reply or a refusal, you can go to the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed (the CAA for UK departures) or to court, at your own time and cost.
Give us the flight details and sign online. We handle the claim, the formal demand and, if needed, court action with our own lawyers. Fee only on success: 25% + VAT. Legal costs are on us, even if the case is lost.
If Royal Jordanian has already rejected you
A refusal is not final: we examine the reasoning and, if it is unfounded, restart the claim with a formal demand.
Useful documents
- E-ticketWith the RJ flight number and every leg.
- Passport or IDFor every passenger, children included.
- Airline messagesEmails, texts and expense receipts.
Time limits
The regulation sets no deadline: the law of the country where you bring the claim decides (case C-139/11). A trip to Jordan from a few years ago can often still be claimed: enter your flight date.
How long payment takes with Royal Jordanian
If the airline accepts, payment usually arrives within a few weeks. If it refuses, a formal demand and possible court action take several months. We update you at each step and, once we are paid, transfer your share by bank transfer.
Lost baggage on a Royal Jordanian flight
Bags fall under the Montreal Convention, including on flights from Amman. Fill in a PIR at the baggage office before leaving the airport and send the complaint within 7 days for damage and within 21 days of delivery for delay.
Royal Jordanian contacts and flight status
- Head office
- Royal Jordanian, Amman, Jordan
- Hub
- Queen Alia International Airport, Amman
- Complaints
- Customer service via the official website rj.com
- Loyalty programme
- Royal Club
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