NZ
Check your compensation
Delayed flightCancelled flightOverbookingAirlinesService pricesLog inCheck your compensation
✓ You only pay if you get compensation✓ Up to €600 per passenger✓ EC Regulation 261/2004
American AirlinesDelay · Cancellation · Overbooking

American Airlines compensation: up to €600 per passenger

American 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
Step 1 of 3

Check your American Airlines flight

Free and with no obligation, in 2 minutes.

AAAirline:American AirlinesChange
Flight date
Choose departure and arrival: we will show you right away how much you are owed.
  • Data protected
  • Nothing upfront
  • You only pay if we win
  • Transparent feeOnly 25% + VAT and only if American Airlines pays: out of €400 you receive €278.
  • All the way to courtIf American Airlines does not pay, our lawyers take the airline to court, at no extra cost to you.
  • Claims handled87,774 passengers have already trusted usupdated in real time

In short

  • Delay: if you arrive 3 hours or more late, American 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 American Airlines pays, you keep €173.75 out of €250 or €278 out of €400.

American Airlines claims in numbers

Figures from the American Airlines claims we have handled for our customers, updated daily.

226American Airlines passengers have trusted us
59%of claims concern delayed flights
34%concern cancelled flights
7%concern overbooking and denied boarding

American Airlines routes with the most claims

American Airlines routes with the most claims
RoutekmOwed
LondonNew York5,544600 €Check
MadridNew York5,766600 €Check
BarcelonaMiami7,552600 €Check
LondonChicago6,349600 €Check
RomeNew York6,873600 €Check
BarcelonaNew York6,156600 €Check
DublinChicago5,901600 €Check
ParisDallas-Fort Worth7,951600 €Check

Amount per person for arrival delays of at least 3 hours, cancellations with less than 14 days' notice and overbooking, unless there were extraordinary circumstances.

American Airlines compensation: €600 on flights from Europe to the US

American Airlines, based in Fort Worth, Texas, is one of the biggest carriers across the Atlantic, linking Europe with hubs such as New York JFK, Miami, Chicago O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth and Philadelphia. We have taken on more than 140 American Airlines claims for over 220 passengers, many on Madrid–New York, Barcelona–Miami and Rome–New York. Every one of these is longer than 3,500 km, so a 3-hour arrival delay or a last-minute cancellation can be worth €600 per person.

The key point: American is a US airline, not an EU one. Regulation (EC) 261/2004 only applies to its flights leaving an airport in the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland. Flights from the UK are covered by British rules instead, and flights from the US into Europe are not covered when American operates them.

Late arrival

You left from Madrid, Barcelona, Rome or Paris and reached your final US destination 3 hours or more late.

At least 3 hours

Cancellation

Your departure from Europe was cancelled with under 14 days' notice.

Short notice

Oversold flight

You were refused boarding at a European airport because the flight was oversold.

Paid immediately

Outside the rules

American's flights from the US to Europe, and genuinely extraordinary events.

Inbound legs, force majeure

Not sure where your flight stands? Enter the route and date: check your American Airlines flight.

How much American Airlines pays

From continental Europe, American flies almost exclusively long-haul, so the top amount applies regardless of the cabin you booked.

Distance American routes in our claims Compensation
Up to 1,500 km No American routes from Europe €250
1,500 to 3,500 km No American routes from Europe €400
Over 3,500 km Madrid–New York, Barcelona–Miami, Barcelona–New York, Rome–New York €600

The amount applies to each traveller: three friends on a Barcelona–Miami flight that landed 3 hours 30 minutes late could claim €1,800 between them. Children with their own seat receive the full sum.

Delayed American Airlines flight: practical steps

Close to 6 in 10 of our American claims are about delays. The relevant moment is when the doors open at the final airport on your booking: if you were connecting at JFK for Dallas or Phoenix, the arrival there is what counts. What to do:

  1. Save every boarding pass in the American Airlines app, including US domestic connections.
  2. Screenshot the app notifications showing revised times and reasons.
  3. Record your arrival time at the final destination, not the first hub.
  4. Keep receipts if you are stuck at Madrid-Barajas or Barcelona-El Prat before take-off.
  5. Think twice before taking AAdvantage miles or a trip credit in place of cash.

Care at the European airport

Before your flight from Europe leaves, American must provide meals, drinks and, for an overnight delay, a hotel and transfers, even when the cause is extraordinary.

Distance Care after
Up to 1,500 km 2 hours
1,500-3,500 km 3 hours
Over 3,500 km (all American flights to the US) 4 hours
More than 5 hours You can abandon the journey and get your fare back

Missed connection at a US hub

Say you booked Madrid–Charlotte–Orlando on one ticket. If the transatlantic leg ran late and you reached Orlando 3 or more hours behind schedule, €600 is due on the whole trip, because it started in the EU. A separately booked domestic flight does not count. More on American Airlines delay compensation.

Does your American Airlines flight qualify?Check in 2 minutes, with no obligation.
Check your flight

American Airlines cancellation: refund and compensation

About 1 in 3 of our American files involves a cancellation. On a departure from the EU, two separate rights apply.

Refund or new flight

Always available: your money back or rerouting to the same destination.

€600 compensation

On top, when you were told less than 14 days before departure.

Notice period Compensation
14 days or more None, but refund or rerouting remain
7-13 days Payable, unless the alternative departs no more than 2 hours early and arrives within 4 hours of schedule
Under 7 days Payable, unless the alternative departs no more than 1 hour early and arrives within 2 hours of schedule

Rescheduled departure. A major time change for your flight out of Europe, announced shortly before travel, may count as a cancellation under EU case law. Check your case or read about cancelled American Airlines flights.

American Airlines overbooking

Denied boarding makes up roughly 7 in 100 of our American claims. If you were bumped against your will in Madrid, Barcelona or Rome with a confirmed seat, €600 is due on the spot along with another flight. Volunteers who accept an airline offer to give up their seat cannot also claim. Nothing is due if you lacked a valid ESTA or visa. See our guide to American Airlines overbooking.

Strikes and American Airlines flights

For American departures from Europe, the question is who is striking. Industrial action by American's own pilots or flight attendants is a normal business risk, so compensation is normally payable (EU Court of Justice, case C-28/20). A walkout by European air traffic controllers or airport staff counts as extraordinary: care and a refund remain, but the €600 does not.

American Airlines rejected your claim?

These are the explanations we find most often in American's replies.

Usually payable
"Aircraft maintenance"

Checks and repairs are ordinary airline activity; only concealed manufacturing defects are an exception.

EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07
Usually payable
"The aircraft arrived late from the US"

A late inbound plane does not by itself excuse a delayed departure from Europe.

It depends
"Strike"

American staff: usually payable. Controllers or airports: not payable.

EU Court of Justice, case C-28/20
Often not payable
"Your flight departed from the US"

Correct for a non-EU airline, unless a European partner actually operated the flight.

Has American Airlines already said no? If you flew out of the EU, the refusal is worth checking. We review it and, if it falls short, move to a formal demand and court action. Check your American flight.

Inbound flights, London departures and oneworld partners

American co-founded the oneworld alliance and runs its transatlantic business jointly with British Airways, Iberia, Finnair and Aer Lingus. That affects your rights:

  • an AA-coded flight actually operated by Iberia, Finnair or Aer Lingus falls under the EU airline's rules, so flights into the EU are covered too
  • American-operated flights from the US to Europe are outside EU261
  • London–New York and London–Chicago are covered by UK261, the British version of the rules, with amounts in pounds
  • departures from Switzerland, Norway and Iceland follow EU rules

Making a claim against American Airlines

You can contact American yourself through the customer relations form on aa.com, giving your record locator and flight number.

Do it yourself

Free, but you deal with a US customer service team. If American refuses, you can turn to the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed (in the UK, the CAA) or to the courts.

Use DelayFlight24

A 2-minute form and an online signature. We run the claim, formal demand and European court action with our own lawyers. You pay only if it succeeds: 25% + VAT, so you keep €417 of €600 (€278 of €400, €173.75 of €250). Legal costs are ours even if the case is lost.

After a refusal from American

Forward the reply. If the flight left the EU and the reasoning is thin, we start again with a formal letter.

Documents

  • Booking confirmation or boarding passUS connections included.
  • PassportFor each traveller, including children.
  • American Airlines messagesApp alerts, emails and receipts.

Time limit

EU261 has no built-in deadline; the law of the country where you bring the claim applies (EU Court of Justice, case C-139/11). A New York trip from a few years ago may still be claimable: enter the date.

How long American Airlines takes to pay

If American accepts the claim, the money usually arrives within a few weeks. With a formal demand or court case, allow a few months. We pass on your share as soon as American pays.

Baggage problems with American Airlines

Luggage is governed by the Montreal Convention. Complete a PIR at the arrival airport and write to American within 7 days for damage, or within 21 days of delivery for a delayed bag.

American Airlines contacts and flight status

Head office
American Airlines, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Complaints
Customer relations form on aa.com
Loyalty
AAdvantage (oneworld)
Flight status
American Airlines app or official website
Nothing recovered, nothing to pay. Our fee comes only from the compensation, and legal costs stay with us. Check your American flight.

What if American 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.

American Airlines compensation: frequently asked questions

How much does American Airlines pay for a delayed flight from Europe?
€600 per passenger on its transatlantic routes, such as Madrid–New York or Barcelona–Miami, if you arrived 3 hours or more late and the cause was not extraordinary.
My New York–Madrid flight with American was delayed. Can I claim?
Usually not under EU261. American is a US airline, so the Regulation only covers its departures from the EU. The exception is an AA-coded flight operated by a European partner such as Iberia, Finnair or Aer Lingus.
I flew London–New York with American. Which rules apply?
UK261, the British version of the rules, which covers departures from the UK with similar protections and amounts in pounds. We can check these flights too.
I missed a US connection after a late American flight from Europe. What am I owed?
If it was all one booking starting in the EU and you reached your final destination 3 or more hours late, €600 is due based on the whole journey. Separately booked domestic flights don't count.
My AA flight was operated by Iberia. Who do I claim from?
From the operating airline, Iberia. As an EU carrier, it is covered both on departures from the EU and on flights into it. On our form, just enter the flight as shown on your booking.
American offered me AAdvantage miles instead of cash. Should I accept?
Compensation must be paid in money unless you agree otherwise in writing. Compare the value first: €600 in cash is often worth more than miles or travel credit.
I was refused boarding because my ESTA wasn't valid. Can I claim?
No. Boarding refused because of missing or invalid travel documents is down to the passenger, so no compensation is due. Overbooking, on the other hand, is covered.
How long do I have to claim from American Airlines?
EU261 sets no time limit of its own; national law where you claim decides. Trips from a few years ago are often still within time, so enter your flight date to check.
What does DelayFlight24 charge for an American Airlines claim?
Nothing upfront. If we win we keep 25% + VAT: you receive €417 of €600, €278 of €400 or €173.75 of €250. All legal costs are ours, even if a court case is lost.

Other airlines and other cases

Did you fly with another airline or want to know more about your case?

Other airlines

RyanairWizz AirVuelingV7VoloteaAZITA AirwaysLHLufthansaAFAir FranceIBIberia

By type of problem

American Airlines flight delayed or cancelled?

Find out in 2 minutes how much you are owed. Nothing upfront: you only pay if you get compensation.

  • Check in 2 minutes
  • Nothing upfront
  • Up to €600 per passenger
Check your compensation
Check your American Airlines flight