Canaryfly compensation: €250 for delayed or cancelled island flights
Canaryfly is the regional airline that hops between the Canary Islands on ATR 72 turboprops from its base at Gran Canaria Airport. If you are island-hopping on holiday, say from Gran Canaria to Lanzarote or from Tenerife to La Palma, there is a good chance you will fly with them. We have handled more than 150 Canaryfly claims: roughly 6 in 10 involve a delay and almost 3 in 10 a cancellation. Even on a 40-minute flight, arriving 3 hours late or having the flight scrapped at short notice can earn you €250 per person.
Canary Fly S.L. is a Spanish, and therefore EU, airline, and the Canary Islands are part of the EU. Regulation (EC) 261/2004 applies to every inter-island flight it operates, whatever your nationality.
Late arrival
You land on the destination island at least 3 hours after the scheduled time.
3 hours or moreCancelled flight
Canaryfly told you less than 14 days ahead and the replacement fell outside the time limits.
Under 14 days' noticeBumped
On a 70-seat aircraft overbooking bites. If you are left behind against your will, compensation is due straight away.
Due at the gateWhen it is not due
Strong winds or calima that genuinely make flying unsafe, air traffic control strikes, airport closures.
Outside eventsNot sure where you stand? Check your Canaryfly flight in 2 minutes.
How much Canaryfly pays: €250 per passenger, every time
Every Canaryfly route stays within the archipelago and well under 1,500 km, so the amount never changes, even if your fare cost a few euros.
| Canaryfly route | Distance | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Lanzarote–Gran Canaria | about 200 km | €250 |
| Fuerteventura–Gran Canaria | about 160 km | €250 |
| Tenerife North–La Palma | about 140 km | €250 |
| Tenerife North–Lanzarote | about 270 km | €250 |
Each traveller has a separate claim, including children with their own seat: a family of four on a cancelled Fuerteventura–Gran Canaria flight could claim €1,000 in total. In our form, enter the flight once and add your fellow passengers.
Resident discount. Canary Islands residents fly with a discounted fare. Compensation does not depend on the price paid, so the full €250 is still due on a discounted ticket.
Delayed Canaryfly flight: what to do at the airport
Delay is the main issue in the Canaryfly files we handle, especially between Gran Canaria and Lanzarote. With a small fleet, one grounded ATR can push back every later rotation of the day. Our advice:
- Keep your boarding pass, paper or in the Canaryfly app, showing the PM flight number.
- Photograph the arrivals board: on such short hops a few minutes decide between 2 hours 59 and 3 hours.
- Ask the Canaryfly desk for the reason in writing, or keep the text message you receive.
- Hold on to receipts for food and taxis if no care is offered.
- Turn down vouchers in place of cash until you know what you are owed.
Care while you wait
| Situation | What you are owed |
|---|---|
| 2-hour delay | Meals and drinks |
| Departure moved to the next day | Hotel and transfers |
| 5-hour delay | Ticket refund if you give up the trip |
Missed your flight home to the UK?
Plenty of travellers use Canaryfly to reach the island their flight home leaves from. If the two flights were booked separately and you miss the second, Canaryfly is only liable for its own delay; on a single booking the arrival at the final destination is what counts. Full details on the Canaryfly delayed flight page.
Cancelled Canaryfly flight: refund and compensation
Nearly a third of our Canaryfly claims involve a cancellation. The airline often moves you onto its next departure, but that does not wipe out your right.
You choose between your money back and the first available flight to your island.
Due if notice came less than 14 days ahead and the alternative missed the time limits.
| Notice | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more | No |
| 7-13 days | Yes, if the replacement left over 2 hours earlier or landed 4 hours or more later |
| Under 7 days | Yes, if the replacement left over 1 hour earlier or landed 2 hours or more later |
Retimed flight. A flight brought forward or pushed back by several hours a few days before departure can count as a cancellation. Read the Canaryfly cancelled flight page.
Canaryfly overbooking
About 7 in 100 Canaryfly claims concern denied boarding. With a valid ticket and a timely arrival at the gate, the €250 is due at once, along with a new flight or a refund. It is not owed if the problem was on your side, such as invalid ID. See our guide to Canaryfly overbooking.
Strikes and Canaryfly flights
If Canaryfly's own pilots or cabin crew walk out, compensation is normally payable: the EU Court of Justice treats a strike by airline staff as part of its business (case C-28/20). A strike by air traffic controllers or island airport staff is different; you keep the right to care and a refund, but not to compensation.
Canaryfly turned down your claim? The usual reasons
Saharan dust and wind are common in the Canaries, but the airline must show they made flying impossible on that day and at that time.
Faults and maintenance are part of normal operations.
EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07Delay built up over the day's rotations is not enough, unless an extraordinary event started it.
A closure ordered by the authorities is outside the airline's control.
The islands Canaryfly serves
Canaryfly has flown since 2012 from its Gran Canaria base, linking it with Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Tenerife North, La Palma and El Hierro. In our files the most common departure airports are Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Tenerife North. All are domestic Spanish flights inside the EU, so the Regulation applies in both directions.
Claiming from Canaryfly: on your own or with us
You can write to Canaryfly yourself through the help centre on canaryfly.es, quoting your booking reference, flight and passenger names.
Free, but the reply may come in Spanish and any refusal is yours to fight, up to AESA, the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed, or the Spanish courts.
Two-minute online form. We handle the claim and, if needed, court action in Spain. You pay only if you are paid: 25% + VAT, so you keep €173.75 of €250. Legal costs are ours even if we lose.
Documents
- Boarding pass or bookingAn app screenshot is fine.
- Passport or IDFor each passenger.
- Canaryfly noticesTexts or emails about the delay or cancellation.
Time limits
National law sets the deadline, as the EU Court of Justice has confirmed (case C-139/11). A holiday flight from a few years ago may still qualify: enter the date and we will tell you.
Payment times
If Canaryfly accepts, the transfer usually arrives within a few weeks. If it refuses and a formal demand or Spanish court case is needed, expect a few months. We keep you posted by email.
Lost luggage with Canaryfly
On ATR aircraft larger bags go in the hold and can be left behind on the departure island. The Montreal Convention applies: file a PIR at the baggage desk and claim within 7 days for damage, or within 21 days of delivery if it arrived late.
Canaryfly contact details and flight status
- Head office
- Canary Fly S.L., Hangar L, Gran Canaria Airport, Spain
- Claims
- Help centre and contact form on canaryfly.es
- Flight status
- Canaryfly app or official website
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