Flight delay compensation: up to €600 under EU Regulation 261/2004
If you reach your destination 3 hours or more late, you are entitled to €250, €400 or €600 per passenger, as well as care at the airport. Check your flight in 2 minutes: you only pay if we get you compensated.
At a glance
- When you can claim: you arrive 3 hours or more late, on a flight departing from the EU or arriving in the EU with a European airline.
- How much: €250 up to 1,500 km, €400 up to 3,500 km, €600 beyond. On flights within the EU over 3,500 km it is €400.
- At the airport: meals and drinks after 2, 3 or 4 hours, a hotel if you fly the next day. After 5 hours you can give up the flight and get your ticket refunded.
- When you cannot: in bad weather, air traffic control strikes and other extraordinary circumstances. Technical faults and strikes by the airline's own staff do not count.
When you can claim for a delayed flight
All four conditions must apply. If you are unsure about one of them, we check it for free.
You arrive 3 hours or more late
Arrival time counts, not departure: the flight has arrived when the aircraft doors open.
The flight is covered by the Regulation
It departs from an EU airport, or arrives in the EU with a European airline.
You had a confirmed booking
And you checked in by the time the airline gave you.
The delay was not caused by extraordinary circumstances
Severe weather or an air traffic control strike rule out compensation; a technical fault does not.
Was your flight months or years ago? You are often still in time: time limits are set by each country's law (Court of Justice, C-139/11).
How much you can claim for a delayed flight
Compensation is fixed and does not depend on the ticket price: only the flight distance counts.
| Flight distance | Compensation per passenger | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | €250 | Dublin – Paris |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | €400 | Dublin – Tenerife |
| Over 3,500 km | €600 | Dublin – New York |
Each passenger is entitled to it, children included: a family of four on a €400 flight can claim €1,600. With DelayFlight24 you receive the amount minus 25% + VAT: see our service costs
Delay examples and what you can claim
Four real cases and what each passenger receives.
The aircraft lands 4 hours late because of a technical fault.
The flight arrives 3 hours and 10 minutes late because the crew was missing.
Your first flight leaves late, you miss the connection and reach Singapore 6 hours late.
The flight arrives 2 hours and 50 minutes late.
Delays with a stopover or a missed connection
Single booking
If all your flights are on the same booking, what counts is the delay at your final destination. Miss a connection because the first flight was late and arrive 3 hours or more late? You can claim, based on the distance from your first departure airport to your final one.
Separate tickets
Each flight is assessed on its own: compensation is only owed for a flight that arrived 3 hours or more late. A connection missed on a separate ticket is your own risk.
Flights from outside Europe
A flight departing from outside Europe is only covered with a European airline. A New York → Dublin flight with a US airline is not; with a European airline it is.
A delay that becomes a cancellation
If your flight is cancelled after hours of waiting, cancellation rules apply: a refund or replacement flight, and compensation unless there are extraordinary circumstances.
Care while you wait
The airline must provide it even when the delay does not give you compensation, for example in bad weather.
| 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 |
- Meals and drinks in reasonable relation to the waiting time.
- Two free communications: phone calls, emails or messages.
- Hotel and transport if your flight leaves the next day.
- After 5 hours you can give up the flight, get your ticket refunded and, if you were mid-journey, a flight back to where you started.
If no care is offered, arrange it yourself at a reasonable cost and keep the receipts: the airline must pay you back.
Causes of the delay: when you can claim and when you cannot
It is up to the airline to prove the delay was caused by an extraordinary circumstance it could not avoid.
Usually you can claim
Usually you cannot
- Weather that makes flying unsafe
- Air traffic control or airport staff strikes
- Air traffic restrictions imposed by air traffic control
- Airport or airspace closures
- Medical or security emergencies on board
An airline writing “extraordinary circumstances” does not mean it is right: we check the flight data for you.
Delayed flight: what to do straight away
- Ask for the reason for the delay at the airline's desk and, if you can, get it in writing.
- Keep your boarding pass and booking confirmation, digital ones included.
- Note your arrival time when the aircraft doors open.
- Ask for meals and drinks after 2, 3 or 4 hours: they are owed.
- Keep the receipts for everything you pay out of your own pocket.
- Do not accept vouchers instead of compensation if you would rather have the money.
Delayed flights with the most claimed airlines
For each airline you will find its most claimed routes and how it handles claims.
How to claim compensation for a delayed flight
You can write to the airline yourself or let us handle your claim: you pay nothing unless we get you compensated.
Check your flight
Enter your route, date and airline: in 2 minutes you know whether you can claim and how much.
We take care of everything
We send the claim, the reminders and, if needed, a formal notice. If the airline refuses, we take legal action.
Get your money
We pay your compensation by bank transfer, minus 25% + VAT. If we get nothing, you pay nothing.
Useful documents
- Boarding pass or booking confirmation
- Messages from the airline
- Receipts for any expenses
- An identity document
Delayed flight: frequently asked questions
How long does a flight have to be delayed for compensation?
3 hours or more on arrival at your final destination. Under 3 hours you cannot claim compensation, but you are still owed care at the airport.
Is the delay counted on departure or on arrival?
On arrival. The flight has arrived when the aircraft doors open and passengers can get off, not when it touches down.
My flight arrived 2 hours and 50 minutes late: am I owed anything?
Not compensation, which starts at 3 hours. You are still owed care while you waited and a refund of any reasonable expenses.
My flight was moved to the next day: what am I owed?
A hotel, transport, meals and drinks while you wait and, if you arrive 3 hours or more late, €250, €400 or €600 in compensation.
I missed my connection because of a delay: can I claim?
Yes, if your flights were on a single booking and you reach your final destination 3 hours or more late. With separate tickets only the delayed flight counts.
The airline says it was the weather: is that true?
Sometimes, but not always. The weather must have affected your flight itself and the airline has to prove it. Often the delay comes from a knock-on effect earlier in the day, which is not an extraordinary circumstance.
Can I get both a ticket refund and compensation?
If the delay passes 5 hours and you give up the flight, you are entitled to a refund. If you fly and arrive 3 hours or more late, you can claim compensation.
Does it apply to Ryanair, easyJet and other low-cost airlines?
Yes. The Regulation applies to every airline, low-cost included, and the amount does not depend on the ticket price.
How long do I have to claim?
The Regulation sets no deadline: it depends on the law of the country where you claim (C-139/11). You are often still in time even for flights from years ago.
How much does DelayFlight24 cost?
Checking your flight is free. Only if we get you compensated do we keep 25% + VAT: on €250 you receive €173.75, on €400 you receive €278, on €600 you receive €417.
Was your 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