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

Brussels Airlines compensation: up to €600 per passenger

Brussels 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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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 Brussels Airlines pays: out of €400 you receive €278.
  • All the way to courtIf Brussels 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, Brussels 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 Brussels Airlines pays, you keep €173.75 out of €250 or €278 out of €400.

Brussels Airlines claims in numbers

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

113Brussels Airlines passengers have trusted us
38%of claims concern delayed flights
51%concern cancelled flights
11%concern overbooking and denied boarding

Brussels Airlines routes with the most claims

Brussels Airlines routes with the most claims
RoutekmOwed
MadridBrussels1,315250 €Check
LisbonBrussels1,719400 €Check
New YorkBrussels5,891600 €Check
LondonBrussels351250 €Check
BudapestBrussels1,140250 €Check
BrusselsMálaga1,737400 €Check
ManchesterBrussels536250 €Check
BrusselsBanjul4,595600 €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.

Brussels Airlines compensation: when you can claim

Half of the 80-plus Brussels Airlines claims we have handled are about cancelled flights, a far higher share than for most airlines. If Brussels Airlines cancelled your flight at short notice, got you to your destination 3 hours or more late or refused you boarding, you could be owed €250, €400 or €600 per person, on top of any refund.

Brussels Airlines was formed in 2007 from SN Brussels Airlines and Virgin Express, and is now wholly owned by the Lufthansa Group. As a Belgian, and therefore EU, airline it is bound by Regulation (EC) 261/2004 on flights out of Europe and on flights into Brussels from Africa, North America and the UK.

Late arrival

You reached your final destination, including after a change in Brussels, at least 3 hours behind schedule.

3 hours or more

Cancellation

Notice came less than 14 days before departure and the replacement flight fell outside the legal time limits.

Our most common case

Bumped

The flight was oversold and you were left behind with a valid ticket.

Owed straight away

No payout

When the airline proves an outside event, such as a Belgian general strike shutting the airport.

Extraordinary circumstances

Have your SN flight number handy? Check your Brussels Airlines flight.

What Brussels Airlines pays, route by route

The amount is set by the distance to your final destination. Ticket price and cabin class make no difference.

Distance Routes from our claims Compensation
Up to 1,500 km Madrid–Brussels, Budapest–Brussels, London–Brussels €250
1,500–3,500 km Lisbon–Brussels, Brussels–Málaga €400
Over 3,500 km New York–Brussels, Bujumbura–Brussels, Kinshasa–Brussels €600

Each passenger, including a child with their own seat, has a separate claim. A family of four landing in Brussels from New York 3 hours or more late can claim €2,400 in total. On a single booking such as London–Brussels–Kinshasa, the distance all the way to Kinshasa counts.

Brussels Airlines delay: what to do

Over a third of our Brussels Airlines claims are delays, many involving tight connections at Brussels Airport towards Africa. While you wait:

  1. Keep every boarding pass, especially for onward flights from Brussels.
  2. Screenshot delay alerts sent by Brussels Airlines.
  3. Note the time the aircraft doors open on arrival.
  4. Keep receipts for food and transport if no vouchers are handed out.
  5. Think twice about Miles & More miles or vouchers: compensation is owed in cash.

Care at the airport

Meals, drinks and, for overnight delays, a hotel and transfers are owed even when weather is to blame.

Distance Care after
Up to 1,500 km 2 hours
1,500–3,500 km 3 hours
Over 3,500 km 4 hours
5 hours or more You can drop the flight and get a refund

Missed connection in Brussels

On one ticket, say London–Brussels–Dakar, what counts is your arrival time in Dakar and the full distance. Two separate bookings are judged as two separate flights. See our page on Brussels Airlines delay compensation.

Does your Brussels Airlines flight qualify?Check in 2 minutes, with no obligation.
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Brussels Airlines cancelled your flight: refund and compensation

Cancellations make up around half of our Brussels Airlines cases. Many passengers accept the refund email and stop there.

Refund or new flight

Always owed: take your money back or fly on another date or with another carrier.

Compensation on top

€250 to €600 when notice was under 14 days and the cause was not extraordinary.

Notice Compensation
14 days or more No; refund or rerouting still apply
7–13 days Yes, if the new flight left over 2 hours earlier or arrived 4 hours or more late
Under 7 days Yes, if the new flight left over 1 hour earlier or arrived 2 hours or more late

Rescheduled flight. A big change of departure time announced close to travel can count as a cancellation under EU case law. More on Brussels Airlines cancellation compensation.

Brussels Airlines overbooking

About 1 in 10 of our Brussels Airlines claims involve denied boarding. If you did not give up your seat voluntarily, compensation is due on the spot, plus an alternative flight. Volunteering in exchange for an airline offer means giving up the compensation, so read the terms first. Details on Brussels Airlines overbooking.

Brussels Airlines strike or Belgian national strike?

Belgian general strikes have repeatedly emptied Brussels Airport: on 13 February and 31 March 2025 Brussels Airlines cancelled almost its entire schedule. When security, ground handling or air traffic control join a national strike, that is usually an extraordinary circumstance. When Brussels Airlines' own pilots or crew strike, compensation is normally owed (case C-28/20). Either way, a refund or new flight is still due.

Brussels Airlines rejected your claim? Typical replies

Depends
"Strike in Belgium"

The key question is who struck: airline staff, or outside services such as security and controllers.

EU Court of Justice, case C-28/20
Usually payable
"Aircraft technical issue"

Maintenance is an ordinary airline risk; hidden manufacturing defects are the exception.

EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07
Usually payable
"Crew shortage"

Rostering and staffing are the airline's job, not an outside event.

Often not payable
"Snow or high winds at Zaventem"

Valid if the weather really hit your flight at that hour; we check the data for the day.

Has Brussels Airlines already said no? Forward us the email. If the reason is weak, we press on with a formal demand and court if needed. Check your Brussels Airlines flight.

Flights from Africa and the US: covered on the way back too

Brussels Airlines runs one of the largest African networks of any European carrier. Because it is an EU airline, compensation also applies to flights into Brussels from:

  • Kinshasa, Bujumbura, Kigali, Entebbe and Nairobi
  • Dakar, Abidjan, Accra, Douala and Lomé
  • New York JFK and Washington Dulles
  • London Heathrow, where UK rules also apply on departures

Codeshare flights. If a flight sold under the SN code is operated by another Lufthansa Group or Star Alliance airline, the claim goes to the operating carrier. Just give us the flight number.

How to claim from Brussels Airlines: yourself or with us

You can claim directly through the online form in the customer service section of brusselsairlines.com.

Yourself

Free, but you chase every reply. After a refusal you can turn to the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed (the CAA for UK departures) or the courts, at your own expense.

With DelayFlight24

Two-minute form, digital signature. We run the claim, the formal demand and any court case with our lawyers. Fee only on success: 25% + VAT. Legal costs are ours even if the case is lost.

Already rejected?

Received a no from Brussels Airlines? Send us the case anyway: we review the reasoning and, if it does not hold, issue a formal demand.

Useful documents

  • Booking confirmationWith the reference and SN flight numbers.
  • Passport or ID cardFor each passenger.
  • Cancellation emailIts date shows whether notice was under 14 days.

How long you have to claim

The deadline comes from national law in the country where you bring the claim, not from the Regulation (EU Court of Justice, case C-139/11). Flights cancelled by strikes some years ago may still be claimable: check your date with us.

Brussels Airlines payment times

If Brussels Airlines accepts the claim, payment usually takes a few weeks. If it refuses and a formal demand or court action in Belgium is needed, allow several months. Once paid, we transfer your share.

Lost luggage with Brussels Airlines

Bags fall under the Montreal Convention. Report the problem at the baggage desk with a PIR, then write to the airline within 7 days for damage or within 21 days of delivery for a delay.

Brussels Airlines contacts and flight status

Head office
Brussels Airlines SA/NV, b.house, Brussels Airport, Zaventem, Belgium
Claims
Online form in the customer service section of brusselsairlines.com
Loyalty
Miles & More, the Lufthansa Group programme
Flight status
Brussels Airlines website
No win, no fee. Nothing upfront, and legal costs are on us even if we lose. Check your Brussels Airlines flight.

What if Brussels 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.

Brussels Airlines compensation: frequently asked questions

Brussels Airlines cancelled my flight. Am I owed more than a refund?
Yes, if you were told less than 14 days before departure and the cause was not extraordinary. On top of the refund or new flight, you can claim €250 to €600 per passenger depending on distance.
Does a Belgian national strike entitle me to compensation?
Usually not, when the disruption comes from outside services such as airport security, ground handling or air traffic control. If Brussels Airlines' own pilots or crew strike, compensation is normally owed under case C-28/20 of the EU Court of Justice.
How much does Brussels Airlines pay for a delay?
€250 up to 1,500 km, such as London–Brussels; €400 from 1,500 to 3,500 km, such as Lisbon–Brussels; €600 above 3,500 km, such as New York–Brussels or Kinshasa–Brussels. You must arrive at least 3 hours late.
Is my flight from Kinshasa or Bujumbura to Brussels covered?
Yes. Brussels Airlines is a Belgian, and therefore EU, airline, so Regulation 261/2004 also covers its flights into Europe from outside the EU, including Africa and the United States.
My London–Brussels flight was delayed. Which rules apply?
Both the EU Regulation, because Brussels Airlines is an EU carrier flying into the EU, and the UK rules, which cover departures from UK airports. You cannot be paid twice; we apply the most favourable option.
I missed my connection in Brussels. What can I claim?
On a single booking, if you reached your final destination 3 hours or more late, compensation is based on the total distance of the journey. With separate tickets, each flight is assessed on its own.
My flight had an SN number but another airline operated it. Who do I claim from?
The operating carrier, for example another Lufthansa Group airline. Your rights are the same, and on our form you only need the flight number.
How long do I have to claim from Brussels Airlines?
The Regulation sets no deadline; national law applies in the country where you claim, as the EU Court of Justice confirmed in case C-139/11. Enter your flight date and we will tell you whether you are still in time.
What does DelayFlight24 charge for a Brussels Airlines claim?
Nothing upfront. If we win, our fee is 25% + VAT: you keep €173.75 of €250, €278 of €400 and €417 of €600. Legal costs are on us even if the case is lost.

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