ANSWER LIBRARY
Flight compensation questions, answered one at a time
77 questions about EC 261 and UK 261, each answered on its own page with the article or judgment it comes from. Compensation runs from €250, €400 or €600 under EC 261 and £220, £350 or £520 under UK 261, starting at 3 hours late at the final destination. Every figure on these pages is read from rule set v5, the same data our free check evaluates.
REVIEWED AGAINST RULE SET V5 AND THE CITED PRIMARY SOURCES · UPDATED 7 AUGUST 2026
What makes these pages different
No amount here was typed by a person. The distance bands, thresholds and the 31 limitation periods are read out of the rule set at build time, so a page cannot drift from the logic that decides a real claim.
8 of the 77 answers begin with a plain no. Those are the ones worth reading first: knowing a claim is outside the rules saves more time than any of the others.
DELAYS · 21
What am I owed if my flight is delayed 3 hours?EC 261 pays €250, €400 or €600 and UK 261 pays £220, £350 or £520 once you land 3 hours or more late. The bands, and what the airline can still argue.Is there compensation for a 2 hour flight delay?A 2 hour delay is below the 3 hour compensation threshold. What Art. 6 still requires the airline to provide, and when the clock is measured.Is a flight delay measured at departure or at arrival?The 3 hour clock runs to arrival at the final destination, doors open. Why departure delay decides care and arrival delay decides cash.Why is long haul delay compensation sometimes halved?Art. 7(2) reduces the top band by half on long haul arrivals inside the shorter window: €300 rather than €600, £260 rather than £520.How much is a delayed flight claim worth?€250, €400 or €600 under EC 261, £220, £350 or £520 under UK 261, per passenger, set by distance. What multiplies the figure and what reduces it.Can I claim if a technical fault delayed my flight?Wallentin-Hermann and van der Lans put technical faults inside the airline's business risk. What the narrow exceptions actually are.Can I claim compensation if weather delayed my flight?Weather generally removes compensation and leaves the Art. 9 care duty untouched. What McDonagh settled, and what the airline still has to prove.Can I claim when an air traffic control strike delays my flight?External strikes generally sit outside the airline's control, so compensation falls away. The line the Grand Chamber drew in Airhelp v SAS.Can I claim when the airline's own staff go on strike?Airhelp v SAS and Krüsemann put strikes by the airline's own staff inside its control, official or not. What that means for a rejection letter.Does the airline have to pay for a hotel if my flight is delayed overnight?Art. 9 makes accommodation and transfers the airline's duty, extraordinary circumstances included. What McDonagh settled about limits.What is the airline required to give me while I wait at the airport?Meals and two communications from the Art. 6 threshold, which is two hours under 1,500 km. What "reasonable relation" means in practice.My flight was late because the inbound aircraft was late. Can I claim?A late inbound aircraft is a symptom, not a defence. What TAP requires the airline to prove about the original cause and the recovery.Is de-icing a valid excuse for a flight delay?De-icing delays are tested under Art. 5(3), not excused by default. The two-limb test, winter planning, and the care owed meanwhile (Art. 6 and 9).What are my rights during a tarmac delay?No special tarmac rule exists: Art. 6 care, the 5 hour refund option and the 3 hour compensation line all keep running while you sit on board.My flight missed the airport night curfew. Can I claim?Curfews are external; the delay that hit them usually is not. How WZ v Austrian Airlines treated a missed night curfew, and the diversion rules.My flight landed at a different airport. What am I owed?A same-city diversion is a delay with a paid transfer, not a cancellation. How the delay is measured, and what a refused transfer is worth.The airline blamed a staff shortage. Can I still claim?Airline crew shortages stay with the airline; airport operator understaffing can be extraordinary. The line from TAP, Lipton and Touristic Aviation.A fuel problem delayed my flight. Can I claim?Airport-wide fuelling failures are extraordinary; a fuel fault on one aircraft is not. The SATA line, Moens, and what the airline must still do.The runway was closed. Is that an extraordinary circumstance?Runway and airspace closures generally defeat compensation but not care. What Moens decided, what survives a closure, and the exception that reverses it.Bird strike or runway debris: is compensation still possible?Bird strikes (Pešková) and foreign object damage (Germanwings) are extraordinary, and airlines still lose these cases on the response. Where the gaps are.Airport staff went on strike. Do I get compensation?Strikes by airport staff or ATC are external and defeat compensation; the airline's own staff striking does not. What survives an external strike.
CANCELLATIONS · 16
What am I entitled to when my flight is cancelled?A cancellation triggers two rights: the Art. 8 choice, and Art. 7 compensation of €250, €400 or €600. Where the 14 day rule cuts the second one off.Is compensation due if the airline cancelled more than 14 days ahead?Art. 5(1)(c)(i) cuts compensation off at 14 days' notice. The refund right survives. The two narrower windows below 14 days.What is the difference between the refund and the re-routing after a cancellation?Art. 8 puts the choice with the passenger: refund, earliest re-routing, or a later date. What each one does and does not settle.Can I get a refund and compensation for the same cancelled flight?Art. 8 reimburses the ticket, Art. 7 pays €250, €400 or €600 for the disruption. They stack. What a refund does and does not settle.The airline offered a voucher instead of cash. What do the rules say?Art. 7(3) makes cash the default and a voucher conditional on the passenger's signed agreement. What to compare before signing.My flight was cancelled and I was rebooked for the next day. What are the rules?Overnight rebooking triggers the Art. 9 hotel duty and, separately, the Art. 7 sum of €250, €400 or €600 unless notice or cause rules it out.The airline says extraordinary circumstances. What does that actually mean?Art. 5(3) is a two part test the airline has to prove, and the case law has settled most of the common causes. Which side each one falls.My return flight was cancelled. Does EC 261 cover it?The return leg is assessed on its own departure point. Covered from any EU airport; covered into the EU only on an EU carrier.My airline stopped flying. Can I still claim compensation?An Art. 7 claim survives an airline's failure as an unsecured debt. The routes that sit outside the regulation and are worth checking.The plane took off and came back. Is that a cancellation?Sousa Rodríguez: a take off followed by a return to stand is a cancellation, not a delay. Why the classification changes the claim.The crew was sick and the flight was cancelled. Can I claim?Crew illness is the airline's staffing risk on both sides of the Channel: Lipton (2024) and TAP Portugal (2023). What a cancelled flight still pays.My flight was moved earlier. Is that a cancellation?Moved forward by more than one hour = cancelled (CJEU, Dec 2021). The notice windows, the ladder, and why an hour or less is negligible.Is a schedule change the same as a cancellation?Pushed back under 3 hours: delay. Pulled forward over 1 hour: cancellation. The two CJEU judgments of 21 December 2021 that sorted schedule changes.The airline says it told my travel agent. Does that count?Notice to an agent or platform is not notice to you: Krijgsman (2017), Laudamotion (2021). The burden of proof sits with the airline (Art. 5(4)).My replacement flight was delayed too. Can I claim twice?A cancelled flight and a badly delayed replacement are two claims, not one: A and Others v Finnair (C-832/18). What the second leg must cross.How close must the replacement flight be to avoid compensation?The exact Art. 5(1)(c) margins: -2h/+4h with 7 to 14 days notice, -1h/+2h under 7 days. Plus the Art. 7(2) half rate on close reroutes.
DENIED BOARDING · 8
What am I entitled to if I am denied boarding?Art. 4(3) pays €250, €400 or €600 immediately, plus refund or re-routing and care. Why the extraordinary circumstances defence does not apply here.What counts as involuntary denied boarding?Art. 4(1) and 4(2): volunteers first, then refusal against your will. The line decides whether the Art. 7 sum is payable.I volunteered to give up my seat. Can I still claim compensation?Volunteering trades the Art. 7 sum for negotiated benefits. The Art. 8 refund or re-routing choice survives either way.I arrived late at the gate and was refused boarding. Do the rules cover me?Art. 3(2) sets the condition: check in as instructed, or at least 45 minutes before departure. Missing it takes the flight outside the regulation.I was refused boarding over travel documents. Do the rules cover me?Art. 2(j) carves out refusals on reasonable grounds, including inadequate documents. Where the carve out stops applying.What am I entitled to if the airline downgrades me?Art. 10(2) reimburses 30, 50 or 75 percent of the ticket price by distance when you are downgraded. Upgrades cannot be charged for.I was denied boarding on the second leg. What applies?Denied boarding on a connection is assessed on that leg, but the distance runs to the final destination. Why the band can be €600 on a short hop.Can the airline bump me from a rescheduled flight after a strike?Rescheduling after a strike does not let an airline choose who to leave behind: Finnair v Lassooy (C-22/11). What denied boarding covers and what it pays.
MISSED CONNECTIONS · 6
Can I claim compensation for a missed connection?Folkerts makes the single booking the unit: 3 hours late at the final destination, and the distance band runs the whole way.The first leg was only 40 minutes late but I missed my connection. Does that matter?A short first leg delay is not a defence. Folkerts measures the 3 hours at the final destination, whatever happened at the first gate.My connection was on a separate ticket. Can I claim?Separate tickets are two journeys. The first flight is judged on its own 3 hour arrival delay, and the missed second ticket sits outside Art. 7.The two legs were with different airlines. Does that change the claim?One reservation can span two airlines. The obligation follows the operating carrier of the leg that went wrong; our intake declines to score these.Which distance counts for a missed connection claim?Art. 7(1) measures to the final ticketed destination, so a short first leg can carry the €600 band. Worked examples.I was rebooked and still arrived 3 hours late. Does that count?Re-routing performs Art. 8; it does not settle Art. 7. The 3 hour measurement is taken on the flight you actually arrived on.
WHO IS COVERED · 14
Which flights does EC 261 cover?Art. 3(1): any airline out of the EU, EU carriers only into the EU. What €250, €400 or €600 attaches to and what falls outside.Which flights does UK 261 cover?Retained EC 261 with sterling amounts: £220, £350 or £520. Which routes it covers, and what Lipton settled about claims straddling Brexit.UK 261 or EC 261: which one covers my flight?Departure airport decides: £220, £350 or £520 out of the UK, €250, €400 or €600 out of the EU. Where both could apply, and why it pays once.Can I claim on a US airline flying into Europe?Art. 3(1)(b) covers inbound flights only on EU carriers. The outbound leg from Europe is covered whatever the airline.Does my nationality affect my flight compensation claim?Coverage follows the flight, not the passport. Art. 3(1) says nothing about nationality, residence or point of sale.Can I claim if my flight was part of a package holiday?Art. 3(6) keeps package rights and Art. 7 compensation separate. The airline owes the compensation; the operator owes the package remedies.Can I claim compensation for my children?A child on a paid seat carries the full band, up to €600. Art. 3(3) is why a free lap infant generally does not.I booked with one airline but flew another. Who pays compensation?Claims follow the operating carrier under Art. 2(b), not the brand on your booking. Wirth (C-532/17), code shares, wet leases and packages sorted.I flew on points or a free ticket. Am I covered?Frequent flyer tickets are inside Art. 3(3); free travel and non-public fares are outside. The exact rule for award bookings.My employer paid for the flight. Who gets the compensation?Compensation for a delayed work trip belongs to the passenger under Art. 7; corporate bookings stay in scope. What the regulation leaves alone.Can I claim for a missed event or other losses on top?Missed weddings and lost hotel nights: Art. 12 further compensation, the Sousa Rodríguez holding, and its limits. General information.Which airport counts as my final destination?Art. 2(h): on one booking, the last flight's destination is where delay and distance are both measured. Why a short feeder can carry the long haul band.What is the difference between EC 261 and the Montreal Convention?Fixed sums for everyone versus proven damage for you: how EC 261 and the Montreal Convention divide the work, and why their time limits differ.Is compensation paid per passenger or per booking?Art. 7(1) pays each passenger, not each booking: four seats, four claims. Where lap infants and free tickets fall out of scope under Art. 3(3).
MAKING A CLAIM · 12
How long do I have to claim compensation for a UK flight?Six years from the flight in England and Wales, under section 5 of the Limitation Act 1980. Our engine stops at 2190 days.How long do I have to claim compensation for an EU flight?Time limits run from 1 to 10 years depending on the forum, per Cuadrench Moré. 31 forums are mapped, with the shortest at 1 year.What do I need to make a flight compensation claim?A booking reference starts a claim. What actually moves it: the stated reason, the arrival time, and receipts for care costs.Can I claim without a boarding pass?No article makes a boarding pass a precondition. Art. 3(2) asks for a confirmed reservation and timely check in, which the booking evidences.The airline rejected my claim. What routes exist?Art. 16 national enforcement bodies, approved ADR schemes, and the courts. What each route does, and the clock that applies to all of them.Can I claim myself instead of using a company?Claiming yourself keeps the full €250, €400 or €600. What a 30 percent fee buys, and where each route tends to work.Does the price I paid affect the compensation?Art. 7 is fixed by distance, not fare: €250, €400 or €600 either way. The two places where the ticket price does matter.I already accepted an offer from the airline. What now?Art. 15 blocks waivers in the contract of carriage; Art. 7(3) requires a signature for vouchers. What a settlement agreement can still do.Does the airline have to tell me about my rights?Art. 14 obliges airlines to display, and hand over, your rights in writing during a disruption, including the enforcement body's contact details.Who enforces air passenger rights if the airline will not?Every country designates an Art. 16 enforcement body. How to find yours, and where individual money claims are decided.I did not check in because the flight was cancelled. Can I still claim?No check in needed on a cancelled flight (Art. 3(2)(a)); 45 minutes before departure everywhere else. What keeps you in scope when you did not fly.The airline says it took all reasonable measures. What does that mean?All reasonable measures is a proved standard, not a phrase: reserve time (Eglītis), other-carrier rerouting (TAP), all resources deployed (Germanwings).
Elsewhere on this site
PRIMARY SOURCES FOR THIS ESTATE
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 · EUR-Lex · checked 7 August 2026
- The Air Passenger Rights and Air Travel Organisers' Licensing (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (SI 2019/278), reg. 8 · legislation.gov.uk · checked 7 August 2026
- Joined Cases C-402/07 and C-432/07 Sturgeon v Condor, judgment of 19 November 2009 (ECLI:EU:C:2009:716) · EUR-Lex · checked 7 August 2026
- Case C-139/11 Cuadrench Moré v KLM, judgment of 22 November 2012 (ECLI:EU:C:2012:741) · EUR-Lex · checked 7 August 2026