ANSWER · UK 261 AND EC 261
Is there compensation for a 2 hour flight delay?
No. Cash compensation under EC 261 and UK 261 starts at 3 hours late at the final destination, so a 2 hour arrival delay falls below the line however inconvenient it was. A shorter delay can still trigger the airline's duty of care: Art. 6 sets that duty from two hours on flights of 1,500 km or less.
REVIEWED AGAINST RULE SET V6 AND THE CITED PRIMARY SOURCES · UPDATED 7 AUGUST 2026
What the two hour mark does trigger
Art. 6 sets the point at which the airline owes care rather than cash, and it scales with distance.
| FLIGHT DISTANCE | CARE DUTY STARTS AT |
|---|---|
| 1,500 km or less | 2 hours |
| Intra-EU over 1,500 km, or 1,500 to 3,500 km | 3 hours |
| All other flights | 4 hours |
Where the delay is measured
Compensation is measured at arrival, when the doors open at the final destination, and not at pushback. A flight that leaves two and a half hours late and lands 3 hours and ten minutes late is over the line; a flight that leaves four hours late and makes time up in the air may not be.
The one case where a short delay still pays
On a single booking with a connection, the leg that was late is not the measurement. In Folkerts the first leg left about two and a half hours late, the passenger missed a connection in Paris, and arrival at the final destination was around eleven hours late. The Grand Chamber held the Art. 7 sum was due.
THE JUDGMENTS BEHIND THIS ANSWER
SOURCES
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, Art. 6 · EUR-Lex · 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-11/11 Air France v Folkerts, judgment of 26 February 2013 (Grand Chamber, ECLI:EU:C:2013:110) · EUR-Lex · checked 7 August 2026
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