Your flight has to arrive at least 3 hours late at your final destination to qualify for cash compensation under EU 261 — and the delay has to be the airline’s fault. Knowing how long a flight delay for compensation needs to be is the single most important rule: it’s measured by when you actually land, not when you take off, and short delays usually don’t pay out.

If you’ve already landed hours behind schedule, you may be owed €250–€600 per person. Check Your Compensation to see in minutes.

The 3-hour rule — arrival, not departure

The threshold that unlocks compensation is three hours late on arrival. This comes from the EU’s top court (the Sturgeon ruling), which decided that passengers arriving three or more hours late suffer the same loss of time as those whose flights were cancelled — so they deserve the same payout.

The crucial detail is where the clock stops. Compensation is based on how late you reach your final destination, not how late you pushed back from the gate. A flight can leave two hours late and still trigger a claim if it lands three hours late — and a flight that boards late but makes up time in the air may not qualify at all.

“Arrival” has a precise legal meaning too: it’s the moment the aircraft door opens and passengers are allowed to get off, not when the wheels touch the runway. That definition came from a separate court ruling, and it can matter: a plane that lands on time but then sits on the tarmac waiting for a gate is still “arriving” only when the doors open. Those extra minutes occasionally push a borderline delay over the three-hour line.

It’s also worth stressing that the rule applies leg by leg only in the sense that the final leg’s arrival counts. On a connecting itinerary booked as one ticket, a short delay early on that snowballs into a long final arrival is judged on that total lateness — not on whether any single flight was three hours behind.

Delay thresholds at a glance

Different rights kick in at different points during a delay. Cash compensation is only one of them — you’re also entitled to care much earlier, and a refund option if the wait becomes very long.

The right to care applies even in extraordinary circumstances — so even if a storm grounds your plane and no cash is due, the airline must still feed you and put you up overnight if needed. For more on how a long wait converts into money, see our delayed flight compensation amount guide.

How much you’d get

Once you clear the 3-hour arrival threshold, the amount depends on the distance of your flight — not the price of your ticket.

A few things worth knowing:

• The payout is per passenger, so a couple travelling together can claim twice.
• On the longest flights (over 3,500 km), the airline can reduce €600 to €300 if it reroutes you and you arrive less than four hours late.
• UK 261 mirrors these tiers in pounds: £220 / £350 / £520.

Because the amounts are fixed, even a cheap ticket can produce a substantial claim. That’s part of why a no win no fee delayed flight service is popular — there’s nothing to lose in checking.

When a long delay doesn’t qualify

A three-hour delay doesn’t guarantee compensation. Cash is only due when the cause was within the airline’s control. The law calls the exceptions “extraordinary circumstances”, and the airline has to prove them.

You generally can claim when the delay is caused by:

• Routine technical or mechanical faults
• Airline staff strikes (pilots or cabin crew)
• Crew sickness or staffing shortages
• Operational and scheduling problems

You generally can’t claim cash when the delay is genuinely outside the airline’s hands:

• Severe weather
• Air-traffic-control restrictions
• Security alerts or political instability
• Bird strikes

Even then, your refund, rerouting and care rights remain intact — only the cash payment falls away.

What if it’s a cancellation instead?

Sometimes a “long delay” is really a cancellation in disguise — for example, your original flight is scrapped and you’re rolled onto a much later one. The rules differ slightly. With a cancellation you always get a choice of a full refund within seven days or rerouting, plus care, and cash compensation is due unless the airline gave you 14 or more days’ notice (or can prove extraordinary circumstances).

If your flight was scrapped rather than merely delayed, our flight cancelled compensation guide covers exactly where you stand.

And if you were turned away from a flight you’d booked because it was overbooked, that’s denied boarding compensation — which is payable immediately, with no extraordinary-circumstances defence.

How to claim for a delayed flight

If you arrived 3+ hours late and the cause was the airline’s fault, here’s the path:

1. Note the actual arrival time — when the door opened, not the scheduled time.
2. Keep your evidence — booking reference, boarding passes, and any delay notice the airline sent.
3. Find out the reason — airlines must tell you; “operational reasons” usually still qualifies.
4. Submit your claim to the airline, citing EU 261 and the amount owed.
5. Escalate to the national enforcement body or court if you’re refused.

You can do this yourself for free, but airlines often dispute or stall. The EU eu delayed flight compensation amount rules are firmly on your side, yet enforcing them takes persistence.

FlyHelp handles all of that on a no win, no fee basis — a success fee applies only if we recover your money. Our team has 5+ years’ experience, deals with the paperwork, and will represent you in court if necessary. Upload your ticket and passport, add an e-signature, and we take it from there.

Don’t leave money with the airline — Check Your Compensation today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a 2 hour 59 minute delay count for compensation?

No. Cash compensation under EU 261 only starts at a full three hours late at your final destination. A delay of 2 hours 59 minutes falls just short, so no payout is due — though you’re still entitled to care (meals and drinks) and, on a long enough wait, a refund. Because the cut-off is strict, the exact arrival time matters enormously.

Is the delay measured at departure or arrival?

Arrival. What counts is how late you reach your final destination, not how late you left. The legal moment of arrival is when the aircraft door opens for passengers to disembark. A flight can depart late and still land on time (no claim), or leave roughly on time and arrive three hours late (a valid claim).

What proof do I need to claim for a delayed flight?

Keep your booking confirmation or reference, your boarding passes, and any emails or texts the airline sent about the delay. Note the actual arrival time. You don’t need to prove the cause — the burden is on the airline to show extraordinary circumstances. A claims company can request the airline’s records if you’re missing details.