If your flight is delayed by three hours or more, cancelled at short notice, or you are turned away from a flight you booked, EU law gives you the right to cash compensation of up to €600 per passenger, plus food, drinks and a hotel if you are stuck overnight. These rights apply automatically — you do not need travel insurance to claim them.

Standing in an airport watching the departure board flip to “Delayed” or “Cancelled” is stressful enough without worrying about money. The good news is that European flight delays and cancellations are covered by some of the strongest passenger-protection laws in the world. This guide explains exactly when you are entitled to compensation, how much you can claim, and the simplest way to get it.

Not sure where you stand? You can Check Your Compensation in a couple of minutes — it is free and there is no obligation to go ahead.

What EU 261 Covers

EU Regulation 261/2004 — usually shortened to “EU 261” — is the law that protects air passengers when flights go wrong. It covers three main situations: long delays, cancellations, and being denied boarding (often because a flight is overbooked).

The rules apply to:

• Any flight departing an airport in the EU or EEA, regardless of which airline you flew with.
• Flights arriving in the EU or EEA, as long as they are operated by an EU or EEA airline.

After Brexit, the UK kept an almost identical version of the law known as UK 261, which covers flights departing from or arriving in the UK in the same way. So whether you flew out of Manchester, Madrid or Munich, you are very likely protected.

Importantly, these rights sit on top of any refund. Compensation is a separate payment for the inconvenience caused — it is not money taken out of your ticket price.

When You’re Entitled to Compensation

There are three clear triggers for a compensation claim. You may be owed money if any of the following applies.

1. Your flight was delayed by 3 hours or more. What matters is your arrival time at your final destination, not your departure delay. If you land three or more hours late, you are likely entitled to compensation. (Legally, “arrival” means the moment an aircraft door is opened.)

2. Your flight was cancelled with less than 14 days’ notice. If the airline told you about the cancellation 14 days or more before departure, no compensation is due. Inside that window, you are usually entitled to a payout as well as a refund or an alternative flight.

3. You were denied boarding involuntarily. If you arrived on time with a valid booking but were turned away — typically because the airline sold too many seats — compensation is payable, and the airline must usually pay it there and then at the airport.

Compensation Amounts

How much you receive depends on the distance of your flight, not how long you were delayed (as long as you cross the three-hour threshold). The amounts are fixed and paid per passenger.

There is one reduction to be aware of. On the longest flights (over 3,500 km), the airline can halve the €600 figure to €300 if it rerouted you and you arrived less than four hours behind schedule. For shorter flights the full amount stands.

Because the payment is per passenger, a family of four delayed on a long-haul flight could be owed up to €2,400 between them.

Delays vs Cancellations vs Denied Boarding

These three scenarios are related but have important differences, so it helps to treat them separately.

Delays. A delay is when your flight eventually operates but lands late. Once you arrive three or more hours behind schedule, you can look at the delayed flight compensation amount that matches your flight distance. While you wait, the airline must also look after you (more on that below).

Cancellations. A cancellation is when your flight does not operate at all. Here you have two layers of rights. First, you can claim flight cancelled compensation if you were given less than 14 days’ notice. Second — and separately — you are always entitled to choose between a full refund within seven days or rerouting to your destination, plus care while you wait.

Denied boarding and overbooking. If you are bumped from a flight against your will, you are entitled to denied boarding compensation at the same rates as delays and cancellations. Crucially, there is no “extraordinary circumstances” defence for denied boarding — if you were bumped involuntarily, the airline owes you.

Overbooking is the most common cause of this. You can read more about claiming flight overbooked compensation if a sold-out flight left you behind.

Your Right to Care

Separate from any cash compensation, airlines have a duty to look after you during a long wait. This is called your right to care, and it applies even when no compensation is payable.

Depending on your flight distance, the airline must provide meals and refreshments once your delay passes:

• 2 hours for flights up to 1,500 km
• 3 hours for flights of 1,500–3,500 km
• 4 hours for flights over 3,500 km

You are also entitled to two free communications (such as phone calls or emails), and if you are delayed overnight, the airline must provide hotel accommodation and transfers between the airport and the hotel. If the airline fails to arrange this and you pay yourself, keep your receipts — reasonable costs can be reclaimed.

Extraordinary Circumstances

Airlines can avoid paying cash compensation if the disruption was caused by “extraordinary circumstances” — events genuinely outside their control. These include severe weather, air-traffic-control restrictions, security risks, political instability and bird strikes.

What does not count is just as important. Routine technical or mechanical faults, airline staff strikes, and crew sickness or staffing shortages are generally treated as the airline’s responsibility — so compensation is still due. The burden of proof sits with the airline, not you. If they claim extraordinary circumstances, they have to demonstrate it.

Even when extraordinary circumstances do apply and no cash is payable, your right to care and your right to a refund or rerouting remain fully intact.

How to Claim — and How FlyHelp Helps

You can claim directly with the airline by writing to them, quoting EU 261 (or UK 261), and including your booking reference and flight details. Many passengers do this successfully. The frustration comes when airlines delay, deny, or simply ignore valid claims — which happens more often than it should.

That is where a flight compensation company can take the weight off your shoulders. FlyHelp works on a no win, no fee basis: a success fee only applies if your compensation is actually recovered, so there is no financial risk in finding out where you stand. Our expert team has more than five years’ experience, handles all the paperwork, and will represent your case in court if the airline refuses to settle.

Starting a claim is simple — you upload your ticket and passport and provide an e-signature, and we take it from there. The same approach applies whether you flew a budget carrier, a flag carrier, or a specific airline such as KLM. If you are looking into klm compensation in particular, the process works exactly the same way.

Disruption is annoying, but you do not have to lose out because of it. Check Your Compensation today and see how much you could be owed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are my rights if my flight is delayed in Europe?

If your flight is delayed three hours or more on arrival at your final destination, you are likely entitled to compensation of €250 to €600, depending on distance. You also have a right to care — meals, refreshments, and a hotel if delayed overnight — which applies even if the delay was outside the airline’s control.

How much compensation can I get for a cancelled EU flight?

For a cancelled flight with less than 14 days’ notice, compensation ranges from €250 for short flights up to 1,500 km, €400 for medium flights of 1,500–3,500 km, and €600 for long flights over 3,500 km, paid per passenger. You also get a choice of a full refund within seven days or an alternative flight.

Do European flight delay rules apply to non-EU airlines?

Yes, in many cases. EU 261 applies to any airline — EU or not — flying out of an EU or EEA airport. For flights into the EU/EEA from outside, the rules apply only if the airline is an EU or EEA carrier. So a non-EU airline departing from, say, Paris is still covered.