Claim flight compensation from Delta Air Lines

If your Delta Air Lines flight departing the UK or EU was delayed 3+ hours at arrival, cancelled at short notice, or you were denied boarding, you may be owed fixed compensation under EU261/UK261 — typically €250–€600 (£220–£520), depending on how far you were flying and how long you were delayed. It's separate from any refund, and you keep 100% of it. Here's where to claim and what to include.

Where to claim with Delta Air Lines

Illustration of an open online claim form
Opens straight to the form

Use Delta's EU261 compensation page — it cites Regulation 261/2004 for cancellations, 3+ hour delays and denied boarding. Click 'Create my request' to open the Comments & Complaints form and submit. EU261 covers your EU/UK-departing flight, even on a US airline.

Open Delta Air Lines's claim page ↗

Open this from Delta Air Lines's own website and check it's current before relying on it — airlines change these pages without notice.

How much you could be owed

If your claim qualifies, the fixed amount depends on the flight distance and how long you were delayed — not your ticket price:

Flight distanceEU261 (EU/EEA departures)UK261 (UK departures)
Up to 1,500 km€250£220
1,500 – 3,500 km€400£350
Over 3,500 km€600£520

The €600 / £520 figure is the maximum: it applies to the longest flights (over 3,500 km) for arrival delays of 4+ hours, cancellations, or denied boarding. A 3–4 hour delay on those long flights is halved to €300 / £260 (Article 7(2)(c)). Intra-EU flights are capped at €400. A weather, strike or security cause may let Delta Air Lines refuse — but the burden is on the airline to prove it.

What to put in your Delta Air Lines claim

  1. Your flight details — flight number, date, and route (departure → arrival airports).
  2. Your booking reference and the names of everyone in the booking.
  3. What went wrong — the delay length at arrival, the cancellation notice you got, or the denied boarding.
  4. The legal basis — state what you're claiming, e.g. "I am claiming compensation under EU261/UK261 Article 7 for this disruption." Arrival delays of 3+ hours can qualify (the Sturgeon ruling, C-402/07) unless the airline shows extraordinary circumstances.
  5. Your bank details for payment, and a deadline (14 days) for their response.
Check if you qualify (free, 60s) →

Claim direct — and keep all of it

Airlines are required to pay valid claims directly to you, and in many cases they reply and pay on the first request — so you may not need a claims agency taking a 25–40% cut. Some people do choose an agency if the airline ignores the request or pushes back. Either way, our free checker stores nothing you type, and claiming direct means you keep 100% of whatever you're paid — you stay in control.

Your rights, in brief

EU261 and UK261 give passengers fixed compensation for long delays, cancellations and denied boarding. Depending on what happened, you may also be owed care (meals, calls, and accommodation if you're delayed overnight) — and, if your flight was cancelled, you were denied boarding, or you were delayed 5+ hours and chose not to fly, a refund or rerouting. Read the detail in our guides:

Claim with another airline

Information only — not legal advice, and not a guarantee of any outcome, eligibility, or payment. Whether you qualify and how much (if anything) is owed depends on your specific circumstances and is decided by the airline and, sometimes, the courts. Links and amounts can go out of date; always verify the airline's current claim process and your own filing deadline before you rely on anything here. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any airline — airline names and marks are used only to identify the carrier. See our Terms and Disclaimer.