EU261 Flight Compensation
EC Regulation 261/2004 — €250 to €600 for delays, cancellations, and denied boarding
What is EU261?
EU Regulation 261/2004 is a European law that gives air passengers the right to fixed financial compensation when their flight is significantly delayed, cancelled, or when they are denied boarding against their will. It applies to flights departing from EU airports, and to flights arriving in the EU on EU-registered airlines.
The regulation is directly enforceable — you do not need to prove loss or show a receipt. The airline owes you a fixed amount set by law.
Which flights are covered?
EU261 applies when either of these is true:
- Your flight departs from an airport in the EU, EEA (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein), or Switzerland — regardless of the airline's nationality.
- Your flight arrives in the EU/EEA/Switzerland, and the operating airline is registered in the EU/EEA/Switzerland.
Examples: London Heathrow → Paris CDG on any airline ✓ | JFK → Frankfurt on Lufthansa ✓ | JFK → Frankfurt on United ✗ (departs outside EU on a non-EU carrier) | Lisbon → New York on TAP ✓ (departs EU).
Compensation amounts
| Flight distance | Compensation |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | €250 |
| 1,500–3,500 km (intra-EU, any distance) | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km (non-intra-EU) | €600 |
For delays of 3–4 hours on flights over 3,500 km, compensation may be reduced by 50% to €300 if the airline re-routes you and you arrive less than 4 hours late (Article 7(2)(c)).
Delays (Article 7 + Sturgeon ruling)
You are entitled to compensation when your flight arrives at your final destination 3 or more hours late. Departure delay does not count — only arrival delay matters. This was confirmed by the European Court of Justice in Sturgeon v. Condor (2009) and reaffirmed in Nelson v. Lufthansa (2012).
Airlines sometimes point to on-time departure numbers. Ignore this — arrival time is what the law measures.
Cancellations (Article 5)
You are entitled to compensation for a cancelled flight unless the airline notified you at least 14 days before departure. If notified 7–13 days before and they offered re-routing that gets you within 4 hours of your original arrival, compensation may be reduced. If notified less than 7 days before and no comparable re-routing was offered, full compensation applies.
Denied boarding (Article 4)
If you were involuntarily denied boarding due to overbooking and did not voluntarily give up your seat, you are entitled to the same fixed compensation as for delays, plus the choice of refund or re-routing.
Downgrading (Article 10)
If you are downgraded to a lower class than you booked, the airline must reimburse a percentage of your ticket price within 7 days:
- 30% for flights up to 1,500 km
- 50% for flights 1,500–3,500 km
- 75% for flights over 3,500 km
Extraordinary circumstances
Airlines are exempt from paying compensation if the disruption was caused by "extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken." The burden of proof is on the airline.
What typically does not qualify as extraordinary:
- Technical or mechanical faults — ruled NOT extraordinary in Wallentin-Hermann v. Alitalia (2008)
- Airline crew strikes — ruled NOT extraordinary in Krüsemann v. TUIfly (2018)
- Operational issues: crew shortages, scheduling errors, overbooking knock-ons
What typically does qualify:
- Air traffic control (ATC) strikes or directives
- Severe unpredictable weather (but not routine rain or wind)
- Airport closures, security threats
- Manufacturing defects discovered industry-wide (e.g., grounding orders)
How to claim
Start with a written demand letter to the airline citing EU261 and the specific amount you are owed. Most airlines have a claims form on their website — use it but also send the letter directly. If refused, escalate to the national enforcement body in the country of departure (e.g., CAA in the UK, Luftfahrt-Bundesamt in Germany, DGAC in France).
See our step-by-step claim guide for a pre-filled letter template, or use a specialist claim service that handles it for you on a no-win, no-fee basis.
Time limits
Deadlines vary by country: 2–3 years in Germany and France; 6 years in England and Wales; 5 years in Scotland; 1–5 years elsewhere in the EU. File as soon as possible — most claim services won't take cases older than 3 years.