Flight delay compensation: how to claim it step by step

If your flight was delayed or cancelled, EU Regulation 261/2004 often entitles you to financial compensation. That includes being bumped off an overbooked flight. The amount depends on the flight distance. Send your claim to the airline first. If it brushes you off, a claims company can handle it for you for a commission.

Quick factsby Milan Bez Mapy

When you’re entitled

Your flight arrived at least 3 hours late or was cancelled less than 14 days before departure, and the airline was at fault

How much

€250 up to 1,500 km, €400 up to 3,500 km and €600 for longer flights, but no more than €400 within the EU

My experience

I got €600 for a delayed flight from Thailand; I filled in a form and the money arrived in my account

Which flights

Departures from the EU, or arrivals in the EU with an EU airline; charter flights booked through a tour operator count too

Exceptions

Storms or air traffic control strikes; a strike by the airline’s own staff doesn’t void your claim

Long waits

The airline must provide refreshments, plus accommodation and transfers if you wait overnight; keep your receipts

How do you claim compensation for a delayed flight? Ever been stuck at the airport, nervously watching the departures board, with your flight nowhere in sight? And then, instead of an apology, the best they offered you was a biscuit and a bottle of water? It’s happened to me more than once.

If your flight was delayed or cancelled, you’re probably entitled to financial compensation, and getting it needn’t feel like tilting at windmills. You just need to know how to go about it and what you’re entitled to as a passenger. Here’s my practical guide to claiming your compensation quickly and without the stress.

How to claim flight delay compensation and when you’re entitled to it

The basic rule for flight delay compensation under EU Regulation 261/2004

• Your flight was at least 3 hours late on arrival

• Or it was cancelled less than 14 days before departure

• The airline was at fault (not the weather or an air traffic control strike)

• The flight departed from an airport in the EU, or arrived in the EU with an EU airline. If you fly from an airport outside the EU with a non-EU airline, you have no claim. For these rules, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland also count as the EU.

For example, if you fly with Lufthansa from New York to Frankfurt and a technical problem causes a long delay, you’re entitled to compensation. On the other hand, these rules don’t apply if you fly from Doha to Bangkok with Qatar Airways, because the flight neither departs from the EU nor is operated by an EU airline. But if you fly from Vienna to Bangkok on a single booking and change planes in Doha, the regulation covers the whole journey. That holds even if only the flight from Doha is delayed. Another example: Wizz Air cancels your flight two days before departure. You’re entitled to a replacement flight or a refund and, if the cancellation wasn’t caused by extraordinary circumstances, to compensation as well.

• Tip from Milan If you choose a refund instead of a replacement flight, you can compare other flights, trains and buses on Omio.

• Tip from Milan Have a look at my sample four-day New York itinerary.

Overbooked flight? You’re entitled to compensation too

The same goes for overbooking, when the airline simply doesn’t give you a seat on the plane. In that case you get a replacement flight plus compensation.

Compensation amounts depend on the flight distance

• Up to 1,500 km → €250

• Up to 3,500 km → €400

• Over 3,500 km → €600

• Within the EU over 3,500 km, for example from Vienna to Tenerife → €400

• My experience: That’s how I got €600 in compensation when my flight from Thailand was delayed, which I honestly hadn’t expected. I filled in a form, waited a while, and the money was in my account.

If you wait more than two hours on flights of up to 1,500 km, three hours on flights of up to 3,500 km or four hours on longer flights, the airline has to provide refreshments, often as a voucher. If you have to wait overnight, it must cover your accommodation and transfers, so keep your receipts.

Charter flight on a package holiday: am I entitled to compensation?

Yes. Your rights apply to charter flights booked through a tour operator too.
For example, a family of four flying from Bratislava to Hurghada can get 4 × €400 = €1,600 for a delay caused by a technical fault.

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How to get compensation for a delayed or cancelled flight, step by step

You have two options:

1. Do it yourself
   It can be hard work and slow, and it often drags on for several months.

2. Use a claims company
   These companies specialise in recovering flight compensation.
   You enter your flight details, they check your claim and, if you’re entitled, handle everything for you for a commission.

Ten commandments: how to get flight compensation in 2026

1. Flight at least 3 hours late or cancelled? Check whether you have a claim.

2. Did it depart from the EU, or arrive in the EU with an EU airline? You’re entitled.

3. Booked through a tour operator? The same rules apply.

4. Amount: from €250 to €600.

5. Delayed by a storm? Sadly, that’s an exception.

6. Hungry? Ask for a voucher or for your meal to be reimbursed.

7. Waiting overnight? You’re entitled to accommodation and transfers.

8. Airline brushed you off? Photograph the departure boards, keep the emails and turn to a claims company.

9. Don’t waste your time: a claims company can handle the compensation for you.

10. Don’t underestimate your claim: an airport baguette doesn’t cost €600.

Flight delay compensation from 2027: what’s changing

In July 2026 both the European Parliament and the Council of the EU approved the first major reform of Regulation 261/2004. The basics stay the same: neither the three-hour threshold nor the amounts of €250 to €600 are changing. The new rules were published in the Official Journal of the EU on 2 October 2026 as Regulation (EU) 2026/2202. However, they will only apply from 23 October 2027. Until then, everything I’ve written above still applies.

Frequently asked questions about flight delay compensation

What compensation am I entitled to for a delayed flight?

If your flight reaches its destination at least 3 hours late, EU Regulation 261/2004 entitles you to €250, €400 or €600. The amount depends on the flight distance: up to 1,500 km, up to 3,500 km and over 3,500 km. You’re not entitled to compensation in extraordinary circumstances, such as a storm.

Am I entitled to compensation if the airline cancels my flight?

Yes. If the airline told you about the cancellation less than 14 days before departure and it wasn’t caused by extraordinary circumstances, you’re usually entitled to €250 to €600 in compensation. If your flight is cancelled, you’re also always entitled to a replacement flight or a refund of your ticket.

Am I entitled to compensation if my flight was delayed by a strike?

If the airline’s own staff go on strike, yes; if air traffic controllers do, usually not. According to the Court of Justice of the EU, a strike by an airline’s own pilots or cabin crew is not an extraordinary circumstance. A strike by air traffic controllers or airport staff is considered one.

Am I entitled to compensation on a charter flight booked through a tour operator?

Yes, EU Regulation 261/2004 also applies to charter flights you buy as part of a package holiday from a tour operator. So a family of four whose flight from Bratislava to Hurghada is delayed for technical reasons can get four times €400, which makes €1,600 in total.

Airlines count on people giving up. You don’t have to.
Claim what you’re owed: it could be hundreds of euros.

So next time you’re sitting at the airport and you hear the ‘flight delayed’ announcement again, you’ll know what to do. It won’t be the end of your holiday. It might even start with a welcome bonus.

Milan

You might also like my guide on how to cancel a Ryanair ticket and get your money back.