What to do when your flight is delayed or cancelled, and how to get compensation (in Europe)
If you've ever experienced a flight delay or cancellation, you know how frustrating and inconvenient it can be. Fortunately, there is one silver lining… cash compensation to spend on future trips!
Some airlines make it as difficult and complex as possible to claim, and many people don’t even realise their rights. However, under EU Regulation 261/2004 you may be entitled to serious money when your flight is delayed or cancelled. I want to make it as easy as possible for you to claim. In this comprehensive guide, I'll walk you through everything you need to know about EU flight compensation, including eligibility criteria, the claims process, and tips to ensure you receive the compensation you deserve.
Flight delays and cancellations can cause a lot of distress for passengers, and in my experience tend to come at the worst time when you are at the end of a holiday with little local cash left or data on your phone… Therefore, if you are a frequent traveller, I suggest bookmarking this page, so you can easily refer to it later when you most need it!
Covered in this post:
Am I eligible for compensation?
To be eligible for compensation under EU Regulation 261/2004, one of the following must be true:
Flight Delays: Your flight is delayed by 3 hours or more upon arrival
Flight Cancellations: Your flight is cancelled, and:
You were not informed of the cancellation at least 14 days before the scheduled departure
You were not offered an alternative flight with a similar schedule (i.e. the arrival time offered was more than 2 hours after your original flight)
Denied Boarding: You are denied boarding due to overbooking
It must be considered the airline’s fault. Therefore if the delay / cancellation is due to extraordinary circumstances outside of the airline’s control (e.g. weather, airport closure, air traffic control issues etc), you may not be able to receive compensation
The regulation applies to:
Flights departing from any EU or UK airport, regardless of the airline
Flights arriving at an EU airport (or Iceland, Norway or Switzerland) operated by an EU-based airline
Flights arriving at a UK airport operate by an EU or UK-based airline
How much compensation will I receive?
The amount of compensation you are entitled to depends on the flight distance and the length of the delay. Here’s a breakdown:
Flights up to 1,500 km: €250 / £220
Flights between 1,500 km and 3,500 km: €400 / £350
Flights over 3,500 km: €600 / £520
Is there anything else I am entitled to?
Under EU regulations, when facing a cancellation, a delay of 4 hours or more (2 hours if <1,500km, 3 hours if 1,500-3,500km), or if you are denied boarding, airlines must provide:
Meals and refreshments: Proportional to the waiting time (for example on a recently delayed flight, Wizz Air gave us each a £4 equivalent voucher to use for drinks / snacks in the airport - not much, but better than nothing. For a 27 hour delay Wizz Air gave us dinner and breakfast)
Communication: Two free telephone calls, emails, or faxes (yes, the regulation is a little dated…)
Accommodation: If the delay requires an overnight stay, the airline must provide hotel accommodation and transport between the airport and the hotel
If your flight is cancelled or you are denied boarding, you have the right to choose between:
Reimbursement: A full refund of the ticket price within 7 days, covering the parts of the journey not made and the parts already made if the flight no longer serves any purpose related to your original travel plan.
Re-routing: An alternative flight to your final destination at the earliest opportunity, under comparable transport conditions.
Later Re-routing: A flight at a later date of your choosing, subject to seat availability.
Additional Costs: Any additional costs incurred by booking another flight with a different airline might not be covered by the original airline. However, you can still claim the compensation as per EU Regulation 261/2004
Airlines differ in policies, you may also be entitled to additional things:
There may be more complex nuances to consider (e.g. what happens if you have connecting flights, downgrades etc.). If your situation is more complex, I would encourage you to visit the specific policies for the airline via the links below:
How do I claim compensation?
It’s relatively easy to claim compensation, and you can do this yourself without using a scammy “legal” service (who typically take 40% of the refund and won’t even save you any time).
If you booked through a travel agent or tour operator, you will likely need to contact them directly to get a refund.
If you booked directly through the airline, you have to reach out to them to get the refund. Most airlines have a simple online form to complete (albeit normally hidden somewhere deep in the website…). You will need quite a few details to complete the form, typically:
Names of all passengers that you are claiming for - you can normally claim for all passengers on the same booking
Booking references / confirmation codes for the flights
Details of all the delayed or cancelled flights in your journey, flight numbers, departure / arrival times of both the old and new flight
Details of your expenses, including any receipts and other documents. I suggest taking photographs of these when you spend, so that you don’t lose them and can easily submit them to your online applications
Your bank account details to process the payment. This is typically your sort code (xx-xx-xx) and account number (8 digit code), but some international airlines may instead ask for an IBAN or swift code (you can find these on your bank statements)
The forms typically take 10-15 mins to complete, and are well worth doing given the compensation! Most airlines will pay directly to your bank account, and aim to pay in ~30 days if approved, but sometimes it can take longer, so you will need to be patient.
Watch-out: Whilst it may be tempting to try to claim during the lengthy waiting time in the airport, you unfortunately cannot claim until after you have landed. You should try to submit the claim relatively soon after your flight though rather than wait weeks if you want to guarantee compensation.
For convenience I have included the links here for most of the popular airlines.