Whether you are owed money for a delayed or cancelled flight depends on where you flew and which airline. Here is how to tell - and how to claim.
Quick answer: EU/UK flights delayed three or more hours at arrival may qualify for €250–€600 fixed compensation under EU261/UK261. US rules instead require a cash refund when a cancelled or significantly changed flight isn’t taken.
EU261 - flights to and from Europe
EU Regulation 261/2004 covers flights departing any EU airport, and flights into the EU on an EU-based airline. If the airline causes a delay of three hours or more on arrival, cancels your flight without sufficient notice, or denies you boarding, you may be owed fixed cash compensation - typically €250 to €600 depending on flight distance - on top of a refund or rebooking. Compensation is not due when the disruption is caused by “extraordinary circumstances” such as severe weather, air-traffic-control strikes or political instability. The UK runs its own near-identical scheme, UK261, for flights touching the United Kingdom.
United States - refunds, not delay compensation
The US has no law requiring cash compensation for delays. What US rules do require: if the airline cancels or significantly changes your flight and you choose not to travel, you are owed a prompt refund to your original payment method - and under Department of Transportation rules finalised in 2024, that refund must be automatic, in cash, and not merely a voucher. For long delays within the airline’s control, US carriers’ own customer-service commitments may provide meals, hotels or rebooking, but the detail varies by airline. Always check the airline’s current customer-service plan.
How to claim - step by step
- Claim with the airline first. Use its official refund or compensation form, or write to customer relations. Keep your booking reference, boarding passes and receipts.
- Be specific. State the flight number, date, length of delay, and the regulation you are claiming under (EU261 / UK261) or that you want a refund under US DOT rules.
- Set a deadline. Ask for a written response within a stated time - 14 to 28 days is reasonable.
- Escalate if ignored. In the EU or UK, escalate to the national enforcement body or aviation regulator. In the US, file a complaint with the Department of Transportation through its aviation consumer protection site.
- Be wary of “claim companies.” Firms that claim compensation for you take a cut, often 25-40 percent. A straightforward claim you can usually make yourself for free.
A complaint letter you can copy
Adapt this template, fill in the bracketed details, and send it to the airline’s customer relations team:
If you do not get a proper response, escalate to the relevant regulator. To reach the airline by phone, use its verified customer service number from our directory - and never pay a fee to “process” a refund or compensation claim.
Worked example: a €600 EU261 claim
You fly Lisbon to Boston on an EU carrier and arrive 4 hours 10 minutes late because of a crew-scheduling problem. The flight is over 3,500 km, the delay is over four hours, and crew scheduling is within the airline’s control — that is €600 per passenger, on top of any meals or hotel the airline owed you during the delay. Had the airline rerouted you to arrive under four hours late, the amount could halve to €300. Had the cause been a storm, compensation would be €0 — but the airline would still owe care: meals, communication, and a hotel if stranded overnight.
What counts as “extraordinary circumstances”
Not compensable: severe weather, air-traffic-control restrictions and strikes, security incidents, and genuinely hidden manufacturing defects. Usually compensable, because courts have ruled they are within the airline’s control: crew shortages and scheduling failures, most routine technical faults, and strikes by the airline’s own staff. Airlines often cite “extraordinary circumstances” optimistically — if the explanation looks thin, push back and ask for evidence.
Time limits
Claims can usually be made well after the flight — limitation periods run from about one year to six years depending on the country (six years in England and Wales, for example). Practically, claim within a few months while boarding passes, delay notifications and receipts are easy to find.