Flight Delay Compensation US: How Much Can You Claim in 2026?

Under EU and UK law, you may be owed up to $700 (about €600) when a flight is delayed by 3 or more hours, as long as the flight left an airport in the EU or UK and the delay was the airline’s fault. These rules, known as EU261 and UK261, cover any flight leaving the EU or UK, whichever airline you flew. At SkyRefund, we handle the whole claim on a no-win, no-fee basis, so you pay nothing unless we win your case.

If your flight from Paris, London, Rome, or anywhere in Europe got in hours late, you’re likely owed a fixed cash payment under European law. In this article, we explain when you qualify, how much you can claim, and how to get started.

To check a specific flight, just use our free flight compensation calculator. 

Can you get flight delay compensation?

Yes. It comes down to two things: the country your flight leaves from, and which airline operates it. Any flight that takes off from an airport in the EU or UK is covered, whichever airline you flew. A flight landing in the EU or UK is covered only when a European airline operates it.

On a round trip, your flight home from Europe is almost always covered, since it leaves an EU or UK airport. Your outbound flight from the US is covered only if a European airline runs it. So a New York to Rome flight on an EU airline like ITA Airways is covered, but the same route on a US airline like Delta isn’t. Your flight back from Rome to New York is covered either way, because it leaves an EU airport. For the full picture, see our air passenger rights guide and EU261 explainer.

How much flight delay compensation can you claim?

Compensation is a fixed amount based on how far you were flying, not on what you paid for your ticket. Under European and UK law, a delay of 3 or more hours at your final destination is worth $265, $425, or $700 (about €250, €400, or €600), depending on distance. A transatlantic flight that lands 4+ hours late is worth the full $700.

Here’s the one thing to watch on transatlantic flights. On long trips over 3,500 km, a delay of 3 to 4 hours pays half, about $350 (€300). You only get the full $700 (€600) once you’re 4 or more hours late. Since almost every Europe-to-US route is over 3,500 km, that 4-hour mark is what matters on the way home. The amounts are set in euros, so the dollar figures move a little with the exchange rate.

Distance is measured in a straight line from your first airport to your final destination, even if you connect on the way. A Boston to Athens trip with a stop in London still counts the full Boston–Athens distance, which is over 3,500 km, so it sits in the top band.

When does a delayed flight qualify for compensation?

Four things decide whether you can claim, under both EU261 and UK261:

1. Your flight left an EU or UK airport, or landed in the EU or UK on a European airline.
2. You got to your final destination 3 or more hours late (4+ hours on long-haul, as above).
3. The delay was the airline’s fault, things like crew shortages, technical faults, or overbooking, not something outside its control.
4. You had a confirmed booking and checked in on time.

The delay that counts is at arrival, not departure. A flight that leaves late but makes up time in the air might not qualify, while one that boards on time but lands 3 hours late usually does. And if a late inbound flight makes you miss a connection, you’re still covered, as we explain in our missed connection guide.

Which flights are covered?

Here’s a quick way to check whether your flight is covered:

In short: any flight out of Europe is covered, whatever the airline. A flight into Europe is only covered if a European airline runs it. For flights inside the US, your rights come from the DOT, which we cover next.

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What about US domestic flights and the DOT?

American law works differently. The US Department of Transportation (DOT) makes airlines give you an automatic refund if they cancel your flight or delay it a long time (3+ hours on a domestic flight, 6+ on an international one) and you decide not to fly. But there’s no fixed cash payment for delays the way there is in Europe, no American version of that $700.

So if a US domestic flight, say Chicago to Denver, runs late, your main right is a refund if you choose not to fly, plus whatever help the airline promises in its own service plan. The exception is getting bumped from an overbooked flight against your will, which does come with set DOT payments, up to 400% of your one-way fare (capped around $2,150). For more on how a refund differs from a compensation payment, see our refund vs compensation guide.

Delay, cancellation, or denied boarding: what is the difference?

These three get mixed up a lot. They pay the same amounts, but the rules around them are different:

• Delay: the flight runs, but you land 3+ hours late. You get the distance-based amount above.
• Cancellation: the flight doesn’t run at all. You’re owed a refund or a new flight, plus compensation if the airline gave you under 14 days’ notice and the cancellation was its fault. More in our flight cancellation guide.
• Denied boarding: you’re bumped against your will, usually because the flight’s overbooked. You get the same compensation straight away. More in our denied boarding guide.

One thing worth knowing: the compensation (the cash), a ticket refund, and the right to care are three separate things. A refund isn’t the same as compensation, and taking one doesn’t cancel out the other.

Is EU261 changing? The June 2026 reform

In June 2026, the European Parliament and Council reached a provisional agreement to reform EU261, introducing stronger passenger rights while keeping the existing 3-hour delay threshold and €250–€600 compensation unchanged. The proposed changes include faster rerouting, a free cabin bag in the base fare, better protection for vulnerable passengers, and a clearer list of extraordinary circumstances. If formally adopted, the new rules are expected to apply from the second half of 2027. Until then, the current EU261 rules remain fully in force.

What if your delay happened outside Europe?

Lots of trips connect through other parts of the world, and many have their own rules. We handle claims under all of them. The figures below are rough dollar amounts.