Last updated: November 10, 2025
Experiencing any type of flight disruption can be very stressful and overwhelming. Luckily, if you encounter flight troubles in Europe, you are entitled to compensation. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (also referred to as EU 261) of the European Parliament and of the Council protects passengers and their rights in four main cases:
The regulation applies to the countries from the European Common Aviation Area (ECAA), namely 27 Member States of the European Union, including Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Réunion Island, Mayotte, Saint-Martin, the Azores, Madeira, and the Canary Islands, as well as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia, plus Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
The eligible flights are the ones departing from the ECAA or arriving to the ECAA with an ECAA based operating air carrier, and the compensation amount depends on the distance of the flight and its itinerary.
As SkyRefund's legal counsel Tsvetelina Botseva says, EC261 is the EU rulebook that turns flight disruptions into real rights. “If your flight is badly delayed, cancelled, or you are denied boarding, you are entitled to cash compensation, rerouting or a refund, and care (meals, hotel, transport). It is pro-passenger and “liberal” because the compensation is fixed by distance—you do not need to prove your personal loss”, she explains.
After Brexit, the UK law adopted many EU passenger rights and UK and EU airlines are obliged to treat and compensate air passengers from the UK and EU the same way. The main difference so far is that the compensation amounts for the UK travelers are in British pounds and range between £220 and £520.
In this article, we will break down each of the main scenarios and give you all the important information about your rights as an air passenger and what you can expect as a reimbursement if you experienced any of these unpleasant situations.
When a flight is delayed, the reimbursement amount may reach up to €600. What is essential to be noted here is that the wait time at the airport before departure does not play a role in the compensation claim. The delay needs to equal or exceed 3 hours and is calculated based on the planned time of arrival.
So if the pilot manages to make up for the delay, and you arrive 2 hours and 55 minutes after the planned arrival, you will not be eligible for any compensation, even if your flight departed more than 3 hours after the originally scheduled time.
Your right for compensation in the event of a flight delay does not only depend on the length of the delay but also on the reason for it. Passengers are entitled to reimbursement as long as the disruption was not caused by circumstances outside the airline’s control.
Extraordinary circumstances include but are not limited to:
Flight delay compensation under EU261 law is determined based on the distance of the flight and the delay, as follows:
| -3 hours | 3+ hours | Distance | Example flight |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
£220 | Under 1,500 km | London → Paris (343 km) |
|
£350 | 1,500 – 3,500 km | Edinburgh → Berlin (1,730 km) |
|
£350 | Over 3,500 km (in EU) | Lisbon → Stockholm (3,608 km) |
|
£520 | Over 3,500 km (departing EU) | Frankfurt → New York (6,202 km) |
Unless the cancellation was due to extraordinary circumstances, when a flight is cancelled at the last minute, its passengers would be entitled to a reimbursement. Eligibility for flight cancellations compensation, covered by EU261, is based on the following requirements:
There are, however, certain conditions under which the airline is exempt from having to pay cancellation reimbursement:
As with flight delays, according to EU261, the amount of your flight cancellation compensation depends on the flight distance. The minimum reimbursement you can receive is €250 and the maximum — €600, and you can check the specific conditions in the “Delayed flight” section above.
The airline isn't obligated to pay compensation in case the alternate flight departs and lands within a reasonable timeframe from the original flight. You will also not be able to apply for compensation if you were informed about the cancellation more than 2 weeks in advance. However, you are still entitled to a full refund of the ticket cost or a reroute to your final destination.
Besides a flight disruption like a delay or cancellation, passengers travelling in/from/to the European Union also have a right to compensation in case they experience the so-called “bumping”, or to be denied boarding due to overbooking.
If the airline staff does not let you board the plane because of overbooking, you can claim a reimbursement under EU regulation 261/2004. The reimbursement amount depends on the flight distance and itinerary, just like in the case of a flight delay. The amount ranges from €250 to €600 and the process of claiming the compensation is the same.
You have to note that you will not be entitled to any compensation if you decide to voluntarily give up your confirmed reserved space on the plane and accept any offer that the airline makes you. They usually offer vouchers, air miles, and other perks in exchange for the seat. Your claim will also not be eligible if you arrive at the gate late, don’t have the required travel documents, or cause a safety/health threat to the other passengers.
The last scenario covered by European law is downgrading, i.e. you are put in a lower class than what you originally booked. If that happens, you can claim compensation and its amount depends on the price of your ticket and the flight distance:
In case you had connecting flights, you may claim and receive reimbursement only for the flight which was downgraded, not for the entire journey.
In case you experienced a cancellation, delay, a flight bump or downgrade, and depending on your waiting time, you might additionally be entitled to:
If your flight is delayed or cancelled, and you need to spend a long time at the airport, you have a right to care which entitles you to:
Meals and refreshments;
Hotel accommodations and, if necessary, transport to/from the airport;
2 phone calls, fax, or emails free of charge.
As with most legal procedures, there is a time limit for submitting your EU261 claim for compensation in the unfortunate event of flight disruptions. The expiration date for your right to reimbursement under EU law varies from country to country. It's important to remember that the time frame for submitting in your compensation claim depends on the country where the airline is based. In cases, it could also be decided by what court has jurisdiction in legal cases with the participation of this specific airline.
Below you can find a list of the European Union countries, the United Kingdom and Türkiye, grouped by the time limit for claiming flight compensation:
* In Sweden, you must notify the airline of the flight delay, cancellation or denied boarding within 2 months. You can then take advantage of a 10-year time window to submit the claim.
* In the Czech Republic, you must notify the airline about your claim within 6 months of the flight disruption. The claim will then be valid for 3 years.
* In Germany, you have until the end of the 3rd astronomical year to exercise your right to compensation (not 3 years from the date of the flight).
SkyRefund’s mission is to help passengers who have experienced denied boarding, flight delay or cancellations claim their rightful reimbursement. To claim your flight compensation, you need to follow a few simple steps:
Refer to our article on the decision of the EU Parliament containing the latest developments concerning Regulation EC261/2004.
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