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Flights between the Netherlands and the Caribbean: your rights

Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire and Sint Maarten are outside EU261 territory, but flights to them from the Netherlands still count.

Updated

The rule

  • Amsterdam to the Caribbean: covered on any airline, because the flight departs the EU.
  • Caribbean to Amsterdam: covered only if the operating airline holds an EU operating license, because the flight departs a place outside EU261 territory.

Computed examples

Examples with a 4 hour delay
FlightAirlineResult
Amsterdam to ArubaKLMEU261 EUR 600
Aruba to AmsterdamKLMEU261 EUR 600
Curacao to AmsterdamTUI fly NetherlandsEU261 EUR 600
Aruba to MiamiAmerican AirlinesNothing owed under these rules

Route pages: AMS to AUA, AUA to AMS, AMS to CUR, CUR to AMS, AMS to BON, BON to AMS, AMS to SXM, SXM to AMS.

Weather

Hurricane season, August to October, brings weather exemptions. See weather.

Check your flight

Where the trip started. For one booking with connections, the first airport.

Where the trip ended: the final destination.

The operating airline, not the one on the ticket. A boarding pass or the flight status page names it.

What happened

At the final destination, when the aircraft door opened.

We read this to explain the result. We never decide whether it counts as extraordinary.

Carried into the claim letter. It does not change the amount.

Results

Enter both airports and the airline to see a result.

Loading the airport list

Choose where the trip started, where it ended, the airline and what happened. The result updates as you type.

Information, not advice

Hours Late is not a law firm and not a claims company. It does not file claims for you. The results are estimates from published rules and the details you enter. They are not legal advice. Airlines and courts decide each case.

Sources