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EU261 compensation: amounts, scope and deadlines

EU261 pays EUR 250, EUR 400 or EUR 600 per passenger when a flight lands 3 hours or more late, or is cancelled at short notice, unless extraordinary circumstances caused it. Legal basis: Regulation 261/2004 Article 7(1) and 7(4).

Updated

Amounts

Compensation is paid per passenger. The amount depends on the great circle distance between the departure airport and the last destination where the flight arrived late.

EU261 compensation by distance
DistanceAmount per passenger
Up to 1,500 kmEUR 250
Over 1,500 km, up to 3,500 kmEUR 400
Over 3,500 kmEUR 600
1,500 km3,500 kmEUR 250EUR 400EUR 600GBP 220GBP 350GBP 520
EU261 and UK261 amounts by distance band.

Flights inside the EU

A flight between EU member states or EU outermost regions that is longer than 1,500 km pays EUR 400, whatever the distance. That is why Paris to Reunion pays EUR 400 and not EUR 600.

Which flights are covered

  • Flights that depart from an airport in EU261 territory, on any airline.
  • Flights that arrive in EU261 territory from outside it, only when the operating airline holds an EU operating license.
  • The territory includes Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Reunion, Mayotte, Saint-Martin, the Canary Islands, the Azores and Madeira. Iceland, Norway and Switzerland are covered too.
  • Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Gibraltar and the Crown dependencies are outside it.
  • You do not qualify if you already received compensation and assistance in the country you left.

The operating airline decides the license test, not the airline on your ticket. Check the airline that flew you. See airlines.

Delay and cancellation tests

A delay counts when you reach your final destination 3 hours or more late. A cancellation counts when the airline told you less than 14 days before departure, with the exceptions below.

Cancellation notice and what a replacement flight changes
Notice before departureCompensation
14 days or moreNone.
Under 14 days, down to 7 daysNone if the replacement leaves no more than 2 hours before the original time and lands less than 4 hours late.
Under 7 daysNone if the replacement leaves no more than 1 hour before the original time and lands less than 2 hours late.
14 days or more14 to 7 daysUnder 7 daysNo compensationLeave within 2 h,land under 4 h lateLeave within 1 h,land under 2 h lateA replacement that meets these limits removes the claim.
Cancellation notice and the replacement flight limits.

When the airline may pay half

On a delay of 3 to under 4 hours over 3,500 km, the airline may pay half. For a cancellation with a replacement flight, the airline may pay half when you land within 2 hours of the original time (up to 1,500 km), 3 hours (middle band and flights inside the EU) or 4 hours (longer flights). The delay rule is applied from the Commission guidelines, and we mark it as medium confidence.

Extraordinary circumstances

The airline does not owe compensation when the cause was outside its normal operation and reasonable measures could not have avoided it. Courts read this strictly and decide case by case. Hours Late never decides it for you. See the extraordinary circumstances guide.

Usually accepted as extraordinary

  • Weather unsafe for the flight
  • Air traffic control restrictions
  • Strikes by air traffic controllers or airport staff
  • Volcanic ash and airspace closure
  • Security risk or terrorism
  • Political unrest
  • Hidden manufacturing defect or sabotage
  • Medical emergency of a passenger on board

Usually not accepted

  • Ordinary technical faults and maintenance problems
  • An early failure of a part
  • Crew shortage or crew sickness
  • Strike by the airline's own staff over pay or conditions, including wildcat strikes
  • Late arrival of the same aircraft when the earlier cause was within the airline's control

Worked examples

Examples computed with the Hours Late calculator
FlightDistanceResult
Amsterdam to Aruba on KLM, 4 hours late7,878 kmEU261 EUR 600
Amsterdam to Aruba on KLM, 3.5 hours late7,878 kmEU261 EUR 300 (up to EUR 600)
Paris to Reunion on Air France, 4 hours late9,370 kmEU261 EUR 400

Try your own 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.

Time limits and reform

The Regulation sets no claim deadline. National law does, and the periods differ by country. See claim deadlines.

A provisional political agreement of 15 June 2026 is reported to keep the 3 hour threshold and the amounts above. We read this only in secondary reports. It is not law until it is adopted, so the amounts on this page are those of the Regulation in force.

Questions about EU261

How late must the flight be for EU261?
The flight must reach its final destination 3 hours or more late. The clock stops when the aircraft door opens.
Does EU261 cover a flight from the United States to Europe?
Only on an airline that holds an EU operating license. A flight from Europe to the United States is covered on any airline. See the guide for US flights.
Does EU261 apply to Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire or Sint Maarten?
These islands are outside EU261 territory. A flight to them from the EU is covered because it departs the EU. A flight from them is covered only on an EU airline that lands in the EU. See flights from the Netherlands to the Caribbean.
Why would an airline pay half?
On a flight over 3,500 km that lands 3 to under 4 hours late, the airline may pay half. Hours Late shows EUR 300 as the base figure and EUR 600 as the upper figure.

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