Your flight lands three hours late and half of the first holiday day is gone. For many flights in and out of Europe, the law sets a fixed amount of compensation for that: EUR 250, 400 or 600 per passenger in the EU, and GBP 220, 350 or 520 under the UK rules. The ticket price makes no difference, so a family can get back more than the flights cost. Here is when you qualify, how much you get, and what is left after a claims company takes its cut.
Which flights are covered
The EU rules come from Regulation (EC) No 261/2004. According to the EU's Your Europe portal they apply when:
- your flight departs from an EU airport, whatever the airline, which includes a US or Asian carrier leaving Paris or Frankfurt,
- your flight stays within the EU, whatever the airline,
- your flight arrives in the EU from outside and is operated by an EU airline.
Iceland, Norway and Switzerland are treated like EU countries, and so are the Canary Islands, Madeira and the Azores. Since Brexit the UK has its own version, usually called UK261, with the same structure and amounts in pounds. The CAA explains on its website which flights fall under it. One gap catches many holidaymakers: a return flight from Turkey, Egypt or Tunisia on a local airline is not covered by either set of rules.
How much you can claim
The amount depends only on distance, measured in a straight line between the departure and arrival airports.
| Distance | EU rules (per passenger) | UK rules (per passenger) |
|---|---|---|
| up to 1,500 km | EUR 250 | GBP 220 |
| within the EU, over 1,500 km | EUR 400 | GBP 350 |
| other flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km | EUR 400 | GBP 350 |
| over 3,500 km | EUR 600 | GBP 520 (GBP 260 for 3 to 4 hours late) |
The UK figures are taken from the Civil Aviation Authority's page on delays. Children on their own paid ticket count as passengers. On long-haul flights over 3,500 km the airline may pay half if you arrive between three and four hours late, which is why the CAA lists GBP 260 rather than GBP 520 for that band.
When a delay counts
What matters is when you reach your final destination, not when you take off. You qualify if you arrive at least three hours later than scheduled. If you booked a connection on one ticket and missed it because the first leg was late, the delay is measured at the last airport.
Airlines do not have to pay when the cause was an extraordinary circumstance they could not control, such as severe weather, closed airspace or an air traffic control strike. Your Europe states that most technical faults with the aircraft do not fall into that category, so a broken part is usually still the airline's problem.
Cancellations and the notice period
If a flight is cancelled, it depends on how much notice you were given:
- 14 days or more: no compensation, but you can choose a refund or a new flight.
- 7 to 14 days: no compensation only if the replacement leaves no more than 2 hours earlier and lands no more than 4 hours later.
- Less than 7 days: no compensation only if the replacement leaves no more than 1 hour earlier and lands no more than 2 hours later.
Separately from compensation, the airline has to look after you while you wait: food and drink, a hotel plus transport if you are stuck overnight, and two phone calls or emails. On flights up to 1,500 km this starts after 2 hours, on medium distances after 3 and on long ones after 4. Keep receipts for anything you had to pay yourself.
Worked example: a family flying to Antalya
Two adults and two children fly from London Gatwick to Antalya with a UK airline. The straight-line distance is about 2,900 km and they land 4 hours late for a reason within the airline's control.
- Entitlement under UK261: 4 passengers times GBP 350 equals GBP 1,400.
- Claimed directly from the airline: GBP 1,400.
- Through AirHelp at 35%: GBP 1,400 minus GBP 490 leaves GBP 910. If court action is needed another 15% comes off, leaving GBP 700.
- Through Compensair at 30%: GBP 1,400 minus GBP 420 leaves GBP 980, less up to a further 10% if extra legal costs arise.
The percentages come from the AirHelp price list (VAT included) and Compensair's payment policy, both checked in October 2026. Both charge nothing if no money is paid out. A second case for travellers from North America: Frankfurt to New York is about 6,200 km, so a 3.5 hour delay is worth EUR 300 per person and a 5 hour delay EUR 600, even on a US airline, because the flight left the EU.
Claim yourself or use a company
You can claim for free directly with the airline, usually through a form on its website. If it refuses or goes quiet, each country has a national enforcement body, listed on Your Europe, and in the UK you can escalate to an Alternative Dispute Resolution provider, or to the CAA's own complaints team if the airline has none, once the airline has given its final answer or eight weeks have passed.
Services such as AirHelp or Compensair handle the paperwork and, if necessary, the court case, in return for part of the payout. That trade makes most sense once the airline has already said no, or if you simply do not want to chase it. Once you have handed a case over, contact with the airline runs through the service.
What changes from October 2027
The EU has revised its rules. Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 was published in the Official Journal on 2 October 2026 and applies from 23 October 2027. Until then nothing above changes. According to the Council's announcement, the three hour threshold and the EUR 250, 400 and 600 amounts stay. New duties include telling passengers electronically within 96 hours of arrival that they may be owed compensation, and answering a claim within 30 days with either payment or a reason for refusing. Families are to sit together at no extra cost, and fares are to be shown including a piece of hand luggage before booking starts. These changes do not apply to UK261.
Step by step
- Write down your actual arrival time and photograph boarding passes, booking confirmation and receipts.
- Ask staff what caused the delay and note the answer.
- Check the distance band: under or over 1,500 and 3,500 km.
- Send a written claim to the airline with the booking reference, every passenger's name and your bank details.
- If it is rejected, go to the enforcement body or dispute scheme, or hand it to a service after working out what you would keep.
Time limits for bringing a claim are set by national law and differ from country to country. Claiming soon after the trip avoids the question altogether.