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Flight delay compensation

Flight delay compensation: EU, UK and US rules

Arrive 3 hours or more late on a flight covered by the EU or UK rules (EU261 and UK261) and each passenger can be owed €250 to €600, or £220 to £520 in the UK, unless the airline proves extraordinary circumstances. US federal rules set no compensation for delays, only a refund when the airline cancels or significantly delays a flight and you choose not to travel. Check a trip below.

This is general information for travel managers and finance teams, not legal advice. The checker gives a likely outcome, never a guarantee.

Answer for the one direction of travel that was disrupted, outbound or return, including its connections. A return trip counts as two journeys, even on one booking. Minutes are optional.

The first departure airport of that direction of travel.

The last airport of that direction of travel. For the return leg of a round trip, this is usually home.

The airline flying the plane, which may differ from the one that sold the ticket. For a delay on a connecting journey, usually the airline of the flight that was late.

Great circle distance from the first airport of that direction of travel to the last. For scale, the UK CAA's examples are Glasgow to Amsterdam (under 1,500 km), East Midlands to Marrakesh (1,500 to 3,500 km) and London to New York (over 3,500 km).

Leave it unanswered if the flight arrived late.

How late you reached your final destination, against the original arrival time. For a cancellation, on the replacement flight. If you took a refund, leave it empty: what counts then is what replacement the airline offered.

0 to 59.

As the airline explained it. It decides whether the airline can refuse to pay.

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Your result will appear here

Answer the questions above. The checker applies the EU and UK rules to your journey and says whether compensation is likely, not due, or depends on something it can't know, and why.

The amounts

Compensation by distance

Per passenger, fixed by distance and not linked to the fare. The distance is to the final destination of the disrupted direction of travel. The two rows by hours late apply to delays; after a cancellation, the 50% reduction below applies instead.

Compensation per passenger by distance, EU and UK rules
Distance (great circle)EU rulesUK261
1,500 km (about 900 miles) or less€250£220
1,500 km (about 900 miles) to 3,500 km (about 2,200 miles)€400£350
More than 1,500 km (about 900 miles) within the EU€400Not a separate band
More than 3,500 km (about 2,200 miles), delay of 3 to 4 hours€300£260
More than 3,500 km (about 2,200 miles), delay of 4 hours or more€600£520

EU: Regulation 261/2004, Article 7 and the European Commission's delay table. UK: UK261 Article 7 and the CAA's delay amounts. Checked Oct 22, 2026.

EU261

When the EU rules apply

  • The EU rules cover passengers departing from an airport in the EU, whatever the airline, and passengers flying into the EU from outside it on an EU airline, unless they already received benefits or compensation and assistance in the country they left. The European Commission says they also apply to flights to and from Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. Source
  • The amounts are fixed by distance: €250 for flights of 1,500 km (about 900 miles) or less; €400 for flights within the EU of more than 1,500 km and other flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km; and €600 for the rest. Distances are measured by the great circle route. Source
  • The Regulation's own text gives passengers on a delayed flight care, not cash. The European Commission's guide states the rule airlines apply: if you reach your final destination 3 hours or more late, you're entitled to compensation unless the delay was due to extraordinary circumstances. On a journey of more than 3,500 km, a delay of at least 3 but less than 4 hours pays €300. Source
  • Compensation is paid in cash, by bank transfer or check, or in travel vouchers only with the passenger's signed agreement. Source
  • The rules apply to passengers with a confirmed reservation who check in on time (by the time the airline gave, or 45 minutes before the published departure if none was given). They don't cover passengers traveling free or on a reduced fare not available to the public, but they do cover frequent-flyer tickets. Source

Statements link to EUR-Lex and the European Commission, checked Oct 22, 2026.

UK261

When the UK rules apply

  • UK261 is the EU Regulation as kept in UK law and amended since. It covers passengers departing from the UK, whatever the airline, and passengers flying into the UK on a UK or EU airline, or into the EU on a UK airline, unless they already received benefits or compensation and assistance in the country they left. A journey of several flights booked as one counts as a whole, from the first departure point. Source
  • Since December 14, 2023, the UK text itself says that a delay of 3 hours or more in reaching the final destination gives the right to compensation, and that the airline needn't pay if it proves extraordinary circumstances that couldn't have been avoided. Source
  • The amounts are £220 for flights of 1,500 km (about 900 miles) or less, £350 for 1,500 to 3,500 km and £520 for the rest. Unlike the EU rules, there's no separate band for long flights within a region. Source
  • The CAA says that on a flight of more than 3,500 km, arriving between three and four hours late pays £260, and more than four hours late £520. It also says that on separate bookings (a self-transfer), a missed connection gives no right to compensation, though each flight keeps its own rights. Source

Statements link to legislation.gov.uk and the UK Civil Aviation Authority, checked Oct 22, 2026.

The exception

Extraordinary circumstances

  • Under both the EU and the UK rules, the airline doesn't have to pay compensation if it can prove the cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances that couldn't have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. The airline has to prove it. Source
  • For delays, the European Commission's guide applies the same exception, and since December 14, 2023 the UK text states it for delays too. Source
  • The Regulation doesn't define extraordinary circumstances. The UK CAA lists the events likely to count: weather unsafe for flying, strikes unrelated to the airline (such as airport staff, ground handlers, air traffic control or border force), terrorism or sabotage, security risks, political or civil unrest, and hidden manufacturing defects. Source
  • The CAA also says courts have found that technical problems are not extraordinary circumstances, apart from a hidden manufacturing defect or damage from sabotage or terrorism. Source

Statements link to EUR-Lex and the UK CAA, checked Oct 22, 2026.

Cancellations and care

Cancellations, reductions and care

  • A cancellation pays the same amounts unless you were told at least 14 days before departure. Told between 7 and 14 days before, no compensation is due if you were offered a replacement leaving no more than 2 hours early and arriving less than 4 hours late. Told less than 7 days before, the limits are 1 hour early and less than 2 hours late. Source
  • When a replacement arrives within 2 hours of the original time (flights up to 1,500 km), 3 hours (1,500 to 3,500 km) or 4 hours (longer flights), the airline may reduce the compensation by 50%. Source
  • Whatever the cause, a delayed passenger gets care: meals and refreshments and two calls or emails once the departure is 2 hours late (flights up to 1,500 km), 3 hours (1,500 to 3,500 km) or 4 hours (longer), a hotel and transport when the new departure is the next day, and at 5 hours the option of a refund instead of traveling. Source

Statements link to EUR-Lex (the UK text has the same rules), checked Oct 22, 2026.

United States

What US rules require

  • US federal rules don't require airlines to pay compensation for a delay. In December 2024, DOT asked for comment on requiring airlines to give passengers cash compensation, free rebooking, meals and lodging after significant disruptions. Source
  • DOT withdrew that proposal on November 17, 2025, concluding it would continue to let airlines compete on the services and compensation they provide. It noted that the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 requires DOT to direct airlines to set policies on reimbursing lodging, transport and meals after a cancellation or significant delay caused by the airline, and that the 10 largest US airlines then all committed to a meal and free rebooking on the same airline after a controllable delay or cancellation, and 9 to a hotel and transport for an overnight one. Source
  • What US rules do require is a refund. If an airline cancels a flight to, from or within the US, or significantly delays or changes it, and you choose not to travel or not to accept a credit instead, it must give a full refund of the fare, including taxes and ancillary fees. A significant delay means arriving 3 hours or more late on a domestic itinerary, or 6 hours or more on an international one. Source
  • The refund is due within 7 business days for a credit card purchase and 20 calendar days for other forms of payment. Source

Statements link to the Federal Register and eCFR, DOT's own published documents (transportation.gov refused our automated check), checked Oct 22, 2026.

How refunds and airline credits work for finance teams is in our guide to airline credits and refunds.

Coming change

The EU's amended rules

  • The EU has amended the Regulation. Regulation (EU) 2026/2202, signed on Sep 16, 2026 and published in the Official Journal on Oct 2, 2026, and its Article 3 says it applies from Oct 23, 2027. Until then, the rules on this page apply. Source
  • From that date the EU text itself gives passengers compensation, on request, when they reach their final destination “with a delay at arrival exceeding three hours”, and keeps the €250 to €600 amounts. In the top band, the airline may reduce compensation by 50% “if the arrival time does not exceed the scheduled arrival time of the journey originally booked by four hours”. Source

Statements link to EUR-Lex, checked Oct 22, 2026.

For travel managers

How a claim works

  1. Claim from the operating airline

    The UK CAA says compensation isn't paid automatically: the passenger claims it from the airline first, often separately from expenses. Source

  2. Keep the evidence

    Booking confirmation, boarding passes, the actual arrival time and the reason the airline gave. Keep receipts for meals or a hotel you paid for yourself; the CAA says to ask for an itemized receipt. Source

  3. Escalate if needed

    For UK261, if the airline's final answer doesn't satisfy you, or it takes more than eight weeks, the CAA says to go to the airline's alternative dispute resolution (ADR) body, or to the CAA's own team if the airline has none. Source

  4. Decide who keeps it

    The rules give compensation to the passenger. Say in your travel or expense policy whether employees keep it or pass it to the company.

Statements link to the UK Civil Aviation Authority, checked Oct 22, 2026.

For silentVIP clients, urgent help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and when a flight is canceled a named person stays with it until the traveler is rebooked (travel support).

Questions

Flight delay compensation

How much is flight delay compensation?
Under the EU rules it's €250 to €600 per passenger, by distance; under UK261 it's £220 to £520. On a journey of more than 3,500 km that arrives between 3 and 4 hours late, it's €300 or £260. US federal rules set no compensation for delays.
Do US airlines have to pay compensation for a delay?
No federal rule requires it. DOT considered requiring cash compensation for significant disruptions in December 2024 and withdrew that proposal on November 17, 2025. US rules do require a refund when the airline cancels a flight or delays it by 3 hours or more (domestic) or 6 hours or more (international) and the passenger chooses not to travel.
Does EU261 cover a flight from the US to Europe?
Only when an EU airline operates it. A flight from the US into the EU on a US airline isn't covered by the EU rules; a flight from the EU to the US is covered whatever the airline. UK261 works the same way for the UK, and also counts EU airlines on flights into the UK.
Who gets the compensation on a business trip, the traveler or the company?
The rules give compensation to the passenger. Whether it's passed to the company is a matter for your travel or expense policy, so say so in the policy. This is general information, not legal advice.

Sources

Where this comes from

Last reviewed: Oct 22, 2026. Not legal advice. Spotted something out of date? Email support@silentvip.com.

Next steps

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