EU261 Compensation Calculator: How Much Are You Owed? (2026)
Last updated: July 2026 · 6 min read
EU261 compensation is fixed by law — €250, €400, or €600 per person. The exact amount depends on two variables: the distance of your flight and the length of your delay at the final destination. Here's how to calculate it precisely.
EU261 compensation amounts — at a glance
| Flight distance | Minimum delay | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1,500 km | 3 hours | €250 |
| 1,500–3,500 km (intra-EU flights over 1,500 km) | 3 hours | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km (intercontinental) | 3 hours | €300 (if 3–4h delay) |
| Over 3,500 km | 4+ hours | €600 |
UK passengers receive equivalent amounts in GBP: ~£220 / £350 / £260 / £520. Compensation is per person — multiply for your travel party.
Step 1: Calculate your flight distance
EU261 uses the great-circle distance between airports (the direct straight-line distance, not the actual flight path). This is measured from your departure airport to your final destination airport — not any intermediate stop.
Common routes and their distance brackets
| Route | Distance | Bracket | Max claim |
|---|---|---|---|
| London → Edinburgh (LHR→EDI) | 534 km | <1,500 | €250 |
| London → Barcelona (LHR→BCN) | 1,138 km | <1,500 | €250 |
| Amsterdam → Rome (AMS→FCO) | 1,619 km | 1,500–3,500 | €400 |
| London → Istanbul (LHR→IST) | 2,500 km | 1,500–3,500 | €400 |
| Paris → New York (CDG→JFK) | 5,835 km | >3,500 | €600 |
| London → Dubai (LHR→DXB) | 5,492 km | >3,500 | €600 |
| Amsterdam → Bangkok (AMS→BKK) | 9,065 km | >3,500 | €600 |
| Frankfurt → Tokyo (FRA→NRT) | 9,353 km | >3,500 | €600 |
Step 2: Calculate your arrival delay
The delay is measured at your final destination — specifically when the aircraft doors open (or when you can reasonably disembark), not when the plane touches down. This is established by ECJ case law (Germanwings GmbH v Henning, C-452/13, 2014).
Practical tip:
Check your actual arrival time on FlightAware.com or Flightradar24.com by searching your flight number and date. These show "Actual gate arrival" which matches the ECJ definition.
Step 3: Calculate the total compensation
Once you have the distance bracket and confirmed delay time, multiply by the number of passengers on your booking:
Special rules: cancellations and denied boarding
Cancellations
You are entitled to full compensation if the airline cancels with less than 14 days' notice. If they notify you 7–14 days in advance and offer a re-route arriving less than 4 hours late, compensation is halved. If they notify you more than 14 days before, no compensation is due (only refund).
Denied boarding (overbooking)
If you are involuntarily bumped from a flight due to overbooking, you are entitled to full compensation immediately — regardless of whether the airline re-routes you and you arrive on time. This is the only EU261 scenario where on-time arrival at destination does not eliminate the compensation right.
The 50% reduction rule
For flights over 3,500 km where the airline re-routes you and you arrive less than 4 hours late, compensation can be reduced by 50%. So a €600 claim becomes €300. This is the source of the €300 figure in the calculator table.
What compensation does NOT include
EU261 compensation is separate from and in addition to:
- — Refund of ticket price: if you don't want the re-route, you get your full ticket refunded. Compensation on top.
- — Right to care: meals, refreshments, and accommodation during long delays are covered under Article 9, separately from Article 7 compensation.
- — Consequential losses: missed hotel nights, missed connecting bookings, rental cars — these are separate claims under Article 12 or general contract law.
- — Travel insurance claims: you can claim from both EU261 and travel insurance (for different things), but not double-claim the same loss.
Find which of your past flights qualify
SubRadar scans your inbox for airline booking emails and automatically calculates the EU261 compensation bracket for each flight — distance, delay threshold, and whether you're still within the claim window.
Scan my flight emails freeLet AirHelp calculate and claim for you
Enter your flight details and AirHelp will calculate your exact compensation, verify eligibility, and file the claim. No win, no fee (~25–35% on success only).
Calculate my compensation with AirHelp →