EU261 Flight Compensation: How to Claim Up to €600
EU Regulation 261/2004 is one of the strongest consumer protection laws in the world. If your flight was delayed by 3+ hours or cancelled, you may be entitled to fixed compensation of up to €600 per person — regardless of what the airline tells you. Most people never claim it.
Quick eligibility check
- ✓ Flight departed from an EU airport (any airline) — OR
- ✓ Flight arrived at an EU airport on an EU-based carrier
- ✓ Delay was 3 hours or more at arrival — OR the flight was cancelled
- ✓ Not caused by "extraordinary circumstances" (e.g. extreme weather, air traffic control strike)
- ✓ Claims can be submitted up to 3 years after the flight (varies by country)
How much compensation can you claim?
| Flight distance | Compensation | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1,500 km | €250 | London–Paris, Madrid–Barcelona |
| 1,500–3,500 km | €400 | London–Athens, Paris–Cairo |
| Over 3,500 km | €600 | London–New York, Paris–Bangkok |
Note: for flights over 3,500 km that arrive only 3–4 hours late (not 4+), the airline can reduce compensation by 50% to €300.
What qualifies under EU261?
Delay of 3+ hours at destination
The clock is measured at destination gate opening — not take-off time. A 3h20 delay counts even if you departed only 1 hour late.
Cancellation with less than 14 days notice
If the airline cancels without giving you 14 days' advance notice, you're entitled to compensation (in addition to a full refund).
Denied boarding due to overbooking
Airlines routinely oversell. If you were bumped involuntarily, you get the full compensation amount for your route.
Missed connection due to first flight delay
If you missed a connecting flight on the same booking, the total delay at your final destination is what counts.
How to claim — step by step
- 1
Confirm your eligibility
Find your booking confirmation. Check the flight route (departure and arrival airports), the actual delay at arrival, and the reason given by the airline.
- 2
Submit a claim directly to the airline
Email or use their online claim form. State the EU261 regulation, your flight details, and the amount you're claiming. Give them 6–8 weeks to respond.
- 3
If they refuse or ignore you
Escalate to the national enforcement body: in France it's the DGAC, in the UK it's the CAA, in Germany it's the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt. File a complaint for free.
- 4
Use a flight claim specialist
Companies like AirHelp handle the claim on a no-win-no-fee basis (~25–35% of the compensation if successful). Worth it for complex cases where the airline rejects your first claim.
What airlines claim as "extraordinary circumstances"
Airlines often try to reject claims by citing extraordinary circumstances — which legally exempt them from paying. However, courts have consistently ruled that many things airlines label extraordinary are actually NOT: technical failures, crew shortages, scheduling errors. Only genuine extraordinary events like airport strikes, extreme weather, or security alerts can void your claim. If an airline rejects you citing extraordinary circumstances, always challenge it.
How SubRadar finds forgotten EU261 claims
Most people forget they were entitled to claim. SubRadar scans your booking confirmation emails, cross-references flight history, and surfaces EU261 claims you may have forgotten to file — even for flights up to 3 years ago. When a claim is found, we connect you directly to a specialist on a no-win-no-fee basis.
Scan your flight history for missed EU261 claims
SubRadar checks your booking emails and finds delays and cancellations that qualify. Free, takes 30 seconds.
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