Disclosure: This article contains sponsored links to a claims service and a flight-booking site. We may earn a commission if you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you. You don't need a claims service to get compensation.
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If your flight was badly delayed or cancelled, you may be owed a fixed cash payment on top of a refund or a new flight. Whether you are depends mainly on where the flight was going, which airline ran it, and why it was disrupted. This is a plain summary, not legal advice. Always check the official sources linked below for your situation.
Quick answer
- Under the EU and UK rules (often called EU261 and UK261), you can usually claim compensation if you reach your final destination 3 hours or more late, or your flight is cancelled with less than 14 days' notice, unless the airline can show "extraordinary circumstances."
- You can claim directly from the airline for free.
- Claim services such as Compensair do the paperwork and chasing for you, but they keep a share of any payout as a fee.
Would rather not chase the airline yourself?
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Check your flight with Compensair
You can claim from the airline yourself for free. Compensair says its flight check is free; if it wins, it keeps a 30% fee, plus up to 10% more if legal action is needed, so you'd receive 60% to 70% of the payout. The compensation rules explained on this page are the EU and UK ones.
Is your flight covered?
EU rules generally apply to flights departing from an EU airport (any airline), and to flights arriving in the EU from outside it when run by an EU airline. They also cover flights to and from Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. They don't apply if you already received compensation or assistance for the same disruption under another country's law.
UK rules (UK261) are a near copy kept after Brexit. They generally cover flights departing from a UK airport, and flights arriving in the UK on a UK or EU airline. Check the UK Civil Aviation Authority for the exact scope.
US domestic flights: US law doesn't generally require cash compensation for delays. Under US Department of Transportation rules, though, you're generally entitled to a refund if your flight is cancelled or significantly delayed or changed and you choose not to travel. Check the airline's own customer service plan, which may promise meals, hotels or vouchers.
How much you could get
Amounts are fixed by flight distance, not by what you paid for the ticket. They're per passenger.
- EU: €250 for flights of 1,500 km or less; €400 for flights within the EU over 1,500 km and other flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km; €600 for longer flights. On long flights the payment can be halved (to €300) if you arrive 3 to 4 hours late.
- UK: £220 for flights under 1,500 km; £350 for 1,500 to 3,500 km; for flights over 3,500 km, £260 if you arrive 3 to 4 hours late and £520 if more than 4 hours late.
Compensation may also be reduced if the airline re-routed you and you arrived only a little late.
When you usually can't claim
- Extraordinary circumstances that couldn't have been avoided, such as bad weather, air traffic control decisions, security risks or political instability. The airline has to show this.
- Most technical faults and strikes by the airline's own staff generally don't count as extraordinary, so those delays often do qualify.
- Cancellations announced 14 days or more before departure, or with less notice if the airline offered a replacement flight close enough to your original times.
- Separate bookings where you missed a connection ("self-transfer").
Your other rights while you wait
Whatever caused the problem, airlines covered by these rules must look after you during long delays. That means food and drink, a way to make calls or send emails, and a hotel plus transport if you're stuck overnight. If they don't provide this, keep receipts for reasonable costs and claim them back. If the delay reaches 5 hours, you can choose not to fly and get a refund.
How to claim yourself, for free
- Write down your flight number, date, booking reference, and actual arrival time (the time the doors opened).
- Ask the airline at the airport what caused the delay, and keep any emails or texts it sends.
- Use the airline's own compensation or complaint form. Claim compensation and expenses separately if it asks you to.
- If the airline refuses or doesn't reply (8 weeks in the UK, 2 months under the EU guidance), escalate. In the UK, that's the airline's alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme or the CAA. In the EU, it's the national enforcement body in the country where the incident happened, or a European Consumer Centre. Small-claims court is a last resort.
- Time limits for claiming depend on the country, so don't leave it too long.
Should you use a claim service?
Claim services take your case, deal with the airline and, if needed, take legal action. You pay nothing upfront, and if the claim fails you usually pay nothing. If it succeeds, they keep a percentage. It can be worth it if you don't have the time, or if the airline is refusing a claim you believe is valid. It's not worth it if the airline would simply pay you after a short online form.
Compensair is one such service. According to its own payment policy, it charges a 30% service fee only when it collects compensation, and it may add a further 10% legal fee if it has to pay outside lawyers or court costs. That means you could receive 60% to 70% of the payout. Its terms also say that withdrawing a claim part-way may make you liable for legal costs already incurred, so read the terms before you sign up. Don't file the same claim with the airline and a claim service at the same time.
Check your flight with Compensair
Sponsored link. Compensair keeps 30% (up to 40% with legal action) only if it wins; claiming yourself is free.
We may earn a commission if you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you. Fees and terms are taken from Compensair's published documents at the time of writing and can change. Check its website before you sign up.
Booking your next flight
One lesson from the rules above: if you book separate tickets and a delay makes you miss the second flight, compensation and rebooking only cover the delayed flight's own booking. If you're comparing fares for a future trip, Kiwi.com (sponsored) searches many airlines at once. Kiwi.com can combine flights from airlines that don't normally work together into one itinerary (it calls these "self-transfer" trips). They can be cheaper, but each flight is a separate ticket: you may have to collect and re-check your bags and go through immigration at the layover, and if one flight is late and you miss the next, the next airline isn't obliged to rebook you. Kiwi.com sells disruption services (Connection Protection or Disruption Protection) that offer Kiwi.com credit toward a replacement flight in that case, so check whether your booking includes it. Always compare the final price, including bags and seats, with booking direct.
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We may earn a commission if you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you.
Changes coming to the EU rules
The EU has adopted a reform of its air passenger rules (Regulation (EU) 2026/2202). According to published summaries, most of its changes apply from 23 October 2027, and the 3-hour delay threshold for compensation stays. Until then, the current rules described above apply. UK rules are separate.
Official sources
Frequently asked questions
How late does a flight have to be to get compensation?
Under the EU and UK rules, you can usually claim if you reach your final destination 3 hours or more late, unless the airline can show extraordinary circumstances. US law doesn't generally require cash compensation for delays.
Can I claim flight delay compensation myself for free?
Yes. You can claim directly from the airline using its own form at no cost. Claim services do the work for you but keep a share of any payout.
Does bad weather count for compensation?
Usually not. Bad weather is generally treated as an extraordinary circumstance, so the airline doesn't have to pay compensation, although it still has to provide care such as meals and a hotel when needed.
Sources
Official sources this article relies on, checked October 15, 2026. Rules and prices change, so confirm details at the source.
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