How much compensation do I get for a delayed flight?

Under EU/UK 261, €250–€600 (£220–£520) depending on flight distance, if the delay is 3+ hours and the airline is at fault. In the US, DOT 2024 rules require an automatic cash refund for delays over 3 hours domestic or 6 hours international, but no additional cash compensation.

Does EU261 apply to my flight?

EU261 covers any flight departing an EU airport on any airline, and any flight arriving in the EU on an EU-based airline. UK261 mirrors this for UK airports and UK-based carriers. If either leg qualifies, you're covered.

Can I claim compensation if the delay was due to weather?

Usually not. Severe weather is normally treated as 'extraordinary circumstances' under EU/UK 261, so you keep the refund, rebooking and duty of care (meals, hotel, transport) but not the €250–€600 (£220–£520) payout. It isn't automatic, though — the airline must show the conditions made the flight unavoidable despite all reasonable measures, so ask for that justification in writing before you drop the claim.

How long do I have to file a flight delay claim?

Longer than most people think. EU261 claims can be filed for up to 3 years in most member states (6 years in the UK, 2 in the Netherlands), and there is no 7-day rule. File within a week anyway — evidence is fresh and airlines settle faster.

What if my connection was missed because of the delay?

If both flights were on a single booking, the airline treats it as one journey — compensation is based on the arrival delay at your final destination. Separate tickets are your own risk, which is why AVARA flags single-booking connections when rebooking through a disruption.

Flight delay compensation — your rights, step by step

How much you're owed when your flight is delayed, and how to claim it. EU261, UK261 and US DOT rules explained — plus the calm, minute-by-minute playbook AVARA uses to protect the rest of your trip.

Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (EU air passenger rights)

A delayed flight is rarely just a delay — it's a downstream problem: the connection, the hotel, the transfer, the meeting. This guide covers the two things most travellers get wrong: the exact compensation you're owed under EU261, UK261, and US DOT rules, and the order in which to act so nothing else in your trip breaks.

Compensation clocks under EU/UK 261 start when the aircraft door opens at your destination — not when it lands. That's usually 10–20 minutes later than the arrival time on the board.

Screenshot the scheduled arrival and the actual door-open time.

Note the reason the crew announces — 'technical', 'crew', 'ATC', 'weather'.

For US flights, DOT uses gate-arrival time; same principle, different clock.

The payout depends on delay length and flight distance — and only applies when the airline is at fault. 'Extraordinary circumstances' (weather, strikes outside the airline, air traffic control) reduce this to duty-of-care only.

Short-haul (<1,500 km): €250 if delayed 3+ hours.

Medium-haul (1,500–3,500 km): €400 if delayed 3+ hours.

Long-haul (>3,500 km): €600 if delayed 4+ hours (€300 for 3–4h) — £520 / £260 under UK261.

UK261 mirrors EU261 in GBP: £220 / £350 / £520.

The US doesn't have EU-style cash compensation for delays, but the 2024 DOT rule now requires automatic cash refunds for cancellations and 'significant changes' — including delays of 3+ hours domestic or 6+ hours international.

Delay >3h domestic or >6h international → cash refund on request, even for non-refundable fares.

Refunds must be automatic — the airline can't require a claim form.

Meals, hotels and rebooking are airline-policy, not law — check your carrier's contract of carriage.

This is the part most travellers forget. Under EU/UK 261, once you cross the delay threshold you're entitled to meals, communication, and — if it's overnight — a hotel and transfers. You don't wait for the desk to offer; you ask, in writing.

2+ hours: meal vouchers and two phone calls or emails.

5+ hours: right to a refund and return to origin, if you no longer want to travel.

Overnight: hotel + transport to and from it, at the airline's cost.

File the compensation claim early — the legal window is years

There is no 7-day deadline. EU261 claims follow national limitation periods (commonly around 3 years, 6 years in the UK, 2 in the Netherlands). Filing within a week is still the practical move: evidence is fresh, screenshots are intact, and a calm, cited letter is far harder to refuse.

File on the airline's own claim form; third-party firms take 20–35%.

Attach: booking reference, boarding pass, door-open screenshot, receipts.

If denied, escalate to the national regulator (CAA in the UK, national NEB in the EU, DOT in the US).

A 4-hour delay usually breaks one downstream booking. AVARA's disruption tools flag which reservation is at risk first — the hotel check-in cutoff, the transfer window, the connecting rail leg — so you fix the right one before it costs you.

Message the hotel before your check-in window closes; most hold rooms on request.

Cancel or reschedule ground transfers inside their free window.

Rebook connecting rail with the carrier's disruption policy, not a new ticket.

Frequently asked questions

How much compensation do I get for a delayed flight?: Under EU/UK 261, €250–€600 (£220–£520) depending on flight distance, if the delay is 3+ hours and the airline is at fault. In the US, DOT 2024 rules require an automatic cash refund for delays over 3 hours domestic or 6 hours international, but no additional cash compensation.
Does EU261 apply to my flight?: EU261 covers any flight departing an EU airport on any airline, and any flight arriving in the EU on an EU-based airline. UK261 mirrors this for UK airports and UK-based carriers. If either leg qualifies, you're covered.
Can I claim compensation if the delay was due to weather?: Usually not. Severe weather is normally treated as 'extraordinary circumstances' under EU/UK 261, so you keep the refund, rebooking and duty of care (meals, hotel, transport) but not the €250–€600 (£220–£520) payout. It isn't automatic, though — the airline must show the conditions made the flight unavoidable despite all reasonable measures, so ask for that justification in writing before you drop the claim.
How long do I have to file a flight delay claim?: Longer than most people think. EU261 claims can be filed for up to 3 years in most member states (6 years in the UK, 2 in the Netherlands), and there is no 7-day rule. File within a week anyway — evidence is fresh and airlines settle faster.
What if my connection was missed because of the delay?: If both flights were on a single booking, the airline treats it as one journey — compensation is based on the arrival delay at your final destination. Separate tickets are your own risk, which is why AVARA flags single-booking connections when rebooking through a disruption.

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