EC 261 Compensation: Your Passenger Rights in Case of Flight Disruption
These are your rights
EC 261 protects passenger rights in the EU.
It covers delays, cancellations, and overbooking.
You could get up to $650 in compensation.
Flying is frustrating when things go wrong. Luckily, EU Regulation EC 261 exists to protect your rights and compensate you when airlines cancel flights, or overbook and deny boarding. Delays over 3 hours might also make you eligible for compensation — if it’s the airlines’ fault.
Our expert legal team holds airlines to account to make sure they pay you the EC 261 flight compensation you’re owed.
EC 261 or EU 261? The full name of the law is EC Regulation 261/2004, but it’s also commonly referred to as:
EC 261, EC Reg 261, EC261/2004
EU 261, EU Reg 261, EU261/2004
No matter the name, it always refers to the same European regulation protecting air passenger rights.
AT A glance
Know your EC 261 passenger rights
Airlines have to compensate you for cancellations, delays of 3+ hours or denied boarding, when they are at fault.
Compensation ranges between $270 and $650 per person, depending on flight distance. The amounts are set by law, so airlines can't offer you less.
EC 261 applies to all flights departing from the EU and EU-based airlines arriving at EU airports. Only arrivals on non-EU airlines aren’t covered.
You also have a right to care while you’re waiting. Airlines must provide food and drink, a hotel, and transport to and from the airport when needed.
Does EU 261 cover US travelers?
EC 261 applies not only to EU citizens, but to every passenger on a flight that falls under the regulation, which in some cases includes flights between Europe and the United States. You may be eligible for compensation if:
Your flight leaves from an airport in the EU, no matter which airline you're on.
You’re flying with an EU-based airline and your destination is in the EU, even if your flight departs from the US or anywhere else outside Europe.
In some cases, flight disruptions within the US may also qualify under EC 261 if the disrupted flight was part of a single booking reference and connects to an EU flight operated by the same airline. The easiest way to find out if you’re covered is to use the AirHelp Eligibility Checker.
step 1
Submit your claim in 2 mins
We make it quick, secure, and easy.
step 2
We handle everything
No paperwork or hours on hold for you!
You won’t be surprised to hear that EC 261 compensation is something airlines would rather avoid paying out! So while you can file claims by yourself via the airline’s website, it will probably be complicated, time-consuming and stressful.
That’s what we’re here for. We’ve got 400+ expert AirHelpers to take the burden from you, simplify the process, and take it to court if we have to.
All you need to do is enter your flight details in our easy-to-use compensation checker and we’ll get you your money.
No win, no fee!
We only take a fee if your claim is successful. For more info, check out what we charge when you win.
When am I entitled to EC 261 compensation?
There are 3 main reasons why you might be entitled to compensation of between $270 and $650 from the airline.
Denied boarding means the airline prevented you from boarding even though you had a valid ticket and arrived at the gate on time. It often happens because the airline overbooked the flight.
Flight cancellations might be eligible for compensation if the airline informed you less than 14 days before you fly.
Long delays of flights (3 or more hours) can be compensated when the delay affects your arrival time (not the time the plane takes off).
We enforce your rights as a consumer
EC 261 compensation calculator
Check what you're entitled to
$270
up to 1,500 km
$430
1,500 - 3,500 km
$650
from 3,500 km
How much money can I get?
The actual amount of compensation depends on a lot of factors including the distance traveled and the amount of time you’re delayed reaching your final destination.
| $270 | $430 | $650 |
|---|---|---|
| Flights 1,500 km or less | Flights 1,500-3,500 km or over 1,500 km within the EU | Flights 3,500 km or more |
When it comes to EU law EC 261 2004 compensation, most European flights are covered.
This includes not only EU airspace, but also Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and the so-called “outermost regions” (French Guiana and Martinique, Mayotte, Guadeloupe and La Réunion, Saint-Martin, Madeira and the Azores, and the Canary Islands).
| EU airline | Non-EU airline | |
|---|---|---|
| Departing from an EU airport | ✔️ Covered | ✔️ Covered |
| Arriving at an EU airport | ✔️ Covered | ❌ Not Covered |
International flights are covered if your flight departs from an airport in the EU, or if your destination is in the EU and it’s a European carrier.
The easiest way to find out if your trip is covered is to use the AirHelp Eligibility Check.
Remember you don’t have to be an EU citizen for EU 261 to apply to you!
You can’t get EC 261 compensation for any disruptions that are outside the airline’s control like wars or air traffic control strikes.
However, there are gray areas where an EC 261 claim might be successful. For example, if other airlines were able to prepare for bad weather, but yours didn’t, you could be owed compensation.
AirHelp keeps up to date with European Court of Justice cases and any changes to the rules so we always know when your claim might be stronger than you think.
Airline Strikes and EU 261 Compensation
In the years since EC261 was introduced numerous court cases have been contested over what counts as an extraordinary circumstance. Our team keeps up to date with these latest developments. We were particularly pleased with the 2018 ruling by the European Courts of Justice that airline staff strikes cannot be considered an extraordinary circumstance. That means that thousands of passengers who have been affected by airline staff strike action will now be eligible for compensation.
Your other rights under EC 261
EC 261 is one of the most comprehensive passenger rights laws in the world. As well as monetary compensation, it also specifies how the airline must treat you.
So if your flight is delayed or canceled, or you’re denied boarding, these are other rights you have under EC 261.
Yes! If your flight is canceled, you can get compensation for the loss of your time. But you’re also entitled to be re-routed on the next available flight to your destination or for a full or partial refund on your original ticket.
For delays, once your delay exceeds 5 hours, if you want, you can choose not to fly and get a full refund for the unused flight.
Yes! You have a right to care, which means the airline has to provide you with snacks, meals and water if you’re stuck at the airport.
Yes! This comes under your right to care. If overnight accommodation is necessary, they must provide you with a hotel room and transportation to and from the airport.
EC 261 gives you the right to access communication, including two telephone calls, telex or fax messages, and emails. This is especially important if the airport doesn’t have free Wi-Fi or you would otherwise have to use expensive mobile data to make a call.
If you’re offered an alternative flight and given a higher class ticket, the air carrier cannot charge you any additional payment. On the other hand, if you’re downgraded to a lower class ticket, you can get reimbursed for 30%–75% of the price you originally paid.
How to make a claim under EC 261
There are two ways to make an EC 261 claim — direct via the airline or via a third party expert like AirHelp.
We’ve won compensation for 3 million passengers worldwide.
Claiming via the airline
Every airline has its own individual claims process which should be somewhere on their website. You’ll need to gather all the documents about your flight, research the regulations to determine whether your claim is eligible, and then submit it and follow up.
If you don’t get a reply or you aren’t satisfied, you can find the relevant national aviation authority and pursue your claim with them. If that fails, you may want to consider hiring a lawyer and taking legal action through the courts.
Claiming with AirHelp
We handle everything for you, from start to finish so it’s as easy as possible to get your money.
Check if your disrupted flight is eligible using our quick checker.
Submit all your documents — we’ll tell you exactly what you need.
Sit back and wait for your money! We’ll take care of every aspect of the rest of the process — even if we have to go to court on your behalf.
AirHelp is a team of over 400 experts in air passenger rights, laws and regulations. Since 2013, we’ve helped millions of passengers all over the world because we believe everyone deserves the best and smoothest travels possible.
We're the global leader in flight compensation
253+ million
flights checked last year
12+ million
have protected their flights with AirHelp+
3+ million
passengers successfully paid compensation
60+
partnerships with the best-known travel brands
AirHelp operates on a no-win, no fee basis so you don’t pay us anything up front — even if we have to take your case to court. If we win, our commission is 35% of your compensation, leaving you free to spend the rest of the money on whatever you want. If we go to court for you and win, we only take an additional 15% from the compensation.
Every airline has different document requirements for an EC 261 claim, but we’ll tell you exactly what you need — whoever you were flying with — and we make the process as quick and simple as possible.
Typical documents we ask for when we’re processing your claim are your booking confirmation and boarding passes (mobile or paper).
Don’t worry if you’ve lost or deleted them as we’ve got plenty of ideas for how to get hold of the information you need.
If you’re claiming for extra expenses like accommodation or food, or missed events as a result of your disrupted flight, you’ll also need receipts, invoices or bank statements.
Checklist for making a claim
Hold onto your boarding pass and travel documents.
Gather proof (e.g. photos of departure boards or emails from the airline)
Check for compensation with our Free Eligibility Checker.
File your claim through AirHelp.
That's it! We’ll take it from here.
The process can take anything from a few weeks to a few months or longer, depending on whether we need to go to court to get you your compensation or not. We’ll keep you up-to-date on the status of your claim.
Your right to EC 261 compensation does eventually expire, but the time limit varies depending on where you were flying and where the airline has its headquarters.
A common misconception is that EC 261 only applies to flights within Europe, but that’s not the case. It can also apply on flights between Europe and the USA, for example.
That's because EC 261 covers all flights that depart from an EU airport, and all flights that land in Europe so long as the flight was with an EU carrier. It doesn't matter where the passenger comes from.
So if you were flying to or from Europe when your flight was disrupted, check if you're entitled to claim compensation.