Frequently asked questions

Under EU Regulation 261/2004 you can get €250, €400 or €600 per passenger (£220, £350 or £520 under UK261 for flights from the UK), depending on the distance flown, if you reached your destination at least 3 hours late. This applies to passengers of any nationality on flights from any EU country, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland, and on EU airlines flying into the EU. The ticket price does not matter: a €20 budget ticket still qualifies for €250. On non-EU journeys of more than 3,500 km, the amount may be reduced by 50% to €300 (£260) for delays of between 3 and 4 hours.

Limitation periods are set by national law and vary by country: for example 6 years in England and Wales, 5 years in Scotland, 3 years in Germany (from the end of the year) and 5 years in Hungary. AirHelp typically accepts claims for flights up to 3 years old, so it is still worth claiming for flights from late 2023.

When the airline proves the disruption was caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken: severe weather, air traffic control strikes, airport closures, political instability, bird strikes. Technical faults, crew shortages, strikes by the airline's own staff and late previous flights are not extraordinary circumstances. There is also no compensation for arrival delays under 3 hours, or for cancellations announced more than 14 days in advance.

No. Following the Court of Justice of the EU (C-402/07 Sturgeon), compensation requires you to reach your final destination at least 3 hours later than scheduled. The time that counts is when the aircraft door is opened at the arrival gate (C-452/13 Germanwings), not touchdown. 2 hours 59 minutes is not enough – but you are entitled to care (food and drink) from a 2-hour departure delay (for flights up to 1,500 km; 3 or 4 hours on longer flights).

Every passenger with their own ticket (booking) is entitled, whatever their age – a 2-year-old also gets €250–€600 (£220–£520 under UK261). An infant travelling on a parent's lap is entitled if a fare was paid for them (most airlines charge an infant fee of €10–€30); if they travelled completely free of charge, Article 3(3) of the regulation excludes them.

You do not have to accept a voucher. Under Article 7 of the regulation, compensation must be paid in cash, by bank transfer or by cheque; a voucher may only be given with the passenger's signed agreement. Once you have accepted one, it is hard to turn it into money – so it is better not to sign.

Yes. The regulation also covers charter flights and flights bought as part of a package – the claim is made against the operating airline, not the tour operator. If your holiday was shortened by the delay, you can also ask the tour operator for a price reduction under your package travel contract.

Not fixed compensation (it is under 3 hours), but if the departure was at least 2 hours late, the airline had to provide care (food, drink, two phone calls). If it did not, you can reclaim what you spent (with receipts).

Checking and submitting your claim is free. AirHelp only deducts a 35% fee (including VAT) if the claim succeeds; if legal action was needed – around 3% of cases – a further 15% applies. If the claim is unsuccessful you pay nothing, and AirHelp also covers the legal costs. From €250 of compensation you would therefore keep about €162.

You can: through the airline's online form and then, if it is rejected, by complaining to the national enforcement body or going to court. In practice airlines reject a large share of first claims with standard replies, enforcement body procedures can take months, and going to court costs money and carries risk. A claims agency sues at its own risk and, statistically, wins most disputed cases. If your case is simple and undisputed (for example, the airline admits a technical fault), it is worth trying yourself first.

Your booking reference (PNR) and flight number are enough, plus your boarding pass or booking confirmation. If the airline emailed you about the delay or cancellation, include that too. You only need receipts to reclaim extra costs (meals, hotel, taxi).

In straightforward cases 4–8 weeks. If the airline disputes the claim, 3–6 months. Through the courts it can take 6–18 months. AirHelp shows the status online and transfers the money within a few days of being paid.

Yes. Compensation is paid by bank transfer (or cheque) to the account you specify – it does not have to be in the country of the airline or the flight. Amounts are set in euros (in pounds under UK261); if your account is in another currency, your bank may charge for the conversion. When you claim through AirHelp, you give the account details for the payout yourself.

Yes. You can start a claim for every passenger on a booking at once; AirHelp asks adult passengers to sign an authorisation online, and a parent signs for children.

AirHelp's annual travel membership, which replaced AirHelp+ in November 2026. For 3 trips a year it costs €39.90 (Silver, 15% claim fee), €79.90 (Gold, 10% claim fee), €249.90 (Platinum, 0% claim fee). Covered trips get flight and luggage insurance payouts of up to €400, and the higher plans add Fast Track, an eSIM and lounge access. Flights must be added at least 48 hours before departure. It can pay for itself if you travel more than 2–3 times a year.

Yes, if the flight departed from an EU airport (for example Turkish Airlines from Paris to Istanbul, or Emirates from Frankfurt to Dubai). If you flew into the EU from outside with a non-EU airline (for example Dubai–Frankfurt with Emirates), the EU regulation does not apply, although the Montreal Convention and some countries' own rules (Turkey, Israel, Serbia, Brazil) may still give you a claim.

The amendment was published in the Official Journal of the EU in October 2026 as Regulation (EU) 2026/2202. The 3-hour delay threshold and the €250–€600 amounts stay; the 4- and 6-hour thresholds proposed by the Council (the Member States) in 2025 were dropped. The new rules apply from 23 October 2027 – from then on you will have to claim within 9 months – and until then the current regulation applies. More about the reform

Yes. The United Kingdom has kept EU261 in its own law as "UK261", with the same conditions but in pounds: £220 / £350 / £520 (instead of €250 / €400 / €600). Flights departing from the EU fall under the EU rules, flights departing from the UK under the UK rules – in practice the result is the same. UK261 is enforced by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Flight compensation in the UK

Norway and Iceland, as EEA members, and Switzerland, under its bilateral air transport agreement, apply the regulation in full. Flights with SWISS, Norwegian or Icelandair qualify for compensation just like those of an EU airline.

As a rule, the national enforcement body of the country where the incident happened – usually the country of the departure airport; for a flight into the EU from outside with an EU airline, the country of arrival. Your nationality and where you live do not matter. For example, a delayed Madrid–Warsaw flight goes to AESA in Spain, a cancelled Frankfurt–Lisbon flight to the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA) in Germany, and a flight from Dublin to the Irish Aviation Authority. For flights from the UK it is the Civil Aviation Authority, or the airline's ADR scheme. Enforcement bodies by country · country guides: Spain, Germany, Ireland, United Kingdom

Yes. EU261 protects passengers on the flight, not residents of a particular country, and neither your nationality nor where you live matters. You claim from the operating airline, complain to the enforcement body of the country where the incident happened, and if you have to go to court you can generally sue where the flight departed or arrived, or where the airline is based (CJEU, C-204/08 Rehder). For a cross-border claim between EU countries (except Denmark) the European Small Claims Procedure covers claims up to €5,000 and needs no lawyer.

Not EU261 (unless you fly with an EU airline, for example New York–Frankfurt with Lufthansa: then it applies). Since October 2024, US rules require automatic refunds for cancellations or significant delays if the passenger chooses not to travel, and for overbooking 200–400% of the fare (up to $1,550). There is no fixed compensation for delays in the USA.