In short: Berlin–Crete is 2,051 km. A 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation is worth €400 per passenger from Berlin and €400 from Crete. 56,464 passengers used the route in 2024.
What you can claim on this route
| Direction | Rules | Covered airlines | 3 h+ delay / late cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin → Crete | EU261 | any airline | €400 |
| Crete → Berlin | EU261 | any airline | €400 |
The amount depends only on distance (2,051 km, measured as the great circle between the airports) – not on the ticket price – and is paid per passenger, children included. Whatever the cause, from 2 hours’ delay the airline must provide care (meals, drinks, a hotel overnight), and after a cancellation you choose between a refund or re-routing.
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Strikes that could affect this route
- 2026-11-25, Greece: public sector (ADEDY) (uncertain)
- 2026-11-15, Germany: Lufthansa pilots (Vereinigung Cockpit) (watch)
Strikes by air traffic controllers or airport staff usually count as extraordinary circumstances; strikes by the airline’s own staff usually do not. Strike calendar.
Air traffic flow delays at Berlin (BER)
EUROCONTROL records the delay imposed on arriving flights when the airport or the airspace around it cannot take more traffic (air traffic flow management, “ATFM”). In 2025, 96,342 flights arrived at BER; 560 of them were held back this way, 240 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 0.10 minutes per arrival.
What caused the ATFM delay
Average ATFM delay per arrival by month (min)
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
Worst days: 26 September 2025 – 3,148 minutes, mostly aerodrome capacity; 25 September 2025 – 2,583 minutes, mostly aerodrome capacity; 24 September 2025 – 1,763 minutes, mostly aerodrome capacity.
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 70,278 arrivals, 0.31 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (worse than 2025), mainly weather (79%) and equipment (non-ATC) (13%).
Check what happened at BER on your travel day →
What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (8% here), air traffic control capacity and staffing (0%) or airport limits – causes airlines often cite as extraordinary circumstances. They are only part of the story: most long delays come from the airline’s own operation (technical faults, crew, late inbound aircraft), which this data does not show. Source: EUROCONTROL.
Air traffic flow delays at Crete (CHQ)
EUROCONTROL records the delay imposed on arriving flights when the airport or the airspace around it cannot take more traffic (air traffic flow management, “ATFM”). In 2025, 14,921 flights arrived at CHQ; 4,402 of them were held back this way, 3,098 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 8.17 minutes per arrival.
What caused the ATFM delay
Average ATFM delay per arrival by month (min)
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
Worst days: 16 July 2025 – 2,486 minutes, mostly ATC capacity; 13 June 2025 – 2,033 minutes, mostly ATC capacity; 29 June 2025 – 1,969 minutes, mostly ATC capacity.
2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 15,580 arrivals, 9.49 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (worse than 2025), mainly ATC capacity (99%) and other (1%).
Check what happened at CHQ on your travel day →
What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (0% here), air traffic control capacity and staffing (100%) or airport limits – causes airlines often cite as extraordinary circumstances. They are only part of the story: most long delays come from the airline’s own operation (technical faults, crew, late inbound aircraft), which this data does not show. Source: EUROCONTROL.
Other routes from these airports
- Berlin – Frankfurt1,167,085 pax
- Berlin – Munich918,533 pax
- Berlin – Palma de Mallorca870,161 pax
- Berlin – Zurich861,501 pax
- Berlin – Amsterdam827,957 pax
- Crete – Athens818,996 pax
- Berlin – Antalya747,904 pax
- Berlin – Vienna696,408 pax
- Berlin – Paris695,225 pax
- Berlin – Istanbul652,227 pax
- Berlin – Barcelona618,727 pax
- Berlin – Madrid540,657 pax
- Berlin – Rome523,073 pax
- Berlin – Copenhagen481,555 pax
Frequently asked questions
How much compensation for a delayed Berlin–Crete flight?
The great-circle distance is 2,051 km. From Berlin: €400 per passenger (EU261, any airline). From Crete: €400 per passenger (EU261, any airline). The delay at your final destination must be 3 hours or more, and the airline must not be able to prove extraordinary circumstances.
Is a Berlin–Crete flight covered if the airline is not European?
Yes. Both airports apply EU261 (or UK261) to every departing flight, so the airline’s nationality does not matter in either direction.
What if the flight was cancelled?
You can choose a refund or re-routing, get care while you wait, and – unless you were told at least 14 days before departure or the airline proves extraordinary circumstances – fixed compensation. Cancelled flight compensation.
Passenger numbers: Eurostat 2024 (passengers carried between the two airports, both directions). Delay data: EUROCONTROL. Information only, not legal advice.
Sources
- Eurostat – air passenger transport routes between partner airports and main airports (2024) – Eurostat
- EUROCONTROL – airport arrival ATFM delays (open performance data) – EUROCONTROL
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 – EUR-Lex
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