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Crete Heraklion to Bordeaux: flight delays and compensation

43,355 passengers travelled between Heraklion International Nikos Kazantzakis Airport (HER) and Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport (BOD) in 2024, according to Eurostat. Here is what a delay or cancellation on this route is worth in each direction, which rules apply, and how often the two airports are hit by air traffic restrictions.

By the EU261 Flight Delay editorial team Last reviewed: How we write our guides

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In short: Crete–Bordeaux is 2,428 km. A 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation is worth €400 per passenger from Crete and €400 from Bordeaux. 43,355 passengers used the route in 2024.

What you can claim on this route

DirectionRulesCovered airlines3 h+ delay / late cancellation
Crete → BordeauxEU261any airline€400
Bordeaux → CreteEU261any airline€400

The amount depends only on distance (2,428 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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What happened?Step 1 of 4

What happened to your flight?
Where did you fly from and to?

With a connection, enter your first departure and your final destination – compensation is based on the total distance.

How late did you arrive at your final destination?

What counts is when the aircraft doors opened at your destination – not the departure delay.

When were you told about the cancellation?
When did you arrive on the replacement flight?
Which airline operated the flight?
When was the flight?

How many passengers were on the booking?

1 passenger

Every passenger gets their own compensation, children too. Infants under 2 without their own seat do not count.

  • Free, no sign-up
  • Fee only if successful (35%)
  • AirHelp: Trustpilot 4.5/5

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Strikes that could affect this route

  • 2026-11-25, Greece: public sector (ADEDY) (uncertain)

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 Crete (HER)

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, 33,258 flights arrived at HER; 7,059 of them were held back this way, 3,459 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 3.93 minutes per arrival.

What caused the ATFM delay

  • aerodrome capacity99%
  • ATC capacity1%
  • weather1%
  • other0%

Average ATFM delay per arrival by month (min)

  1. J
  2. F
  3. M
  4. A
  5. M
  6. J
  7. J
  8. A
  9. S
  10. O
  11. N
  12. D

Worst days: 10 August 2025 – 2,650 minutes, mostly aerodrome capacity; 20 August 2025 – 2,278 minutes, mostly aerodrome capacity; 16 May 2025 – 2,141 minutes, mostly aerodrome capacity.

2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 29,073 arrivals, 4.60 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (worse than 2025), mainly aerodrome capacity (100%) and ATC capacity (0%).

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What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (1% here), air traffic control capacity and staffing (1%) 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 Bordeaux (BOD)

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, 25,839 flights arrived at BOD; 1,185 of them were held back this way, 554 by more than 15 minutes – an average of 0.89 minutes per arrival.

What caused the ATFM delay

  • ATC staffing54%
  • ATC capacity23%
  • aerodrome capacity11%
  • industrial action (ATC)7%
  • weather2%
  • airspace management2%

Average ATFM delay per arrival by month (min)

  1. J
  2. F
  3. M
  4. A
  5. M
  6. J
  7. J
  8. A
  9. S
  10. O
  11. N
  12. D

Worst days: 8 May 2025 – 1,358 minutes, mostly ATC staffing; 20 April 2025 – 1,075 minutes, mostly ATC staffing; 9 March 2025 – 856 minutes, mostly ATC staffing.

2026 so far (to 30 September 2026): 20,296 arrivals, 1.37 minutes of ATFM delay per arrival (worse than 2025), mainly ATC capacity (60%) and ATC staffing (18%).

Air traffic control strike days recorded for BOD since 2024: 14 January 2024 (2,205 min); 15 January 2024 (125 min); 17 January 2024 (64 min); 5 December 2024 (60 min); 3 July 2025 (758 min); 4 July 2025 (74 min); 18 September 2025 (729 min).

Check what happened at BOD on your travel day →

What this means for a claim: ATFM delays come from weather (2% here), air traffic control capacity and staffing (79%), ATC strikes (7%) 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

Frequently asked questions

How much compensation for a delayed Crete–Bordeaux flight?

The great-circle distance is 2,428 km. From Crete: €400 per passenger (EU261, any airline). From Bordeaux: €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 Crete–Bordeaux 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

  1. Eurostat – air passenger transport routes between partner airports and main airports (2024) – Eurostat
  2. EUROCONTROL – airport arrival ATFM delays (open performance data) – EUROCONTROL
  3. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 – EUR-Lex

We check every rule against the sources above. Spotted an error? Tell us – see our editorial policy.