EU Regulation 261/2004
Flight delayed? You are owed money.
Did you reach your final destination 3 or more hours late? Then the airline legally owes you €250 to €600 in compensation, on top of your ticket. We claim it for you: no win, no fee.
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€250
Flights up to 1,500 km
e.g. Amsterdam → London
€400
1,500 – 3,500 km
e.g. Brussels → Malaga
€600
Over 3,500 km
e.g. Amsterdam → New York
Per person, for 3+ hours delay at your final destination, cancellation less than 14 days ahead, or denied boarding. Claimable up to 6 years back.
When are you entitled to flight delay compensation?
3+ hours late on arrival
What counts is not departure, but the moment the doors open at your final destination.
EU departure or EU airline
Departing from an EU airport, or flying into the EU with a European carrier.
No extraordinary circumstances
Only genuinely extreme weather or, say, closed airspace counts as force majeure. We verify whether that holds.
A flight from recent years
Claim deadlines vary by country, from 2 to 6 years. Older flights are often still claimable.
What the law says about delayed flights
EU Regulation 261/2004 protects everyone departing from an EU airport, and everyone flying into the EU with a European airline. Since the Court of Justice's Sturgeon ruling (2009) the rule is crystal clear: arrive 3 or more hours late at your final destination and you are entitled to the same fixed compensation as for a cancellation.
The amount depends only on flight distance: €250 for flights up to 1,500 km, €400 up to 3,500 km and €600 beyond that. Your ticket price is irrelevant, and the compensation applies per person, including children with their own seat.
The weather excuse, and why we verify it
Airlines reject delay claims remarkably often by blaming bad weather. That excuse is only valid in genuinely extraordinary circumstances, which are far rarer than the rejection emails suggest.
We put every weather excuse next to the official METAR weather reports for that day, at that airport. If it turns out to have been calm with good visibility, the excuse does not hold and we push the claim through, all the way to court if needed.
How to claim your compensation
Enter your flight number and date. We look up the flight, measure the actual arrival delay and tell you immediately whether your claim is viable and which amount applies.
Then sign digitally, for your fellow travellers too in one go. From that moment we put the airline on notice, refute excuses with data and pay out as soon as the claim wins. If we lose, you pay nothing.
Frequently asked questions
How much compensation do I get for a delayed flight?
For a delay of 3 hours or more at your final destination: €250 for flights up to 1,500 km, €400 up to 3,500 km and €600 for longer flights. The amount is per person and independent of your ticket price.
Does the delay count at departure or arrival?
At arrival. The Court of Justice counts the moment at least one aircraft door opens at your final destination. A flight that left 2:55 late but arrived 3:05 late is therefore claimable.
Am I also entitled to food, drinks and a hotel?
Yes. From 2 hours of waiting the airline must provide care: meals, drinks and communication. If your flight moves to the next day, that includes a hotel with transfers. This is separate from the compensation.
What if the airline blames bad weather?
Bad weather is only a valid reason in genuinely exceptional circumstances. We test every weather excuse against the official METAR data for that moment at that airport; if it does not check out, we simply keep claiming.
How long after the flight can I still claim?
It varies by country: 2 years in the Netherlands, 3 in Germany and up to 6 in some countries. So check your flight even if it was a while ago; the check is free.
Does it cost me anything if the claim fails?
No. We work no win, no fee: only for a successful claim do we charge a fixed percentage of the compensation. No subscription, no hidden costs, no risk.
Sources and legal basis
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, full text (EUR-Lex)
- Court of Justice of the EU, Sturgeon (C-402/07): 3+ hour delays qualify for compensation
- Court of Justice of the EU, Wallentin-Hermann (C-549/07): technical faults are rarely force majeure
- Your air passenger rights (Europa.eu)
Legal framework reviewed on 19 September 2026. This page is general information about EU Regulation 261/2004, not individual legal advice.
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