EU Regulation 261/2004
Missed your connection? The whole journey counts.
Were you running for a connection you just missed? If everything was on one booking and you arrived 3 or more hours late at your final destination, the entire journey is claimable.
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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 is a missed connection claimable?
Missed because of the airline
Your first flight was delayed or cancelled, making the connection impossible.
Everything on one booking
The flights were on a single reservation. The final destination of that booking is what counts.
3+ hours late at final destination
Not the delay of the first flight counts, but your eventual arrival time.
Departure from an EU airport
Even with a connection outside the EU: one booking departing the EU falls fully under the regulation.
One booking is one journey, legally too
Flying A to C with a connection in B means one single contract of carriage. In its Wegener ruling (C-537/17) the Court of Justice confirmed that such a journey is one whole, even when the connection lies outside the EU and the second flight is operated by a partner airline.
For your claim this means: a small delay on the first flight that ends in hours of waiting at your final destination is fully claimable. The airline cannot hide behind each individual flight being only slightly delayed.
The amount is calculated over the full distance
Compensation follows the total distance of your booking, from origin to final destination, measured in a straight line. Amsterdam to Bangkok via Doha is therefore a €600 claim, even if only the first leg was delayed.
If the missed connection got you in a day later, you were also entitled to a hotel, meals and transfers along the way. If the airline failed to provide them, you can reclaim those costs separately with receipts.
How to claim a missed connection
Enter the flight number of your first flight and the date. We reconstruct the journey, measure the arrival delay at your final destination and test the airline's excuse against real data, including the weather.
One digital signature and we take over: formal notice, negotiation and court if necessary. You only pay when we win.
Frequently asked questions
My first flight was only 40 minutes late. Can I claim?
Yes, if those 40 minutes made your connection impossible and you therefore arrived 3 or more hours late at your final destination. Arrival at the final destination is all that counts.
My connection was outside the EU. Does the regulation still apply?
Yes. If your journey departed from an EU airport on a single booking, the whole journey falls under EU 261/2004, even with a stopover in, say, Doha or Istanbul. That follows from the Wegener ruling.
I booked the flights separately. What now?
Separate bookings are legally separate journeys; the missed second flight is then usually not claimable. Do check whether the delay of the first flight itself was claimable.
Over which distance is my compensation calculated?
Over the straight line from your origin to the final destination of the entire booking, not per individual flight. Intercontinental journeys therefore almost always fall in the top €600 category.
The airline gave me a hotel. Does that cancel my compensation?
No. Care such as a hotel or meals is a separate right and offsets nothing. The €250 to €600 compensation stands entirely apart from it.
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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