Flight delayed or cancelled? You may be owed up to €600
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Under EU regulation 261/2004 a delay over three hours, a cancellation or a denied boarding can entitle you to compensation, and it does not depend on how much you paid for the ticket — but most airlines never pay unless you actually claim.
- The amount is set by distance, not by your fare: €250 under 1,500km (3+ hour delay or cancellation), €400 between 1,500 and 3,500km, up to €600 over 3,500km (4+ hour delay).
- It applies to flights departing from the EU, and to flights arriving in the EU on an EU airline.
- You can claim for flights up to three years old. The check takes about two minutes and costs nothing: no win, no fee — a 25% fee only if the claim succeeds.
Common questions
Which flights qualify for compensation?
Flights departing from an EU airport, and flights arriving in the EU operated by an EU airline. The trigger is a delay of more than three hours on arrival, a cancellation, or being denied boarding on a flight you had a confirmed booking for. It does not matter how much you paid for the ticket.
How much is it, and who decides the amount?
Distance decides, not your fare: €250 under 1,500km for a 3+ hour delay or a cancellation, €400 between 1,500 and 3,500km, and up to €600 over 3,500km with a delay of four hours or more. The figures are set by regulation EC 261/2004, so the airline is not negotiating a goodwill gesture — it is paying a fixed amount.
How far back can I claim?
Up to three years. That is worth knowing because most people discard the boarding pass the same week and assume the chance is gone. If you have flown into or out of Europe in the last three years and something went badly wrong, the free check tells you in about two minutes whether you qualify.
What if the airline blames weather or a strike?
Only extraordinary circumstances remove the right to compensation: severe weather, air traffic control strikes, political unrest. Technical problems and overbooking do not count as extraordinary, so those remain compensable. That distinction is precisely what the claim check exists to settle, rather than taking the first answer the airline gives.
What does claiming cost me?
Nothing to check, and nothing if the claim fails: you only pay a 25% fee if the claim is successful. The check itself takes about two minutes. The reason to use a service rather than write yourself is simple — if the airline refuses, AirHelp can take the case to court at no cost to you.
What if I accepted a voucher at the time?
Accepting a voucher at the gate does not waive your legal right to cash compensation. You can still claim, and you should: the amounts set by EC 261/2004 are paid in money, and a voucher does not replace them.