Am I eligible for EU261?

Passengers are only entitled to claim under the law if the delay or cancellation was within the airline's control. EU Reg 261 requires airlines to compensate passengers when flight delays or cancellations result in passengers reaching their final destination more than three hours later than originally scheduled.



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Claiming Compensation for Flight Delays and Cancellations Delayed flights: you may be able to claim compensation if your flight arrived 3 hours or more late. Cancelled flights: you may be eligible for compensation if your flight was cancelled less than 14 days before it was due to depart.

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Claiming Compensation for Flight Delays and Cancellations Delayed flights: you may be able to claim compensation if your flight arrived 3 hours or more late. Canceled flights: you may be eligible for compensation if your flight was canceled less than 14 days before it was due to depart.

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Start by searching your airline's name with EU261.
You'll need to file the claim with the operating airline responsible for the flight delay or cancelation. It can take some time to get a response from an airline, so give it a few weeks to a month or so before following up if you don't get a response.

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Yes, EU261 still applies to the UK. The regulations were incorporated into UK law in 2018, and they continue to protect the rights of passengers travelling from and to the UK on flights operated by EU and non-EU airlines.

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If you choose not to take another flight on that airline, you are legally entitled to a refund. For delayed flights: Airlines are not required to provide flight delay compensation. Compensation is only required when “bumped” from an oversold flight, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

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Extraordinary circumstances are, for example, bad weather, strikes — everything caused by a third party or that the airline couldn't have predicted. Disrupted flight due to extraordinary circumstances? You could still be able to get flight compensation!

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Customers with valid claims who claim directly from Ryanair will receive 100% of their EU261 compensation entitlement without the deduction of these excessive “claims chaser” fees.

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Luckily, there are consumer protections in place if you are flying in, out or within Europe. Through European Union regulation EC 261, commonly referred to as EU 261, all EU flights can qualify for compensation, refund or rerouting by the airline in the event of delay, cancellation or denied boarding.

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If your flight is covered under UK law, your airline must let you choose between either getting a refund or an alternative flight, regardless of how far in advance the cancellation was made. You can get your money back for any part of the ticket you have not used.

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How long can a flight be delayed before compensation? Typically at least six hours, though it varies. Joe is a former travel rewards writer for NerdWallet. He has followed aviation, travel insurance and travel rewards for several websites.

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