How do I get EU261 compensation?

Qualifying Flights For a flight to be eligible for compensation under EU 261, it must be either departing from a Member State—one of the 27 EU countries, plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, as well as most outlying territories—or departing from a nonmember country with a destination within a Member State.



To claim EU261 (or UK261) compensation for a flight delay or cancellation, you must first confirm that your flight qualifies: it must have departed from an EU/UK airport or arrived at one on an EU/UK carrier. The delay must be over three hours at your final destination and cannot be caused by "extraordinary circumstances" like extreme weather or air traffic strikes. To start the process, gather your boarding pass and flight details, then submit a formal claim through the airline's official website. Many airlines have a dedicated "Compensation Claim" form in their help section. If the airline denies your claim, you can escalate it to a National Enforcement Body (NEB) or use a specialized "No Win, No Fee" legal service, though they will take a percentage of your payout. Compensation amounts range from €250 to €600 per passenger depending on the distance of the flight and the length of the delay.

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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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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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There is no set timeframe in which the airline must respond to you, but, in our experience, you should usually receive a response within 30 days, even if it is simply to say they are looking into the matter for you. If you don't receive a response, then you may wish to complain to the Civil Aviation Authority.

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Simply put, EU 261 is a regulation that provides minimum rights for passengers when their flight is delayed, canceled or denied boarding against their will.

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EU261 therefore continues, for the foreseeable future, to give passengers the same rights that they had previously. This includes rights created by past EU case law (such as the right to compensation for delay created in the controversial Sturgeon case), which will continue to bind lower UK courts.

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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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Customers who wish to submit expenses for travel/transport/or refreshments or a compensation claim following a flight cancellation or delay over 3 hours on arrival can click below to access the EU261 claim form. We aim to process your claim within 10 days.

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If airlines cancel a flight for any reason, passengers are legally entitled to a full refund, including for ticket price, taxes, baggage fees, extra charges and ancillary fees. Travelers must receive that refund within seven business days if they paid by credit card, and within 20 days if by cash or check.

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To receive compensation, you must file a claim with the airline for the delay. In some cases, international carriers may deny claims based on situations out of their control, such as weather or labor disputes.

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Canceling a nonrefundable fare will result in an eCredit for the full amount paid (minus any cancellation fees, depending on fare type and route). However, if you cancel a refundable ticket, you'll get the amount paid refunded back to your original form of payment.

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The airline is required to compensate you for a canceled flight if you were notified less than 14 days before your original scheduled departure date. However, compensation is not required if the airline proves that extraordinary circumstances (e.g., weather) caused the cancellation.

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In the United States, airlines are not required to compensate passengers when flights are delayed or cancelled. Compensation is required by U.S. law only when certain passengers are “bumped” from a flight that is oversold.

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Compensation claims will not be accepted for delays less than 3 hours (on arrival). If your flight has been cancelled or delayed 3 hours or more (on arrival) and is caused by a reason within the control of Ryanair, you may be entitled to compensation, click here.

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