What is the penalty for flight delay in Europe?

Flight Delay Compensation All flights that are less than 1,500 km (932 miles): 250 euros ($269) per passenger, if you're delayed by at least two hours. Internal EU flights over 1,500 km: 400 euros ($430) per person, if you're delayed by at least three hours.



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If your flight is delayed for two hours or more at departure, the airline must offer you care (meals and refreshments and, if necessary accommodation). If this delay means that, you arrive at your final destination with a delay of more than 3 hours you may also be entitled to financial compensation.

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Flight disruptions: These are the passengers' rights under EU Rule 261. Passengers may be entitled to financial compensation for delayed or canceled flights and in instances of denied boarding. This compensation can mean about $600 per person in certain circumstances.

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How to File Your Flight Compensation EU Claim
  1. Keep your important travel documents, e.g. your boarding pass.
  2. Find out why the flight was delayed.
  3. Hold onto proof of the delay.
  4. Make a record of when you arrived at your final destination.
  5. Don't sign anything or accept any offers that may waive your rights.


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If your flight is delayed for two hours or more at departure, the airline must offer you care (meals and refreshments and, if necessary accommodation). If this delay means that, you arrive at your final destination with a delay of more than 3 hours you may also be entitled to financial compensation.

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Under EC 261, you could be entitled to file a delayed flight claim for up to €600 cash flight compensation if… You arrived at your destination more than 3 hours later than planned. You checked in for your flight on time (generally no less than 45 minutes before departure).

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When flying from the U.S. to Europe, only flights operated by an EU-based airline will be eligible for EU261 flight delay compensation. This means if the operating airline is Aer Lingus, Air France, Iberia, Icelandair, KLM, Lufthansa, SAS, Swiss, TAP, or another EU-based carrier, the EU261 rule will apply.

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If a flight delay or cancellation occurs due to a third party strike, then the EU Passenger Rights Regulation exempts the airline from the obligation to compensate. In general, however, the airline must prove that it has taken all possible measures to avoid the strike.

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If there is a flight delay of 2 hours, the airline staff will usually provide you with vouchers that can be redeemed at local airport restaurants and snack bars.

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Right to reimbursement or re-routing In addition to compensation for your loss of time, if your delay exceeds 5 hours, you are entitled to a full or partial refund of your original ticket and a return flight to your point of departure, if needed.

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Schedule Change/Significant Delay - A consumer is entitled to a refund if the airline made a significant schedule change and/or significantly delays a flight and the consumer chooses not to travel. DOT has not specifically defined what constitutes a “significant delay.”

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When a flight delay occurs, you are entitled to assistance and a choice between rerouting, reimbursement, or rebooking. If you arrive at your destination more than 3 hours after your scheduled arrival time, you are entitled to the same reimbursement, rerouting, and rebooking structure as a denied boarding.

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Our pick of the best flight compensation companies
  • Skycop.com: Top choice overall.
  • AirHelp.com: Most widely recognized.
  • ClaimCompass.eu: Superior value.
  • Flightright.com: Most adaptive.
  • Flight-Delayed.co.uk: Most user-friendly.
  • AirAdvisor.com: Smoothest interface experience.
  • Refundmore.com: Utmost reliability.


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Your Rights Under EC 261 If your flight has been delayed and meets the criteria of EC 261, you are entitled to claim Europe flight delay compensation. Timing is essential here because between 0 to 2 hours of your flight being delayed, EC 261 does not offer any rights or compensation to the passenger.

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Delayed Flights However, federal law does not require airlines to provide passengers with money or other compensation when flights are delayed. So if your trip is delayed and you end up stuck in the airport, any hotel rooms, meal vouchers or other monetary compensation will be given at the discretion of the airline.

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