Flight Delay Compensation Calculator
Delayed or cancelled flight? Pick your airports and what happened to see how much you may be owed under the EU261 and UK261 air-passenger-rights rules — plus exactly when those rules apply.
- Free, no sign-up
- Works worldwide
- Instant results
You can usually claim only if
- • The flight departed an EU/EEA or UK airport (any airline), or arrived there on an EU/EEA or UK airline.
- • You arrived 3+ hours late, or the flight was cancelled with under 14 days’ notice without a suitable re-route.
- • The cause was within the airline’s control — “extraordinary circumstances” (most bad weather, air-traffic-control restrictions, political unrest) are exempt.
Heads-up: a reform of EU261 is in final EU negotiations (deadline 15 June 2026) that could change the delay threshold and amounts. These figures are the rules in force as of June 2026 — verify before you claim.
Distances are great-circle between the airports you pick. Amounts are the statutory EU261 (€) and UK261 (£) figures; this is general information, not legal advice, and covers the EU/EEA + UK schemes only.
How much is flight delay compensation?
Under EU261/UK261 it’s a fixed amount by distance: €250 up to 1,500 km, €400 for 1,500–3,500 km, and €600 over 3,500 km (halved to €300 for long-haul delays of 3–4 hours); the UK pays £220/£350/£520. You qualify if the route is covered, you arrived 3+ hours late (or were cancelled at short notice), and the airline was at fault. Enter your flight above for the exact figure.
Methodology: Great-circle distance is computed from the coordinates of the two airports you select. Amounts and bands are the statutory EU261 (Regulation (EC) 261/2004) and UK261 figures in force as of June 2026, including the 3-hour arrival-delay trigger established by CJEU case law and the Article 7(2) 50% reduction for long-haul flights delayed 3–4 hours. Eligibility also depends on the cause of disruption (the airline must be at fault), which the tool lays out rather than assumes. This is general information, not legal advice. How we test & calculate.
What EU261 and UK261 actually give you
When a flight is badly delayed or cancelled, Europe’s air-passenger-rights rules can entitle you to a fixed cash payment — separate from, and on top of, any refund or rebooking. The EU version is Regulation (EC) 261/2004, usually called EU261 or EC261; after Brexit the UK kept an identical scheme known as UK261 in pounds. This tool shows the amount for your specific flight and, just as importantly, the conditions that decide whether you can claim it.
The amount is about distance, not your fare
A common surprise: compensation has nothing to do with what you paid. It’s banded by the flight’s great-circle distance — €250 up to 1,500 km, €400 for 1,500–3,500 km, and €600 beyond 3,500 km, with the UK paying £220 / £350 / £520. There are two wrinkles the calculator handles for you: any intra-EU flight over 1,500 km is a flat €400 however far it goes, and a long-haul flight over 3,500 km that lands three to four hours late has its €600 halved to €300. You can check a route’s distance any time with the flight time calculator.
The three-hour rule — measured at arrival
The trigger is an arrival delay of three hours or more at your final destination — not how late you pushed back from the gate. That’s why a missed connection can still qualify: if a small delay on the first leg snowballs into a three-hour-plus late arrival on a single booking, you’re potentially owed compensation for the whole journey. For cancellations, the test is instead whether the airline told you less than 14 days ahead and failed to offer a reasonable alternative.
The big catch: whose fault was it?
Compensation is only due when the disruption was within the airline’s control — a technical fault, crew or scheduling problems, overbooking. It is not due for “extraordinary circumstances”: most severe weather, air-traffic-control restrictions, security alerts, or political instability. This is where the majority of rejected claims fail, often because airlines stretch the definition. If you believe the cause was ordinary and the airline blames extraordinary circumstances, that’s exactly the kind of refusal worth escalating.
A reform is being finalised right now
One honest caveat: EU261 is under its biggest revision in two decades. After years of deadlock, the European Parliament and Council are in final negotiations with a deadline of 15 June 2026, and the proposals on the table could raise the delay threshold and reduce long-haul amounts. As of June 2026 the long-standing rules — a three-hour threshold and €250–€600 — still apply, and that’s what this calculator uses, but it’s worth confirming the current position before submitting a claim. While you’re planning, the airport delays tool shows where disruption is building today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Under EU261/UK261 you generally qualify if your flight departed from an EU/EEA or UK airport (on any airline), or arrived at one on an EU/EEA or UK airline, AND you reached your destination three or more hours late — or it was cancelled at short notice. The crucial catch is fault: compensation only applies when the delay was within the airline’s control. “Extraordinary circumstances” such as severe weather, air-traffic-control restrictions or political unrest are exempt.