Flight Delayed or Cancelled? Check Your Compensation in 30 Seconds
Airlines owe up to €600 per passenger for long delays, cancellations and overbooking. Free check, no sign-up — and an honest answer either way.
Free · no sign-up · runs entirely in your browser, nothing is sent anywhere
How it works
1. Enter your flight
Route, what went wrong, and how late you arrived. The distance math and legal rules run instantly in your browser.
2. Get an honest verdict
A clear eligible / not eligible answer with the exact rule behind it — including the cases where you are owed nothing.
3. Claim your way
Hand it to a no-win-no-fee service (they keep 25–35%), or claim directly with the airline for free using our step-by-step guides.
EU261 compensation amounts (2026)
Compensation is fixed by flight distance — the ticket price doesn't matter, and every passenger with a paid seat qualifies separately.
| Flight distance | EU261 | UK261 |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | €250 | £220 |
| 1,500–3,500 km (and intra-EU flights over 1,500 km) | €400 | £350 |
| Over 3,500 km | €600 | £520 |
| Over 3,500 km, arrival delay between 3 and 4 hours | €300 | £260 |
Delays qualify from 3 hours at arrival; cancellations need less than 14 days' notice. Source: Regulation (EC) 261/2004, Article 7 and the UK equivalent.
Why trust this checker?
- We tell you when you get nothing. Delay under 3 hours? Cancelled with 15 days’ notice? You’ll see €0 and the reason — not a nudge toward a hopeless claim.
- We disclose the commission. Claim services keep 25–35% of your payout. Claiming directly is free, and every page here explains how to do exactly that.
- No data leaves your phone. The calculator is plain JavaScript over a bundled airport list. No accounts, no cookies, no uploads.
- Rules, cited. Every verdict references the actual article of EU261/UK261 and the court rulings that shaped it.
Guides to your rights
Delayed Flight Compensation Under EU261: The Complete Guide
Flight delayed 3+ hours? You may be owed €250–€600 under EU261. See the rules, claim free directly with the airline, and skip the 25–35% commission.
Cancelled Flight Compensation Under EU261: Your Rights Explained
Flight cancelled? Choose a refund or re-routing and claim up to €600 under EU261 — free, direct with the airline, no 25–35% middleman fee.
Denied Boarding Compensation: Your Rights When You're Bumped
Bumped off an overbooked flight? EU261 owes you €250–€600 immediately. Know your gate rights, refuse bad offers, and claim free — no middleman needed.
Missed Connection Compensation: Your Rights Under EU261
Missed a connection and landed 3+ hours late? EU261 may owe you up to €600. Learn the one-booking rule and how to claim for free.
Extraordinary Circumstances: What Kills a Flight Compensation Claim
Airline blamed 'extraordinary circumstances'? Many rejections are wrong. See what counts, what doesn't, and how to fight back for free.
UK261 vs EU261: Flight Compensation After Brexit Explained
Flying to or from the UK? See whether UK261 or EU261 covers your delayed flight, how much you can claim, and how to file for free in 2026.
Compensation by airline
Frequently asked questions
- What is EU261 compensation?
- Regulation (EC) 261/2004 is an EU law that makes airlines pay fixed compensation of €250, €400 or €600 per passenger for long delays (3+ hours at arrival), cancellations at short notice, and denied boarding. The UK kept an identical rule after Brexit, paying £220, £350 or £520. The amount depends only on flight distance, not the ticket price.
- Is this calculator really free?
- Yes. The check runs entirely in your browser — we never see your flight details and store no personal data. We earn a commission only if you choose to start a claim through the claim-service link we show with results. You can always claim directly with the airline yourself for free, and we link instructions for that too.
- What counts as "extraordinary circumstances"?
- Things genuinely outside the airline's control: severe weather, air-traffic-control strikes, security risks. These cancel the compensation claim. But ordinary technical faults do not — and neither do strikes by the airline's own staff, which the EU Court of Justice confirmed in 2021. Airlines often reject valid claims by over-using this excuse, so it is worth double-checking.
- How long do I have to claim?
- It varies by country, from 1 year (Belgium, Poland) up to 6 years (UK, Ireland), with most countries at 2–5 years. Flights from 2023, 2024 or 2025 are often still claimable in 2026. Check the deadline list in our delayed-flight guide before writing a claim off.
- Do claim services take a cut?
- Yes — typically 25–35% of the payout, charged only if they win. Claiming directly with the airline is free and works well for clear-cut cases. A service makes sense when the airline rejects or ignores you, when the cause of the disruption is disputed, or when court action is needed.
- Does the law cover children and connecting flights?
- Every passenger with a paid seat qualifies separately, including children. Missed connections count too, as long as both flights were on one booking: the delay is measured at your final destination, and the distance is from origin to final destination — which often pushes the claim into a higher band.