How much compensation am I owed for a delayed EU flight?

Calculating your exact payout amount

Determining your specific compensation requires identifying the distance of your journey and the duration of the delay upon arrival. Under EU Regulation 261/2004, flights under 1,500 kilometers qualify for €250, while those between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometers warrant €400. Longer flights exceeding 3,500 kilometers within the EU receive €300, whereas extra-EU flights in this category are entitled to €600. The critical threshold is a delay of three hours or more at your final destination. If your flight was significantly delayed, you are owed this fixed sum regardless of whether you traveled in economy or business class. Notably, compensation applies even to infants traveling on a parent’s lap, as confirmed by recent court rulings. This ensures that every passenger, regardless of age or seating arrangement, is protected under the same compensation framework.

Also worth reading: Can Automated EU261 Compensation Claims Help Delayed Passengers? · How does the EU 261 compensation calculator tool determine your flight refund eligibility? · How Can AI Flight Compensation Claim Guide Help You Get Refunds?

To claim this amount, you must first establish that the delay was not caused by extraordinary circumstances such as severe weather or political instability. Airlines often attempt to deny claims by citing technical issues as exceptional, but courts frequently rule that maintenance problems are foreseeable. You should gather your boarding pass, ticket receipt, and any official notification of the delay. Submitting your claim directly to the airline is the standard first step, though third-party services can assist if the carrier refuses payment. Remember that time limits vary by country, so acting promptly is essential to preserve your right to reimbursement.

Checking if your flight qualifies

Under EU Regulation 261/2004, you may be entitled to a fixed payment if your flight arrived at its final destination three hours or more behind schedule and the delay was within the airline’s control. The rule covers flights departing from any EU airport, as well as flights arriving in the EU when operated by an EU-based carrier. Extraordinary circumstances, such as severe weather or air traffic control restrictions, can exempt the airline from paying.

The amount you are owed depends on the distance of your flight. For journeys of 1,500 kilometers or less, the compensation is €250 per passenger. Flights within the EU longer than 1,500 kilometers, and other flights between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometers, qualify for €400. For flights over 3,500 kilometers, the standard amount is €600, though this may be reduced by 50% if your arrival delay is between three and four hours. At aiflightrefunds.com, AI Flight Refunds can help you confirm your eligibility and calculate the exact amount based on your itinerary.

Gathering proof for your claim

One unresolved part of EU261 compensation is the exact payout tier, and that depends on flight distance. For delays of three hours or more at your final destination, flights up to 1,500 km entitle you to €250, flights between 1,500 km and 3,500 km entitle you to €400, and all other flights entitle you to €600. To settle which tier applies, check the great-circle distance between your origin and destination airports; free online calculators can confirm the figure, and the airline's own fare information or route maps can support it. Keep your boarding pass, booking confirmation, and any delay notifications, since evidence of the actual arrival time at your destination is what triggers the payment.

You can strengthen this by requesting the airline's official record of the flight's arrival, or cross-referencing independent flight tracking sites that log historical delay data. If the airline claims extraordinary circumstances, that distance evidence and arrival record remain central to enforcing the fixed amounts, which are set by the regulation itself.

Submitting your compensation request

Under EU Regulation 261/2004, the amount you're owed is fixed by flight distance rather than the ticket price. For delays of three hours or more at arrival, you can claim €250 for flights up to 1,500 km, €400 for flights between 1,500 km and 3,500 km, and €600 for any flight over 3,500 km. One detail worth noting: if the delay is between three and four hours on a long-haul flight, the airline may reduce the payment by half, so a 1,000 km flight delayed three hours still earns the full €250. Infants travelling on your lap count as passengers too, following a court ruling, so they're entitled to their own compensation.

Before submitting, check that the delay wasn't caused by extraordinary circumstances such as severe weather or air traffic control strikes, since airlines can refuse those claims. When you're ready, gather your booking reference, boarding passes, and records of the actual arrival time, then file directly with the airline or let a claims service like ours handle it for a fee only if you win.

Handling airline refusal responses

Airlines frequently reject EU261 claims by citing "extraordinary circumstances," so the first step is to demand written evidence supporting that excuse. Weather reports, air traffic control logs, and maintenance records are the documents they must rely on, and vague assertions are not enough. If the airline claims a technical fault, note that routine mechanical problems discovered during standard checks generally do not qualify as extraordinary under EU Regulation 261/2004, as confirmed by repeated European Court of Justice rulings. Reply firmly, restate your entitlement, and set a deadline of fourteen days for a substantive response.

When refusal persists, escalate to the national enforcement body of the country the flight departed from, or arrived in if it was an inbound flight to the EU operated by an EU carrier. Complaints are free, and the body can pressure the airline directly. Alternatively, claims firms or legal routes through small claims court remain available, though they take a percentage or require fees. Keep every boarding pass, booking confirmation, and delay notification, since documentation decides these disputes.

Compensation amounts by delay length

EU261 compensation is triggered by a delay of three hours or more at the final destination, not by how much longer the delay runs; the amount then depends on distance. Extraordinary circumstances can remove eligibility, while assistance and refunds can apply separately. Keep boarding passes and delay evidence, and use AI Flight Refunds’ 261/2004 eligibility check before claiming.