Flight delayed

What to do right now

1. Wait at the airport — the airline must provide care if delay exceeds 2 hours (short flights) or 4 hours (long-haul).

2. Save every receipt: meals, refreshments, taxis if you couldn't get home, accommodation if delay > 5 hours.

3. Get the delay reason in writing. Tech faults, crew shortage, and routine maintenance issues qualify for compensation; weather and ATC strikes do not.

4. If delay exceeds 5 hours and you no longer want to travel, you can request a full refund and abandon the trip.

Your rights

• Care: meals and refreshments after 2 hours (short-haul) or 4 hours (long-haul); two phone calls or emails.
• Accommodation and transport to it: free of charge if your flight is rescheduled to the next day.
• Cash compensation €250–€600 for delays of 3+ hours at the destination, scaled by distance.
• Full refund within 7 days if delay exceeds 5 hours and you choose not to travel.

How to claim

1. File the claim with the airline first — they have 2 months to respond before you can escalate.

2. Keep boarding passes, booking confirmation, and receipts for at least 12 months.

3. If denied, escalate to your national enforcement body or use a claims service. The cap on retroactive claims is typically 3 years from the flight date.

When compensation is NOT due

• Delay caused by extraordinary circumstances: weather, security alert, hidden manufacturing defect.
• Delay was less than 3 hours at arrival (compensation not due, but care still owed if delay > 2h).
• Flight was rerouted and you arrived less than 3 hours late at final destination.

Other scenarios