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Compared to the original scheduled arrival time

This decides whether the airline can refuse to pay

Why does the reason matter?
Airlines don't owe compensation for a delay or cancellation caused by an "extraordinary circumstance" — genuinely external events like bad weather, security threats, or a third-party strike. A technical fault is usually NOT extraordinary, even though airlines often say otherwise: case law treats routine mechanical problems as an ordinary cost of running an airline. The airline has to prove the exemption applies, not the other way round.

Only matters if you departed from outside the EU/UK — skip the guesswork otherwise

Compensation

Select two airports

Estimate for reference only, not verified proof — check the sources below, and their access date, before relying on this for a claim or filing.

    Flight delay compensation by airport and airline (2026)

    What EU261 and UK261 pay for a delayed or cancelled flight from major European airports and on major airlines, worked out from the real distances.

    Under EU261 and UK261, a flight that arrives 3 or more hours late, is cancelled at short notice or overbooked earns a fixed amount set by distance: €250 up to 1,500 km, €400 up to 3,500 km and €600 beyond (£220, £350 or £520 under UK261). Whether a flight is covered depends on where it departs and where the airline is licensed. On flights over 3,500 km, a delay of 3 to 4 hours earns half.

    Reviewed by RuleCost Editorial Team. Rules for 2026, updated 18 Sept 2026.

    How to use it

    1. 1Enter the departure and arrival airports.
    2. 2Choose what happened and how late you arrived.
    3. 3Pick the reason the airline gave and read the amount — the calculator can also draft the claim letter.

    By departure airport

    By airline

    Questions