EU261 Flight Compensation Calculator

How to Calculate Your Flight Delay Compensation

EU Regulation 261/2004 entitles passengers to fixed cash payouts when their flight is delayed by 3 hours or more at the final destination, cancelled with less than 14 days’ notice, or when they are denied boarding due to overbooking. The UK retained identical rules post-Brexit as UK261, covering flights departing from UK airports or operated by UK-licensed carriers arriving in the UK.

Your payout is determined by two factors: the great-circle distance between departure and arrival airports (not the route flown), and whether the flight operates entirely within EU/EEA territory or crosses external borders.

Step 1: Identify Your Route

Enter your departure and arrival airports above. The calculator uses the Haversine formula on published IATA airport coordinates to compute the exact straight-line distance in kilometres.

Step 2: Check the Delay Threshold

Short-haul flights (up to 1,500 km) require a delay of 3 hours or more. Medium-haul flights (1,501–3,500 km, or any intra-EU flight over 1,500 km) also require 3 hours. Long-haul flights over 3,500 km between an EU and non-EU airport qualify at 3 hours for a reduced payout and at 4 hours for the full amount.

Step 3: Confirm Airline Responsibility

Airlines must pay when the disruption is within their control — mechanical failures, crew scheduling problems, IT outages, or operational decisions. They are exempt from cash payouts when the cause is genuinely extraordinary: severe weather, air traffic control strikes, or security incidents. Even in exempt cases, the airline must still provide meals, drinks, and hotel accommodation under the Right to Care provisions.

Eligibility Rules: When Are You Owed Up to €600?

The regulation applies based on where you fly from, where you fly to, and which airline operates the flight. Here’s the breakdown:

Extraordinary Circumstances vs. Airline Fault

Airlines frequently reject valid claims by citing “extraordinary circumstances.” The regulation and court rulings draw a clear line:

Airline Is Liable (Must Pay)

• Technical or mechanical faults — engine problems, avionics failures, hydraulic leaks. The CJEU ruled in Wallentin-Hermann v. Alitalia (C-549/07) that technical problems inherent to aircraft maintenance are not extraordinary.
• Crew shortages — pilots or cabin crew calling in sick, rostering errors, or crew exceeding duty-hour limits.
• IT system failures — airline check-in or booking system outages.
• Operational decisions — aircraft repositioning, commercial schedule changes, or fuel-related delays.

Airline Is Exempt (Extraordinary Circumstances)

• Severe weather — storms, heavy fog, volcanic ash, or ice that makes flying unsafe. Routine rain or light snow does not qualify.
• Air traffic control restrictions — ATC-imposed ground stops, sector closures, or slot delays beyond airline control.
• Political instability or security threats — airport evacuations, bomb threats, or government-imposed airspace closures.
• Bird strikes — generally treated as extraordinary, though some national courts have ruled otherwise for repeat incidents.

Even when the airline is exempt from cash compensation, EU261 Article 9 Right to Care still applies: the airline must provide meals and refreshments proportionate to the wait, two phone calls or emails, and hotel accommodation plus transport if an overnight stay is needed. Use the Travel Budget Calculator to estimate out-of-pocket costs if the airline fails to provide these. Before you fly, run through our travel insurance checklist — a good policy covers meal and hotel expenses when airlines refuse to pay.

How to Claim EU261 Compensation

Knowing you are owed compensation is one thing. Actually getting the money is another. Airlines routinely ignore initial claims, send template rejections, or offer vouchers hoping you will give up. Here is how to file and follow through:

1. Gather your evidence

Save everything: your booking confirmation, boarding pass (or proof of check-in), any communication from the airline about the delay or cancellation, and receipts for meals, transport, or hotel stays you paid for yourself. Screenshot the departure board if the delay is still happening — timestamps matter.

2. Write directly to the airline

Use the claim letter this calculator generates. Send it to the airline’s official complaints or customer service email. Include your booking reference, flight number, date, departure and arrival airports, and the exact delay at your final destination. State the compensation amount you are claiming (€250, €400, or €600) and cite EU Regulation 261/2004 by name. Keep the tone factual.

3. Wait and follow up

Airlines have no legally mandated response time under EU261 itself, but most national enforcement bodies expect a response within 6 to 8 weeks. If you hear nothing, send a follow-up referencing your original claim. If the airline rejects your claim or stays silent, escalate.

4. Escalate to a national enforcement body

Every EU member state has a National Enforcement Body (NEB) that handles EU261 complaints. In the UK, it is the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). In Germany, the Schlichtungsstelle für den öffentlichen Personenverkehr (SÖP). Filing with the NEB is free. Some NEBs actively mediate; others only record complaints. If the NEB route stalls, small claims court is your final option — filing fees are low (often under €50) and airlines frequently settle before the hearing.

EU261 Compensation Amounts by Route

The compensation amounts under EU261 are fixed by law and do not depend on what you paid for your ticket. A €30 Ryanair fare gets the same payout as a €3,000 business-class ticket on the same route. Here is a quick reference of what common routes are worth:

These amounts are per passenger. A family of four on a delayed London–New York flight is owed €2,400 in total. Children with their own seat get the same payout as adults. If your flight enters the Schengen Area, the EU261 rules apply from the moment you depart an EU/EEA airport — your destination does not need to be in the EU.