Ask the airline for care while you wait, keep every receipt, and note when you arrive at your final destination. Under the EU rules, arriving three hours or more late can mean fixed compensation of €250, €400 or €600 from the airline, unless extraordinary circumstances caused it. Travel insurance delay cover is separate and pays under its own terms.
What to do
- Ask the airline for careUnder the EU rules the airline owes meals and refreshments, and a hotel if you’re stuck overnight, once the delay reaches two, three or four hours depending on the flight’s distance.
- Keep every receiptFor food, calls, transport and any hotel. Both the airline and your insurer will ask for them.
- Note the time you arriveThe delay that counts is at your final destination, when a door of the plane opens.
- Ask why, in writingThe reason decides whether compensation is owed. Ask the airline to confirm the delay and its cause.
- Claim from the airlineOn the airline’s own claim form. Compensation comes from the airline, not your insurer.
- Claim from your travel insuranceFor costs its delay or missed-connection cover pays, with the receipts and the airline’s confirmation.
What the EU rules say today
| The flight | Compensation |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | €250 |
| Within the EU over 1,500 km, and other flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km | €400 |
| Other flights over 3,500 km | €600 |
These rules (Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, with the EU Court of Justice’s Sturgeon judgment for delays) cover flights leaving the EU on any airline, and flights into the EU on an EU airline. Iceland, Norway and Switzerland apply them too; the UK has its own version. No compensation is owed when extraordinary circumstances, such as severe weather, caused the delay; the care is owed either way.
If you’d rather not claim yourself
You can claim from the airline yourself, for free, on its own claim form, as the steps above show. A claims service does it for you, and keeps a share of what it gets.
Its fee, from its payment policy: 35% of the compensation it gets, plus 10% when it has legal costs, charged only after it receives the compensation. Bank transfer fees are yours.
Run by Compensair Pte. Ltd., a company registered in Singapore. Their terms. Their page: Flight Delay Compensation.
We earn a fixed amount for each claim it processes after you follow this link, through Travelpayouts. It never changes what this page says, and we don’t give advice. Fee read on 26 Oct 2026.
The three insurers
We earn a commission if you buy after following these links. It never changes what this page says, and we don’t give advice. Who each insurer is.
Questions
How late does a flight have to be for compensation?
Under the EU rules, three hours or more at your final destination, unless extraordinary circumstances caused it.
Does travel insurance pay flight delay compensation?
No: that comes from the airline. Travel insurance delay cover pays under its own terms, on top.
What does the airline owe me while I wait?
Meals and refreshments, and a hotel if you’re stuck overnight, once the delay passes two, three or four hours depending on distance.
Do I need a company to claim flight delay compensation?
No. You can claim from the airline yourself, for free, on its claim form. A claims service does it for you for a share of the compensation.
Sources
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (EUR-Lex)
- Court of Justice of the EU, Sturgeon, joined cases C-402/07 and C-432/07
- Regulation (EU) 2026/2202, published 2 October 2026 (EUR-Lex)
- Your Europe: air passenger rights
Rules checked against these sources on 24 Oct 2026.
Keep reading
Updated 2026-10-24.