Your rights as an
.
Several legal frameworks protect you when a flight goes wrong. We work across all the major ones.
EU Regulation 261/2004
Covers any flight departing from an EU airport (any airline) and any flight arriving at an EU airport on an EU-based airline. Equivalent rules apply in the UK, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland.
| Distance | Delay at arrival | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | 3 hours or more | €250 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km (and intra-EU over 1,500 km) | 3 hours or more | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km, international | 3 to 4 hours | €300 |
| Over 3,500 km, international | More than 4 hours | €600 |
On flights over 3,500 km, the airline may pay half when you arrive between 3 and 4 hours late. Under the UK rules the amounts are £220, £350 and £520, and £260 for that 3 to 4 hour delay.
Cancellations announced less than 14 days before departure and denied boarding due to overbooking are also covered.
Montreal Convention
Covers international flights worldwide. Lets you claim damages for baggage loss or damage, delays causing financial harm, and certain injuries. Compensation amounts are calculated in Special Drawing Rights and indexed to inflation.
US Department of Transportation rules
Covers domestic US flights and international flights operated by US carriers. Strengthened in 2024 to require automatic refunds for cancellations and significant delays. Different from EC 261 and usually less generous, but still enforceable.
Brazil ANAC Resolution 400
Covers flights to, from, and within Brazil. Provides for compensation, rebooking, and assistance during delays.
When you are not owed compensation.
Airlines are not required to pay when the disruption was caused by an extraordinary circumstance that could not have been prevented by reasonable measures. Courts have confirmed this includes:
✓Not extraordinary — still owed
- Most technical or maintenance issues
- Crew shortages or scheduling failures
- Delayed inbound aircraft
- Strikes by the airline's own staff
- Bird strikes where the airline did not follow standard procedures
—Extraordinary circumstances
- Severe weather genuinely beyond the airline's control
- Air traffic control restrictions
- Security alerts or political instability
- Hidden manufacturing defects identified by the manufacturer
- Strikes by external parties like airport security
If an airline cites "extraordinary circumstances" to reject your claim, check with us before you accept the rejection. We have seen this exact tactic fail in court many times.
How far back can you claim?
The statute of limitations varies:
Belgium: 1 year. If your flight was within the last three years, it is almost always worth checking.
What you need to claim.
Just a flight number and a date. Everything else we figure out.
Check my flight