Flight Delayed by 3 Hours? You May Be Owed Up to €600

You Just Landed 3 Hours Late. Now What?

You step off the plane exhausted. The delay ate into your holiday, your connection, or your meeting. The airline handed you a meal voucher and a shrug. What most passengers don't realize is that EU law may entitle them to cash compensation of up to €600 — on top of whatever the airline already offered.

This isn't a loophole or a grey area. It's a regulation that has been in force since 2005, and airlines are legally required to pay. Millions of passengers qualify every year. Most never claim.

Here's everything you need to know.

What Is EC261/2004?

EC261/2004 is a European Union regulation that protects air passengers when things go wrong — delays, cancellations, and denied boarding.

It applies to:

Any flight departing from an EU airport, regardless of the airline
Any flight arriving at an EU airport, if the airline is based in the EU

So if you fly from Paris to New York on any airline, you're covered. If you fly from New York to Paris, you're only covered if the airline is EU-based (like Air France or Lufthansa).

The regulation doesn't care about your nationality, your ticket class, or whether you booked through a travel agent. If the flight qualifies, you qualify.

The 3-Hour Rule: When Compensation Kicks In

Not every delay triggers compensation. Here's how the thresholds work:

Under 2 hours: The airline owes you nothing beyond getting you to your destination.

2 hours or more: The airline must provide "right to care" — meals, refreshments, and phone calls. For overnight delays, hotel accommodation and transport.

3 hours or more at your final destination: This is the trigger for cash compensation. If you arrive at your final destination 3 or more hours late, you may be entitled to a fixed payment — regardless of what you paid for the ticket.

Cancellations follow the same logic. If the airline cancelled your flight and rebooked you on an alternative that arrived 3+ hours late, the same compensation applies.

The key detail: it's the arrival delay that matters, not the departure delay. If your flight left 4 hours late but made up time in the air and landed only 2 hours behind schedule, you wouldn't qualify for the cash payment.

How Much Are You Owed?

The compensation amount depends on the flight distance, not the ticket price:

Flight distance	Compensation
Under 1,500 km	€250
1,500 – 3,500 km	€400
Over 3,500 km	€600

A few examples to make this concrete:

London to Amsterdam (370 km): €250
Berlin to Rome (1,180 km): €250
Paris to Istanbul (2,250 km): €400
Frankfurt to New York (6,200 km): €600

This is per passenger. A family of four on a delayed long-haul flight could be owed €2,400.

What Airlines Use to Deny Your Claim

Airlines are required to pay — but that doesn't mean they make it easy. The most common defence is claiming "extraordinary circumstances", which exempts them from paying.

What counts as extraordinary circumstances

Severe weather (storms, volcanic ash, heavy fog)
Air traffic control restrictions or strikes by ATC staff
Political instability or security threats
Bird strikes (in most jurisdictions)

What does NOT count

Technical issues — Courts have ruled repeatedly that mechanical problems are part of normal airline operations and are not extraordinary. This is the most common — and weakest — excuse airlines use.
Crew shortages — Staffing is the airline's responsibility.
Operational decisions — Choosing to delay a flight to wait for connecting passengers or for scheduling reasons is not extraordinary.

If an airline denies your claim citing extraordinary circumstances, don't accept it at face value. Ask for specifics. In many cases, the real cause was a technical fault or crew issue dressed up in vague language.

How to Check If Your Flight Qualifies

You need three pieces of information:

Flight number (e.g., BA247, LH401)
Date of the flight
Actual arrival time — specifically, how late you arrived at your final destination

If you no longer have your boarding pass, check your booking confirmation email. Flight tracking websites also keep historical data on arrival times.

Once you have this information, you can check your eligibility on our site in under a minute. We'll calculate your distance, verify the route, and tell you exactly how much you may be owed.

Quick self-check

Ask yourself:

Did the flight depart from an EU airport? Or arrive at one on an EU-based airline?
Did I arrive at my final destination 3+ hours late?
Was it within the last 3 years?

If the answer to all three is yes, there's a strong chance you have a valid claim.

Filing the Claim: DIY vs. Using a Service

You have two main options.

Option 1: File it yourself

Write to the airline. Send a formal complaint letter citing EC261/2004, including your flight details, booking reference, and the compensation amount you're claiming.
Wait for a response. Airlines typically have 6–8 weeks to reply. Some respond quickly. Others stall or send generic rejection letters.
Escalate if needed. If the airline refuses or ignores you, file a complaint with the National Enforcement Body (NEB) in the country where the flight departed. Each EU member state has one. In the UK, it's the Civil Aviation Authority. In Germany, it's the Schlichtungsstelle für den öffentlichen Personenverkehr (SÖP).

The DIY route costs nothing but takes time and persistence. Some airlines resolve claims quickly. Others require months of follow-up.

Option 2: Use FlightIssues

We generate a professional, legally-referenced claim letter for a flat $19 fee. You get the letter instantly, send it to the airline yourself, and keep 100% of your compensation.

Unlike claim management companies that take 25-35% of your payout, we charge a one-time fee regardless of the outcome. For a €600 claim, that's the difference between keeping €600 and keeping €390.

We don't file on your behalf or handle negotiations — we give you the document you need to claim effectively on your own.

Frequently Asked Questions

How far back can I claim?

It depends on where the flight departed. Most EU countries allow claims going back 3 years, but some allow more:

UK: 6 years
France: 5 years
Germany: 3 years
Spain: 5 years

If your flight was within this window, you can still claim — even if it happened years ago.

Does it apply to non-EU citizens?

Yes. EC261 protects all passengers on qualifying flights, regardless of nationality. Whether you hold an EU passport or not, if the flight meets the criteria, you're covered.

What if the airline ignores my claim?

This happens more often than it should. If you don't receive a response within 6–8 weeks, escalate to the NEB in the departure country. You can also file a claim through the European Small Claims Procedure for amounts under €5,000, which works across EU borders.

Do connecting flights count?

Yes, if they were booked as a single itinerary. The delay that matters is at your final destination, not at the connection point. If your first leg was delayed, causing you to miss a connection and arrive 4 hours late at your final stop, the full delay counts.

If you booked the legs separately as independent tickets, each leg is treated as a separate flight.

What documents do I need?

At minimum, you'll need:

Booking confirmation or e-ticket
Boarding pass (if available)
Evidence of the delay (flight tracking data, airline notification, airport display photo)

Having your booking reference number speeds things up significantly.

Take the First Step

If you've experienced a flight delay of 3 hours or more on a qualifying EU route, there's a good chance you're owed compensation. The process is straightforward, and the amounts are significant — up to €600 per person.

Don't let the airline keep money that's rightfully yours. Check your eligibility now and find out in under 60 seconds whether your flight qualifies.