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My flight was 3 hours late: how much do I get?

If your flight reaches its destination 3 hours late or more, EU rules give each passenger up to €250 for flights up to 1,500 km, up to €400 for flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km and up to €600 for longer flights, unless extraordinary circumstances caused the delay. What counts is the arrival time, not the departure.

Checked 9 Oct

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What you can get under EU Regulation 261/2004
Flight distanceCompensation per person
Up to 1,500 kmup to €250
Between 1,500 and 3,500 kmup to €400
Over 3,500 kmup to €600

A flight over 3,500 km between two EU airports falls in the middle band: up to €400. If you are offered a new flight that arrives close to the original time, the amount can be halved (article 7(2)).

What counts as 3 hours

The delay is measured at arrival, when at least one door opens and you can leave the plane, not when the wheels touch the runway (Court of Justice, C-452/13). 2 hours and 59 minutes late gives no compensation; 3 hours does.

When it is half

For a flight over 3,500 km that starts or ends outside the EU, a delay between 3 and 4 hours gives half: up to €300. From 4 hours, the full amount.

What the airline owes you while you wait

From 2 hours of delay on flights up to 1,500 km, 3 hours up to 3,500 km and 4 hours on longer ones, the airline owes you meals and drinks in proportion to the wait and two calls or emails. If the flight only leaves the next day, a hotel and transport to it too (article 9). Ask at the airline's desk; if nothing is offered, buy what is reasonable and keep the receipts.

Where the rule comes from

The text of Regulation 261/2004 only gives money for cancellations. In 2009 the Court of Justice ruled that a delay of 3 hours or more at arrival gives the same right (Sturgeon, C-402/07 and C-432/07).

Other flight problems

Questions

Are the 3 hours counted from departure or from arrival?

From arrival. A flight that left 4 hours late but made up time and arrived 2 hours and 50 minutes late gives no compensation.

What are extraordinary circumstances?

Events outside the airline's control, such as severe weather, air traffic control restrictions or security risks. Technical problems with the aircraft usually don't count. The airline has to show the event caused the delay.

Does the airline owe me food or a hotel?

Under EU and UK rules, yes, while you wait for a delayed or cancelled flight: meals and drinks in proportion to the wait, and a hotel with transport if you are stuck overnight. That is separate from compensation.

What does FlyHandled cost?

Checking your flight is free. If we handle the claim, the fee is 25% of what the airline pays, VAT included, plus 15% only if it goes to court, and nothing if it pays nothing.

Sources7
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