Three hours feels long at the gate. Under EU261, three hours at arrival can mean hundreds of euros in your pocket, if the delay was the airline's fault and your flight qualifies.
Arrival time counts, not departure
Courts measure delay at your final destination, not when the plane left the runway. A flight that departs five hours late but makes up time en route may not qualify. Conversely, a short departure delay that snowballs into a long late arrival often does.
Compensation amounts by distance
- Flights up to 1,500 km → €250
- Intra-EU flights over 1,500 km and other routes between 1,500–3,500 km → €400
- Flights over 3,500 km → €600
Care rights while you wait
Before compensation even comes into question, delays of two hours or more (depending on distance) trigger care obligations: food, drinks, and hotel stays when needed. Ask at the airline desk. Do not assume they will offer automatically.
When airlines say "extraordinary circumstances"
Extreme weather, political instability, and certain security events can exempt carriers. But airlines routinely overuse this defence. A technical fault on an earlier rotation, understaffing, or a preventable operational failure is generally not extraordinary.
Key takeaway: Screenshot your flight's actual arrival time from the airline app or airport board. It is the evidence that wins or loses claims.
Check your delay claim quickly
Compensall compares your scheduled and actual arrival times against EC 261/2004. Upload your boarding pass and our assistant flags eligibility in minutes. Our team challenges unfair rejections on a no win, no fee basis.
