QUALIFY IT
The measurement, then the direction
Arrival delay at the final destination decides it, and arrival means doors open (Germanwings, C-452/13). CDG stand waits are long; on a delay AF records at 2h 50m, the taxi from the runway to Terminal 2E is frequently the whole claim.
Direction: AF is an EU carrier, so a late arrival INTO Paris from New York or Atlanta qualifies. Agents routinely skip these because “it left the US” — the regulation cares who flew it.
Connections through CDG on one ticket are one journey (Folkerts). A 40-minute feeder delay that produces a 4-hour arrival at the final destination is a €600 claim, not a €250 one.
THE MONEY
What is it worth?
€250
Under 1,500 km
€400
1,500–3,500 km
€600
Over 3,500 km
Per passenger, measured on the journey’s great-circle distance.
Under 1,500 km €250 · 1,500–3,500 km €400 · over 3,500 km €600. Transatlantic AF delays are €600s; the short-haul CDG bank is €250s.
THE PUSHBACK
What Air France will say
The reply cites ATC — and French ATC restrictions are real and often extraordinary. But AF must show the restriction applied to this flight on this day, not that France had a strike week. Ask for the specific slot restriction.
Late inbound aircraft is the other letter: the aircraft arriving from Bangkok was late. That is AF’s rotation, and it pays. Only the cause of the ORIGINAL delay matters, and knock-on is not extraordinary.
THE EDGE
What’s specific to Air France
AF replies in four to eight weeks and often with a voucher first. Decline it in writing; Article 7(3) makes cash the default.
MTV mediation opens at eight weeks and is free; DGAC is the regulator. Both go in the escalation line.
Inbound US–Paris delays on AF metal qualify. This is the single most under-claimed category on this carrier.
Five-year limitation in France: 2021 delays are still live money.
Reading this as the passenger, not the agent? The plain-English version for your own trip: flight delayed 3+ hours — what you’re owed.
THE PLAY
How do you file it?
File through AF’s online compensation request with the doors-open arrival time your client can evidence.
Include every passenger on the PNR; attach boarding passes and the confirmation.
Name the operating carrier and, for connections, the final-destination arrival time.
Diary eight weeks for MTV.
FLYING IT YOURSELF?
Check what Air France owes you — free, two minutes. $39 only if the airline pays.
Check my flight →TRAVEL AGENTS · Forward the booking and this claim is prepared for you. Start watching client flights →
AGENTS ASK
Questions agents ask
AF quotes 2h 45m; the client landed and sat on the tarmac 25 minutes — claim?
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Yes. Doors open is the measurement. 3h 10m at the doors is a claim.
The delay was on a Delta-operated codeshare into CDG — AF or Delta?
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Delta operated it, so it’s Delta’s flight — and a US carrier arriving into the EU is not covered.
Business class — more compensation?
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No. Amounts are per passenger and flat across cabins.
They accepted a voucher already. Reversible?
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Usually not, if accepted in writing. The care claim remains.
What does AF actually pay on a won delay?
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Bank transfer to the passenger, in euros, typically 2–3 weeks after agreement.
General information for travel professionals, not legal advice. Compensation depends on the facts of each disruption and the airline’s evidence. MyAirAdvocate prepares claims; it does not represent passengers and takes no percentage of any compensation.