QUALIFY IT
Does my missed Air France connection qualify?
Both flights must be on one booking. Air France, KLM and their SkyTeam partners sell connections on one ticket all the time, so most CDG connections booked together qualify. A connection you built yourself on two bookings doesn’t, and the rebooking is at your cost.
The delay is measured at your final destination. Say a 35-minute delay on your flight from Nice makes you miss the CDG–Boston departure, and you land in Boston at midnight, more than 4 hours late. That’s a €600 claim, the over-3,500 km band, because the journey is Nice–Boston.
The claim is against the airline that operated the delayed first flight. If Delta operated it, the claim is Delta’s and the direction matters. If Air France operated it, Air France pays.
THE MONEY
How much am I owed?
€250
Under 1,500 km
€400
1,500–3,500 km
€600
Over 3,500 km
Per person, measured on the journey’s great-circle distance.
The band follows the whole journey. Most CDG connections to the Americas, Asia and Africa are €600; connections within Europe are €250 or €400. On flights over 3,500 km, an arrival 3 to 4 hours late can be paid at half: €300. From 4 hours it’s the full €600. The first flight’s short distance never caps it.
THE PUSHBACK
What will Air France say to refuse?
Air France’s reply looks at the first flight alone: 35 minutes late, no claim. Answer with Folkerts in one sentence: the arrival at the final destination is the measure. Then give your final arrival time.
The second reply says your connection time was too short. If Air France sold it, Air France vouched for it. A booking at the minimum connection time is Air France’s risk, not yours.
THE EDGE
What’s specific to Air France
At CDG, the Terminal 2E to 2F transfer with a second security check is where Air France connections fail. Connections through 2E booked at the published minimum time are the ones most likely to break, and to pay.
Air France’s form has one delay field. Enter the delay at your final destination, explain it, and cite Folkerts.
France’s five-year limit and MTV apply.
The same rules on any airline: missed connection compensation, explained.
HOW TO CLAIM
How do I claim?
Check that one booking covers both flights.
File on the arrival delay at your final destination, naming the delayed first flight and citing Folkerts (C-11/11).
Attach both boarding passes and the new itinerary Air France gave you at CDG.
Note the date 60 days out for MTV.
WHAT AIR FRANCE OWES YOU
Check what Air France owes you — free, two minutes. $39 only if the airline pays.
Check my flight →YOU ASK
Common questions
My first flight was 40 minutes late, but I got home 5 hours late. Which delay counts?
Five hours, at your final destination. That’s the point of Folkerts.
Air France rebooked me the next day with a hotel. Can I still claim?
Yes. Care doesn’t reduce compensation. A next-day arrival is more than 4 hours late, so it’s the full amount for the journey’s distance.
I booked my first flight separately on a cheap fare. Can I claim?
Not for the missed connection. The first flight on its own is claimable if it was 3+ hours late.
I connected from Air France to Delta at CDG, and Delta was on time. Who owes me?
Air France, for the late flight that caused the miss. The band follows the whole journey.
Does the minimum connection time matter?
Only to Air France’s defence, and it fails. A connection Air France sold is one it vouched for.
The law this guide is written against: EC261 full text (EUR-Lex) · UK261 full text (legislation.gov.uk)
General information, not legal advice. Compensation depends on the facts of each disruption and the airline’s evidence. MyAirAdvocate files claims for a flat $39, charged only if the airline pays, and never takes a percentage of what you are owed.