THE LAW · EC261 & UK261
EC Regulation 261/2004, explained in plain English
One European regulation makes airlines pay €250–€600 per passenger for cancellations, long delays, and denied boarding — and its British twin, UK261, pays £220–£520. Airlines count on you not knowing how it works. Here’s how it works.
When the airline owes you cash
Cancellation with less than 14 days’ notice. Unless the airline told you two weeks ahead — or gave 7–13 days’ notice with rerouting close to your original schedule — a cancellation owes compensation, even if you were rebooked.
Delay of 3+ hours at arrival. Not departure — arrival, measured when the doors open. Three hours late at your destination pays the same as a cancellation.
Denied boarding against your will. Oversold flight, you had a confirmed seat and checked in on time, they bumped you anyway: compensation is owed immediately, and no weather excuse exists for it.
How much: the three bands
| Flight distance | EC261 | UK261 |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | €250 | £220 |
| 1,500–3,500 km | €400 | £350 |
| Over 3,500 km | €600 | £520 |
Per passenger — a family of four on a cancelled long-haul is €2,400, not €600. Amounts are fixed by law, not negotiable, and owed in cash (vouchers only with your consent).
Which flights are covered
✓ Departing the EU — any airline, any destination. A United flight out of Rome is covered.
✓ Departing the UK — any airline (UK261).
✓ Arriving into the EU on an EU carrier — e.g. Lufthansa from JFK to Frankfurt.
✓ Arriving into the UK on a UK or EU carrier — e.g. British Airways from Boston.
✗ US carrier flying INTO Europe — Delta JFK→Paris isn’t covered (Paris→JFK on the same plane is).
Connections count as one journey to the final destination when booked together (Folkerts) — a missed connection that lands you 3+ hours late at the end can qualify even if the first leg was barely delayed.
“Extraordinary circumstances” — the airline’s favorite words
Compensation isn’t owed when the cause was genuinely outside the airline’s control: severe weather, air-traffic-control stops, security events. But the courts drew the line where airlines wish they hadn’t: technical faults and maintenance problems are NOT extraordinary— they’re the ordinary business of running planes (Wallentin-Hermann). Crew shortages usually aren’t either. Airlines cite extraordinary circumstances by reflex; refusals frequently collapse when challenged with the airport’s own operational data — which is exactly the evidence our claims attach.
And even when no cash is owed, care rights survive every excuse: meals, communication, and a hotel when you’re stranded overnight (Article 9 — upheld without limit even in the volcanic-ash cases). Weather cancels the compensation, never the sandwiches.
How long you have
The regulation sets no deadline — national limitation periods apply where you file: six years in England & Wales, three years in Germany(from the end of the flight’s year), and multi-year windows across most of Europe. Last summer’s cancelled flight is very likely still money.
The questions everyone asks
What is EC Regulation 261/2004?+
EC 261/2004 is the European Union law that requires airlines to pay passengers fixed cash compensation — €250, €400, or €600 per person depending on flight distance — when a flight is cancelled at short notice, arrives three or more hours late, or a passenger is denied boarding against their will, unless the cause was truly outside the airline’s control. It also guarantees care (meals, hotels, communication) during long disruptions regardless of cause.
Is Regulation 261/2004 still valid in the UK after Brexit?+
Yes, in copied form. The UK kept the regulation as “UK261” — the same structure and rights, with compensation in pounds: £220, £350, or £520 per passenger. Flights departing the UK are covered on any airline; flights arriving into the UK are covered on UK and EU carriers.
How much compensation does EC261 pay?+
Three fixed bands, per passenger: €250 for flights up to 1,500 km, €400 for flights of 1,500–3,500 km (and all intra-EU flights over 1,500 km), and €600 for flights over 3,500 km. UK261 pays £220 / £350 / £520 in the same bands. A family of four on a long-haul cancellation is owed €2,400 — the amounts are per person, not per booking.
Does EC261 apply to US airlines and flights from the US?+
It applies by route, not nationality. Any flight DEPARTING an EU airport is covered regardless of airline — including American, Delta, and United departures from Paris or Rome. Flights ARRIVING into the EU from the US are covered only on EU carriers (and UK arrivals on UK/EU carriers under UK261). So a Delta flight from JFK to Paris isn’t covered, but the same plane flying Paris to JFK is.
What counts as "extraordinary circumstances"?+
Genuinely external events: severe weather, air traffic control restrictions, security threats, strikes by airport staff (not the airline’s own crew, in most cases). The courts have ruled that technical faults and maintenance issues are NOT extraordinary — they’re part of running an airline (Wallentin-Hermann v Alitalia). Airlines cite extraordinary circumstances reflexively; a large share of refusals don’t survive a challenge.
How long do I have to claim under EC261?+
Years, in most places — the regulation itself sets no deadline, so national time limits apply: six years in England and Wales, three years in Germany (from the end of the year the flight was in), and similar multi-year windows elsewhere. A disrupted flight from last summer is very often still claimable.
Does a 3-hour delay qualify for compensation?+
Yes — measured at ARRIVAL, not departure. The Court of Justice ruled (Sturgeon, confirmed in Nelson) that a delay of three hours or more at the final destination pays the same compensation as a cancellation. Arrival time means when the aircraft doors open, not touchdown (Germanwings C-452/13).
Do I get compensation if the airline rebooked me?+
Often, yes. For cancellations, rebooking only removes compensation when the airline told you 14+ days ahead, or gave you 7–13 days’ notice with rerouting close to your original times. Last-minute cancellations owe compensation even when you were rebooked — and if you arrived 3+ hours late on the replacement, a delay claim applies anyway.
TRAVELERS
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See how it works →More reading: traveler guides by situation · claims by airline. This page explains the regulation generally and isn’t legal advice for a specific case.