THE SHORT ANSWER
Does United, Delta or American owe me compensation for a delay?
Only on the right flights. EC261 covers every flight that departs an EU airport, whatever airline flies it. Flights into the EU count only when a European airline operates them (Article 3). UK261 does the same for the UK.
So a US airline owes you on the way home from Europe, and usually not on the way there.
When it does owe, the amount is fixed by distance, per person: €600 on any transatlantic flight from the EU, £520 from the UK, once you arrive three hours late. It’s the same money a European airline pays.
SAME AIRLINE, FOUR ANSWERS
Which of my flights count?
Four trips, each landing five hours late. Only the direction and the operating airline change.
Delta, Paris to Atlanta: €600 each
An EU departure, so EC261 applies to any airline. Two of you on the booking is €1,200.
United, London Heathrow to Newark: £520 each
A UK departure, so it’s UK261, paid in pounds. Same rule, same trigger.
Delta, Atlanta to Paris: nothing under EC261
A flight into the EU on a US airline sits outside the regulation. You’re owed care and rebooking under Delta’s own terms, not the fixed €600.
Booked with Delta, flown by Air France, Atlanta to Paris: €600 each
The operating airline is European, so the inbound flight is covered. The flight number on your boarding pass may say DL; the line underneath that says “operated by” is the one that counts.
See exactly what your flight owes you. Free, no card.
Check my flight →INSIDE THE US
Do US airlines have to compensate for delays on domestic flights?
No. No US law sets cash compensation for a delayed domestic flight. A federal proposal to create one was withdrawn in 2025.
What you get depends on the airline’s own customer service commitments: typically meal vouchers, or a hotel when the delay is the airline’s fault. Those are promises, not fixed amounts.
Cancellations are different. If the airline cancels or significantly changes your flight and you don’t accept what it offers instead, a 2024 Department of Transportation rule gives you an automatic cash refund of the ticket. That’s your money back, not compensation on top.
CLAIMING
How do I claim EU261 compensation from a US airline?
Exactly as you would from a European airline: in writing, citing Regulation 261/2004 (or UK261 for a UK departure), and asking for money, not miles or a voucher. The delay guide covers how the three hours are measured and which excuses hold up, and the claim letter template has the wording.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Questions people ask
Does EC261 apply to American Airlines?
On flights departing the EU, yes, exactly as it does to a European airline. On flights from the US into the EU operated by American, no.
My United flight from London was delayed four hours. EC261 or UK261?
UK261, because it departed the UK. Over 3,500 km that’s £520 per person, or half that if the delay was between three and four hours on the longest routes.
Is Southwest covered?
No. Southwest doesn’t fly to Europe, and US law sets no fixed compensation for domestic delays.
Isn’t the DOT refund rule the same thing?
No. It returns what you paid when a flight is cancelled or significantly changed. EC261 compensation is a fixed amount on top, for a delay or cancellation, and you can be owed both on the right flight.
How long do I have to claim?
It depends on the country you departed from: six years in England and Wales, three in Germany (from the end of the year), five in France. A flight from last summer is usually still live.
WRITTEN BY
Nathan Zarcaro, founder of MyAirAdvocate
“My family ran a travel agency, so I watched the disruption problem from the inside.” About MyAirAdvocate →
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.
