Canaryfly

Canaryfly: a 25-minute flight with the same rights as a long-haul

Canaryfly is the Canary Islands’ second inter-island airline — the main competitor to Binter — flying ATR 72 turboprops on the short hops between Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and La Palma. Its flights are some of the shortest scheduled flights in Europe: Gran Canaria to Tenerife is barely 110 km, around half an hour gate to gate.

And here’s what passengers don’t expect: that 30-minute hop carries the same EU 261 rights as a transatlantic flight. Compensation is fixed by the flight’s distance band, not by how short it is, how cheap the ticket was, or how brief the hop felt. Land 3+ hours late on any Canaryfly flight and you’re owed €250 — the full amount, on a flight shorter than the queue to board it. The clock decides, not the timetable:

What your Canaryfly claim is worth — always €250

EU 261 sets the amount by the great-circle distance of your route. Every Canaryfly route is an inter-island hop far under 1,500 km, so there’s only one band:

There’s no €400 and no €600 here — Canaryfly flies only within the islands, and the longest hop (Tenerife to Lanzarote, ~270 km) is less than a fifth of the way to the €400 threshold. So a Canaryfly claim is always €250. Pick a route to confirm:

Covered both ways — every flight is intra-EU

Canaryfly is a Spanish (EU) carrier flying entirely within Spain — the Canary Islands are an outermost region of the EU. So every flight is intra-EU and covered in both directions, with none of the departure-direction complications that affect non-EU airlines. The only question is whether your disruption qualifies, not whether the route is covered.

Real example. A Gran Canaria → Tenerife flight, a 30-minute hop, lands 3 hours 10 minutes late after a technical fault. Under 1,500 km → €250 per passenger — the full amount, on a flight barely longer than the safety briefing. A routine technical fault isn’t an extraordinary circumstance, so it’s owed. Check a delayed flight →

Real example. The last Lanzarote → Gran Canaria flight of the day is cancelled, stranding you overnight. Within the airline’s control, short notice → €250 per passenger, plus a hotel, meals and transfers. Check a cancelled flight →

Delays, cancellations and overbooking

• Delays. Reach your destination 3+ hours late for a reason within Canaryfly’s control and you’re owed €250. Measured at arrival, not departure.
• Cancellations. A refund or rerouting, care, and — unless 14+ days’ notice or extraordinary — the €250 on top.
• Denied boarding. Bumped from an oversold flight? €250 immediately, plus rerouting or a refund.
• Care on the island network. Meals, calls, and a hotel if the last flight strands you overnight — owed regardless of the cause.

How to claim from Canaryfly yourself

1. Gather your evidence — booking reference, boarding passes, flight number and date, Canaryfly’s stated reason, and any receipts for meals or a hotel.
2. Confirm it qualifies — you arrived 3+ hours late (or it was cancelled with under 14 days’ notice, or you were denied boarding) and the cause wasn’t extraordinary.
3. Work out the amount — it’s €250, on every Canaryfly route.
4. Submit Canaryfly’s claim form. Use Canaryfly’s online claim form, stating clearly that you’re claiming under EU 261/2004, with the flight details and the arrival delay.
5. Escalate if refused. Escalate to Spain’s aviation authority AESA — or hand the claim to a specialist.

Real Canaryfly scenarios

• The 30-minute hop. Gran Canaria → Tenerife 3 hours late → €250, fixed by band, not flight length.
• Last flight of the day. Lanzarote → Gran Canaria cancelled, stranded overnight → €250 plus a hotel and meals.
• Denied boarding. Tenerife → Fuerteventura, bumped from an oversold flight → €250 immediately.
• Technical delay. Any inter-island route 3.5 hours late after a fault → €250.

See real won cases and verdicts →.

Canaryfly at a glance

Founded in 2008 and flying inter-island since 2012, Canaryfly is the Canary Islands’ second airline after Binter, running ATR 72 turboprops on the short hops between the islands, with an Air Europa codeshare. Its flights are short — sometimes astonishingly short — but the rights are full-size: a 30-minute hop delayed three hours pays the same €250 as any short-haul flight in Europe.

Why hand your Canaryfly claim to Refundio

The thing passengers get wrong about Canaryfly is assuming a tiny, cheap island hop can’t be worth claiming — when a 3-hour delay on a 30-minute flight is a clean €250. Refundio confirms the claim, buys it and pays you upfront, then takes Canaryfly on itself and escalates to AESA if needed. No win, no fee.

Check your Canaryfly claim in 2 minutes →

Frequently asked questions

My Canaryfly flight was only 30 minutes — can I really claim €250?

Yes. Compensation is fixed by distance band, not flight length or ticket price. Every route is under 1,500 km, so a 3+ hour arrival delay within Canaryfly’s control is €250 per person.

Does Canaryfly ever pay €400 or €600?

No — it flies only short inter-island hops, all far under 1,500 km, so it’s always €250. The €400 band needs over 1,500 km and €600 over 3,500 km, neither of which Canaryfly flies.

Canaryfly or Binter — does it matter which one I flew?

Not for your rights — both are Spanish (EU) carriers on the same routes, so the rules and the €250 amount are identical. Claim from whichever operated your flight.

My inter-island flight was the last of the day and got cancelled — what am I owed?

If within Canaryfly’s control and under 14 days’ notice, €250 plus a refund or rerouting — and, because you’re stranded overnight, a hotel, meals and transfers. The duty of care applies regardless of the reason.

How do I claim compensation from Canaryfly?

Use Canaryfly’s online claim form, stating you’re claiming EU 261 compensation with your flight details and arrival delay. If refused, escalate to Spain’s AESA — or hand it to Refundio.

Is a tiny island hop really covered by EU law?

Yes — there’s no minimum flight length or aircraft size for EU 261. Canaryfly’s ATR 72 hops are scheduled EU flights, fully covered, just at the €250 band.