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HOME / PASSENGER RIGHTS / DELAYED FLIGHT
DLY-261 UNDER EUROPEAN PASSENGER-RIGHTS LAW

Delayed by 3+ hours? you're probably owed €600.

EU regulation says: if you arrive at your destination 3 or more hours late, and the delay is the airline's fault, you're entitled to up to €600 in cash compensation. Per person.

YOUR FLIGHT
DELAYED
FROM
VIE
Vienna
TO
AYT
Antalya
FLIGHT
QS-1142
ISSUE
DELAY 4H 12M
OWED TO YOU
€600
DEPARTURES · GATE B12
QS-1142 ● DELAYED 4H
FR-247 ● ON TIME
OK-672 ● BOARDING
THE RULES · WHEN THE LAW APPLIES

When am I owed money?

The short version of a 30-page regulation. We made it readable so you can self-qualify in under a minute.

✓
Arrived 3+ hours late at your destination
It's the arrival time that counts, not the departure. Even if you boarded on time, if the plane landed 3+ hours late, you may have a claim.
OWED
✓
Flight was operated by an EU airline
Or departing from an EU airport on any airline. European passenger-rights law covers most flights touching European airspace.
OWED
✓
Within the last 3 years
The statute of limitations varies, but in most EU states you have up to 3 years to claim a delayed flight.
OWED
×
Caused by 'extraordinary circumstances'
Lightning storms, ATC strikes, security incidents, these are usually outside the airline's control and aren't compensable. We'll check what the airline claims.
NOT OWED
PAYOUT CALCULATOR

How much is your route worth?

Compensation is calculated by the great-circle distance of your booked route, not how long you actually waited.

Short-haul (under 1,500 km)
€250
Medium-haul (1,500 – 3,500 km)
€400
Long-haul (over 3,500 km)
€600
DISTANCE OF FLIGHT
2,000 km
≈ Warsaw → Athens
200 km8,000 km
YOU MAY BE OWED
€400
PER PERSON · TAX-FREE
Confirm with my actual flight →
WHAT TO DO AT THE AIRPORT

If this is happening to you right now…

A quick checklist. Snap these in the next 10 minutes and the rest is up to us.

01
Photograph the departure board

Wide shot showing your flight number AND the delay status. Time-stamped.

02
Save every email

Airline notifications, rebooking offers, vouchers, all evidence.

03
Note the arrival time

When the doors actually opened at the gate. Not when you landed.

04
Ask the airline 'why?'

Get a name, write down what they said. They lie about ATC a lot.

THE FINE PRINT (HONEST)

When you won't get paid.

We'd rather tell you upfront than waste your time. The law has carve-outs, "extraordinary circumstances" the airline isn't liable for. These are the big ones.

Even if your case looks like it falls under one of these, send it our way. The line between "extraordinary" and "ordinary" is where most of our wins live, airlines lie about it all the time.

×
Bad weather (lightning storms, etc.)
Genuine extraordinary circumstances. We always double-check the airline's claim against meteorological data.
×
Air-traffic control strike
If verifiable. Some airlines invoke this when there was no actual strike.
×
Airport security incidents
Bomb threats, runway closures, outside the airline's control.
×
Less than 3 hours late
Strict cutoff. 2h 59m doesn't count, though you may still be owed care (meals, hotel).
OTHER WAYS WE PAY YOU
READ UP BEFORE YOU CLAIM
MIDDLE EAST · 2026
Flight cancelled because of the Middle East situation: when the airline doesn't have to pay, and when it does
Airspace closure due to a military conflict really does fall under extraordinary circumstances, so the €250–€600 statutory compensation isn't payable by the airline. This is one of the few situations where that excuse actually holds. But your right to a full refund of the ticket, or to a replacement flight, doesn't disappear. And if the airline tries to force a voucher on you instead of cash, you don't have to accept it. Insist on a refund to your account.
Read the guide →
Passenger Rights
Extraordinary circumstances – when you are not entitled to compensation
EU Regulation 261/2004 lets airlines refuse compensation when a flight was disrupted by so-called extraordinary circumstances. Weather, ATC strikes, bird strikes or an unexpected technical fault outside the airline's control can all qualify. But not every refusal is valid – airlines routinely misuse this defence. This article explains, based on Court of Justice of the EU case law, which situations are truly extraordinary and which are not.
Read the guide →
WEATHER · EXCUSES
Weather delays: when it's an excuse and when it's a real extraordinary circumstance
Weather is the excuse we hear most often. But not every weather event is created equal. De-icing in winter is a routine, predictable procedure. The airline has to plan for it, and if it makes you over three hours late, the entitlement to compensation stands. A real extraordinary circumstance is a closed runway because of extreme fog, or wind a pilot can't safely fly through.
Read the guide →
ONE LAST THING

Your flight was ruined.
Make it pay.

Two minutes. Free. No credit card. We'll tell you in 24 hours whether you have a claim, and exactly how much.

Start free claim → OR EMAIL air@refundio.eu