Air passenger rights

EU air passenger rights apply:

• If your flight is within the EU and is operated either by an EU or a non-EU airline
• If your flight arrives in the EU from outside the EU and is operated by an EU airline
• If your flight departs from the EU to a non-EU country operated by an EU or a non-EU airline
• If you have not already received benefits (compensation, re-routing, assistance from the airline) for flight related problems for this journey under the relevant law of a non-EU country.

Travelling from the UK to an EU country

From 1 January 2021, EU rules on air passenger rights do not apply to cases of denied boarding, cancellations or delays to flights from the UK to the EU if your flight was operated by a UK carrier or another non-EU carrier, even if you booked your flight before this date. However, EU rules continue to apply from 1 January 2021 if your flight from the UK to the EU was operated by an EU carrier, unless you have already received compensation or benefits under UK law.

EU means the 27 EU countries, including Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Réunion Island, Mayotte, Saint-Martin (French Antilles), the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands (but not the Faeroe Islands). EU rules also apply to flights to and from Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.

What went wrong?

• Your flight was cancelled
• Your flight was delayed
• You were denied boarding
• Your flight was overbooked
• Your flight was upgraded or downgraded
• You missed your connecting flight
• Your luggage was lost, damaged or delayed

How to claim your rights?

Claim your rights!

Denied boarding

You may be denied boarding by the airline:

• For safety, security or health reasons (for example if you did not inform the airline in advance of any severe infectious diseases or allergies) or if you don't have the correct travel documents (more information on documents you need for travel in Europe)
• If you didn't take the outbound flight of a reservation which included a return flight
• If you didn't take the other flight(s) included in a reservation with consecutive flights
• If you don't have the relevant documentation for your pet when it is travelling with you

If you have presented yourself on time for check-in with a valid flight reservation and travel documentation and you're denied boarding by the airline due to overbooking or for operational reasons, and you don't voluntarily give up your seat, you are entitled to:

• compensation
• the right to choose between reimbursement, re-routing or rebooking at a later stage and
• assistance

Travelling from the UK to an EU country

From 1 January 2021, EU rules on air passenger rights do not apply to cases of denied boarding, cancellations or delays to flights from the UK to the EU if your flight was operated by a UK carrier or another non-EU carrier, even if you booked your flight before this date. However, EU rules continue to apply from 1 January 2021 if your flight from the UK to the EU was operated by an EU carrier, unless you have already received compensation or benefits under UK law.

Cancelled flight

Cancellation occurs when:

• your original flight schedule is abandoned and you are transferred to another scheduled flight
• the aircraft took off but, was forced to return to the airport of departure and you were transferred to another flight
• your flight arrives at an airport which is not the final destination indicated on your ticket, unless:
  • You accepted re-routing (under comparable transport conditions at the earliest opportunity) to the airport of your original final destination or to any other destination agreed by you. In this case it is considered as a delay and not a cancellation.
  • The airport of arrival and the airport of the original final destination serve the same town, city or region. In this case it is considered as a delay and not a cancellation.

If your flight is cancelled you have the right to choose between reimbursement, re-routing or return.

You are also entitled to assistance at the airport.

If you were informed of the cancellation less than 14 days prior to the scheduled departure date, you have a right to compensation. The airline has the obligation to prove if and when you were personally informed that the flight was cancelled. If this is not the case you can contact your national authority for further assistance.

However, compensation is not due if the carrier can prove that the cancellation is caused by extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. The airline has to prove this by providing, for example, extracts from logbooks or incident reports. The air carrier should give this evidence to the relevant national enforcement body as well as to the passengers concerned in line with national provisions on access to documents.

Travelling from the UK to an EU country

From 1 January 2021, EU rules on air passenger rights do not apply to cases of denied boarding, cancellations or delays to flights from the UK to the EU if your flight was operated by a UK carrier or another non-EU carrier, even if you booked your flight before this date. However, EU rules continue to apply from 1 January 2021 if your flight from the UK to the EU was operated by an EU carrier, unless you have already received compensation or benefits under UK law.

Delay

If your flight is delayed at departure, you have the right to assistance, to reimbursement and a return flight, depending on the duration of the delay and the distance of the flight.

If you arrived at your final destination with a delay of more than 3 hours, you are entitled to compensation, unless the delay was due to extraordinary circumstances. The airline has to prove this by providing, for example, extracts from logbooks or incident reports. The air carrier should give this evidence to the relevant national enforcement body as well as to the passengers concerned in line with national provisions on access to documents.

Travelling from the UK to an EU country

From 1 January 2021, EU rules on air passenger rights do not apply to cases of denied boarding, cancellations or delays to flights from the UK to the EU if your flight was operated by a UK carrier or another non-EU carrier, even if you booked your flight before this date. However, EU rules continue to apply from 1 January 2021 if your flight from the UK to the EU was operated by an EU carrier, unless you have already received compensation or benefits under UK law.

Your flight was overbooked

If you have presented yourself on time for the check-in with a valid flight reservation and travel documentation and you're denied boarding due to overbooking or for operational reasons, and you don't voluntarily give up your seat, you are entitled to:

• compensation
• the right to choose between reimbursement, re-routing or rebooking at a later stage and
• assistance from the airline

Travelling from the UK to an EU country

From 1 January 2021, EU rules on air passenger rights do not apply to cases of denied boarding, cancellations or delays to flights from the UK to the EU if your flight was operated by a UK carrier or another non-EU carrier, even if you booked your flight before this date. However, EU rules continue to apply from 1 January 2021 if your flight from the UK to the EU was operated by an EU carrier, unless you have already received compensation or benefits under UK law.

Upgrading or downgrading

If you are upgraded, the airline can't request any additional payment.

If you are downgraded, you are entitled to reimbursement of a percentage of the price of your ticket, depending on the flight distance as follows:

a) 30% - flights of 1 500 km or less

b) 50% - flights within the EU of more than 1 500 km (except flights between the EU and French overseas departments), and all other flights between 1 500 and 3 500 km

c) 75% - flights not falling under (a) or (b), including flights between the EU and French overseas departments.

If you have 2 or more connecting flights included in a single ticket, you can only be reimbursed for the flight which was downgraded and not for the entire journey. The reimbursement should be paid within 7 days.

Travelling from the UK to an EU country

From 1 January 2021, EU rules on air passenger rights do not apply to cases of denied boarding, cancellations or delays to flights from the UK to the EU if your flight was operated by a UK carrier or another non-EU carrier, even if you booked your flight before this date. However, EU rules continue to apply from 1 January 2021 if your flight from the UK to the EU was operated by an EU carrier, unless you have already received compensation or benefits under UK law.

Claim your rights!

You missed your connecting flight

Connecting flights are journeys where you have to take more than one flight to get to your final destination.

If you miss a connecting flight, and arrive at your final destination with a delay of more than 3 hours, you are entitled to compensation. This compensation is calculated according to the length of the delay and the distance to your final destination.

You have a right to compensation if:

• your flights were booked as part of a single reservation and
• EU air passenger rights apply and
• the delay to your arrival time was not caused by extraordinary circumstances

Travelling from the UK to an EU country

From 1 January 2021, EU rules on air passenger rights do not apply to cases of denied boarding, cancellations or delays to flights from the UK to the EU if your flight was operated by a UK carrier or another non-EU carrier, even if you booked your flight before this date. However, EU rules continue to apply from 1 January 2021 if your flight from the UK to the EU was operated by an EU carrier, unless you have already received compensation or benefits under UK law.

Claim your rights!

Lost, damaged or delayed luggage

Checked-in luggage

If your checked-in luggage is lost, damaged or delayed, the airline is liable and you're entitled to compensation up to an amount of approximately EUR 1 300. However if the damage was caused by an inherent defect in the baggage itself, you're not entitled to any compensation.

Hand luggage

If your hand luggage is damaged the airline is liable if it was responsible for the damage.

Travel insurance

To ensure you have sufficient coverage when travelling with expensive items it's advisable to take out private insurance. If you do not wish to do so you can for a fee request a higher compensation limit (in excess of EUR 1 300) from the airline you are travelling with. This must be done in advance and at the latest when you check-in.

How to complain

If you want to file a claim for lost or damaged luggage, you should do it in writing to the airline within 7 days, or within 21 days of receiving your luggage if it was delayed. There is no standard EU-wide form.

Compensation - denied boarding

If you arrived on time for check‑in, you should always receive compensation if you're denied boarding. The only exception is if there were reasonable grounds to deny you boarding, such as health, safety or security concerns. Or if you did not have the required travel documents.

Even in cases where such grounds exist, airlines might still offer you compensation depending on the specific terms and conditions attached to your ticket.

Connecting flight – one reservation with a single check-in

If you are denied boarding because the airline operating the connecting flight deemed that you would arrive too late to board this flight (as your first flight was delayed) compensation is due.

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Compensation - cancellation

If your flight is cancelled, the airline must offer you, on a one off basis, a choice between:

1. the reimbursement of your ticket and, if you have a connecting flight, a return flight to the airport of departure at the earliest opportunity
2. re-routing to your final destination at the earliest opportunity or,
3. re-routing at a later date at your convenience under comparable transport conditions, subject to the availability of seats.

As soon as you have chosen one of these three options, you no longer have rights in relation to the other two options. However, the airline carrier may still have to provide compensation

• if you choose to have your ticket reimbursed – the compensation will depend on the type of flight
• if you choose re-routing – compensation will depend on the type of flight and the delay in reaching your final destination, past the original scheduled arrival time.

You're not entitled to compensation:

• if you are informed more than 14 days in advance
• if you are informed between 2 weeks and 7 days before the scheduled departure and you are offered re-routing which would allow you:
  • to depart no more than 2 hours before the original scheduled time of departure and
  • to reach your final destination less than 4 hours after the original scheduled time of arrival

• if you are informed less than 7 days before the scheduled departure and are offered re-routing which would allow you:
  • to depart no more than 1 hour before the original scheduled time of departure and
  • to reach your final destination less than 2 hours after the original scheduled time of arrival.

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Compensation - delay at arrival

• If you reach your final destination with a delay of 3 hours or more you are entitled to compensation if the delay is not caused by extraordinary circumstances.
• If you miss a connecting flight travelling within the EU or outside the EU on a flight originating from an EU country, you should be entitled to compensation, if you arrive at your final destination with a delay of more than 3 hours. It is not relevant if the carrier operating the connecting flights is an EU or non-EU airline.
• If you depart from a non-EU country to your final destination in an EU country, with connecting flights operated successively by non-EU and EU airlines or by EU airlines only, only the flights operated by EU airlines are taken into consideration for the right to compensation in case of a long delay on arrival at the final destination.
• You are not entitled to compensation if you miss connecting flights due to delays at security checks or if you did not respect the boarding time of your flight at the airport of transfer.
• If you accept a flight to a different airport from the one in the original booking and it arrives late, you're entitled to compensation. The time of arrival used for calculating the delay is the time of arrival at the airport mentioned in the original booking or the destination agreed upon with the airline. Transport costs between the alternative airport and the one in the original booking or agreed destination should be borne by the airline.

Claim your rights!

Compensation - denied boarding due to overbooking

You should always receive compensation if you're denied boarding.

Connecting flight – one reservation with a single check-in.

If you are denied boarding because the airline operating the connecting flight deemed that you would arrive too late to board this flight (as your first flight was delayed) compensation is due.

Claim your rights!

Assistance in the event of denied boarding

Airlines should provide assistance free of charge while you wait. In the event of travel disruption, you should make yourself known to the airline, to avoid a situation where you have to make your own arrangements. Airlines should also ensure, where available, that accommodation is accessible for people with disabilities and their service dogs. The assistance to be provided includes:

• Refreshments
• Food
• Accommodation (if you are rebooked to travel the next day)
• Transport to your accommodation and return to the airport
• 2 telephone calls, telex, fax messages or emails

If assistance is not offered and you paid for any of the above items out of your own pocket, the airline should reimburse you, provided the expenses were necessary, reasonable and appropriate. You should keep all receipts for this purpose. You only have the right to assistance as long as you have to wait for re-routing, under comparable transport conditions, to your final destination at the earliest opportunity or a return flight.

In exceptional cases, the airline may decide to limit or decline assistance if it would cause further delay to passengers waiting for an alternative or a delayed flight.

Claim your rights!

Assistance in the event of cancellation

Airlines should offer you and provide assistance free of charge while you wait. In the event of travel disruption, you should make yourself known to the airline, to avoid a situation where you have to make your own arrangements. Airlines should also ensure, where available, that accommodation is accessible for people with disabilities and their service dogs. The assistance to be provided includes:

• Refreshments
• Food
• Accommodation (if you are rebooked to travel the next day)
• Transport to your accommodation and return to the airport
• 2 telephone calls, telex, fax messages or emails

If assistance is not offered and you paid for your own meals and refreshments etc., the airline should reimburse you, provided the expenses were necessary, reasonable and appropriate. You should keep all receipts for this purpose. You only have the right to assistance as long as you have to wait for re-routing, under comparable transport conditions, to your final destination at the earliest opportunity or a return flight.

In exceptional cases, the airline may decide to limit or decline assistance if it would cause further delay to passengers waiting for an alternative or a delayed flight.

Claim your rights!

Assistance in the event of delay at departure

If an airline expects that your flight will be delayed beyond the scheduled departure time, you are entitled to meals and refreshments, in proportion to the waiting time, and 2 free telephone calls, emails or faxes. The point at which you are entitled to these rights depends on the length of the delay and distance of your flight as follows:

• a delay of two hours or more for flights of 1,500km or less
• a delay of three hours or more for intra-Community flights of more than 1,500km and for all other flights between 1,500 and 3,000km
• a delay of four hours or more for all other flights

Where the new expected departure time is at least the day after the initially scheduled departure time, you are entitled to hotel accommodation and transport to and from the airport and your accommodation (if you need to stay overnight).

Airlines should offer you and provide assistance free of charge while you wait. In the event of travel disruption, you should make yourself known to the airline, to avoid a situation where you have to make your own arrangements. Airlines should also ensure, where available, that accommodation is accessible for people with disabilities and their service dogs.

If assistance is not offered and you paid for your own meals and refreshments, the airline should reimburse you, provided the expenses were necessary, reasonable and appropriate. You should keep all receipts for this purpose. You only have the right to assistance as long as you have to wait for re-routing, under comparable transport conditions, to your final destination at the earliest opportunity or a return flight.

In exceptional cases, the airline may decide to limit or decline assistance if it would cause further delay to passengers waiting for an alternative or a delayed flight.

Claim your rights!

Assistance in the event of denied boarding due to overbooking

Airlines should offer you and provide assistance free of charge while you wait. In the event of travel disruption, you should make yourself known to the airline, to avoid a situation where you have to make your own arrangements. Airlines should also ensure, where available, that accommodation is accessible for people with disabilities and their service dogs. The assistance to be provided includes:

• Refreshments
• Food
• Accommodation (if you are rebooked to travel the next day)
• Transport to your accommodation and return to the airport
• 2 telephone calls, telex, fax messages or emails

If assistance is not offered and you paid for your own meals and refreshments etc., the airline should reimburse you, provided the expenses were necessary, reasonable and appropriate. You should keep all receipts for this purpose. You only have the right to assistance as long as you have to wait for re-routing, under comparable transport conditions, to your final destination at the earliest opportunity or a return flight.

In exceptional cases, the airline may decide to limit or decline assistance if it would cause further delay to passengers waiting for an alternative or a delayed flight.

Claim your rights!

Reimbursement, re-routing or rebooking in the event of denied boarding

The airline must offer you, on a oneoff basis, a choice between:

1. the reimbursement of your ticket and, if you have a connecting flight, a return flight to the airport of departure at the earliest opportunity
2. re-routing to your final destination at the earliest opportunity or,
3. re-routing at a later date at your convenience under comparable transport conditions (i.e. ‘rebooking'), subject to the availability of seats.

As soon as you have chosen one of these three options, you no longer have rights in relation to the other two options. However, the airline may still have to provide compensation depending on the distance of your flight and the length of the delay past your original planned arrival time.

• If the airline does not comply with its obligation to offer re-routing or return under comparable transport conditions at the earliest opportunity, it has to reimburse your flight costs.
• If the airline does not offer you the choice between reimbursement and re-routing but decides unilaterally to reimburse your original ticket, you are entitled to an additional reimbursement of the price difference with the new ticket (under comparable transport conditions).
• If you booked an outbound and a return flight separately with different airlines and the outbound flight is cancelled, reimbursement is only due for the cancelled flight.

However, if the outbound and return flights are operated by different airlines, but were part of a single reservation, in the event that the outbound flight was cancelled, you have the following rights:

• Compensation
• A choice between the reimbursement of your entire ticket (outbound and return flights) or re-routing on another flight for the outbound flight

Claim your rights!

Reimbursement, re-routing or rebooking in the event of cancellation

The airline must offer you, on a one off basis, a choice between:

1. the reimbursement of your ticket and, if you have a connecting flight, a return flight to the airport of departure at the earliest opportunity
2. re-routing to your final destination at the earliest opportunity or,
3. re-routing at a later date at your convenience under comparable transport conditions, subject to the availability of seats.

As soon as you have chosen one of these three options, you no longer have rights in relation to the other two options. However, the airline may still have to provide compensation depending on the distance of your flight and the length of the delay past your original planned arrival time.

• If the airline does not comply with its obligation to offer re-routing or return under comparable transport conditions at the earliest opportunity, it has to reimburse your flight costs.
• If the airline does not offer you the choice between reimbursement and re-routing but decides unilaterally to reimburse your original ticket, you are entitled to an additional reimbursement of the price difference with the new ticket (under comparable transport conditions).
• If you booked an outbound and a return flight separately with different airlines and the outbound flight is cancelled, reimbursement is only due for the cancelled flight.

If the outbound and return flights are operated by different airlines, but were part of a single reservation, in the event that the outbound flight was cancelled, you have the following rights:

• Compensation
• A choice between the reimbursement of your entire ticket (outbound and return flights) or re-routing on another flight for the outbound flight

Claim your rights!

Reimbursement and a return flight in the event of a long delay (5 hours or more) at departure

If your flight is delayed at least 5 hours at departure, the airline must reimburse your ticket and, if you have a connecting flight, offer a return to the airport of departure at the earliest opportunity.

Claim your rights!

Reimbursement, re-routing or rebooking in the event of denied boarding due to overbooking

The airline must offer you, on a one off basis, a choice between:

1. the reimbursement of your ticket and, if you have a connecting flight, a return flight to the airport of departure at the earliest opportunity
2. re-routing to your final destination at the earliest opportunity or,
3. re-routing at a later date at your convenience under comparable transport conditions, subject to the availability of seats.

As soon as you have chosen one of these three options, you no longer have rights in relation to the other two options. However, the airline may still have to provide compensation depending on the distance of your flight and the length of the delay past your original planned arrival time.

• If the airline does not comply with its obligation to offer re-routing or return under comparable transport conditions at the earliest opportunity, it has to reimburse your flight costs.
• If the airline does not offer you the choice between reimbursement and re-routing but decides unilaterally to reimburse your original ticket, you are entitled to an additional reimbursement of the price difference with the new ticket (under comparable transport conditions).
• If you booked an outbound and a return flight separately with different airlines and the outbound flight is cancelled, reimbursement is only due for the cancelled flight.

However, if the outbound and return flights are operated by different airlines, but were part of a single reservation, in the event that the outbound flight was cancelled, you have the following rights:

• Compensation
• A choice between the reimbursement of your entire ticket (outbound and return flights) or re-routing on another flight for the outbound flight

Claim your rights!

Extraordinary circumstances - Cancellation

Extraordinary circumstances can lead to more than one cancellation or delay at the final destination. Examples of events defined as extraordinary circumstances are air traffic management decisions, political instability, adverse weather conditions and security risks.

Situations which are not considered as extraordinary circumstances include:

• most technical problems which come to light during aircraft maintenance or are caused by failure to maintain an aircraft
• collision of mobile boarding stairs with an aircraft
• strikes by air carrier staff (internal strike action)

Any strike external to an air carrier that affects the operation of the airline may be considered as extraordinary circumstances. However, to be exempted from paying compensation, the airline must prove that: i) there is a link between the extraordinary circumstances and the delay or the cancellation, and ii) the delay or cancellation could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken.

If the airline does not provide you with a satisfactory explanation, you can contact your national authority for further assistance.

Extraordinary circumstances - Delay

Extraordinary circumstances can lead to more than one cancellation or delay at the final destination. Examples of events defined as extraordinary circumstances are air traffic management decisions, political instability, adverse weather conditions and security risks.

Situations which are not considered as extraordinary circumstances include:

• most technical problems which come to light during aircraft maintenance or are caused by failure to maintain an aircraft
• collision of mobile boarding stairs with an aircraft
• strikes by air carrier staff (internal strike action)

Any strike external to an air carrier that affects the operation of the airline may be considered as extraordinary circumstances. However, to be exempted from paying compensation, the airline must prove that: i) there is a link between the extraordinary circumstances and the delay or the cancellation, and ii) the delay or cancellation could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken.

If the airline does not provide you with a satisfactory explanation, you can contact your national authority for further assistance.

Claim your rights

If you think your rights have not been respected, there are several forms of redress you can can use. However you should always send your complaint to the airline first. You can also consult your local European Consumer Centre for help and advice on problems related to air passenger rights.