Flight Delay and Cancellation Compensation: What You're Actually Owed

Moving between countries every few weeks means more interregional flights than most travelers take in a year. A long delay or a cancellation on one of those flights isn't just an inconvenience -- depending on where you're flying, you may be legally owed real cash compensation, not just a rebooked seat.

EU Regulation 261/2004 applies to flights departing an EU airport on any airline, and flights arriving at an EU airport on an EU-based airline. If you arrive more than 3 hours late, your flight is cancelled with less than 14 days' notice, or you're denied boarding from overbooking, the airline owes you compensation on top of getting you to your destination -- unless the disruption was caused by an "extraordinary circumstance" (severe weather, air traffic control strikes) it took all reasonable steps to avoid.

Compensation is fixed by flight distance, not by what you paid for the ticket: €250 for flights up to 1,500 km, €400 for flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km, and €600 for flights over 3,500 km. The UK runs an equivalent regime (UK261) at the same tiers in GBP.

The US Department of Transportation's automatic-refund rule works differently from EU261 -- it guarantees your money back, not extra compensation on top of it. If your domestic flight is delayed 3+ hours (6+ hours for an international flight) or cancelled, and you decline the airline's rebooking offer, the airline must refund your original payment method automatically, without you having to ask.

Some airlines also offer their own delay-based vouchers or miles as a goodwill gesture under their contract of carriage, but that's airline-specific and not a legal entitlement the way EU261 compensation is.