Airline Delay & Cancellation Compensation: What You May Be Owed and How to Claim It

Delays and cancellations are handled by different rules depending on the itinerary. This guide explains which framework may apply to your flight, what has to be verified before assuming it does, and where the official guidance is published. It does not tell you what you are owed.

The applicable rules depend on the route, the operating carrier, and the ticket. EU and UK rules can provide compensation in defined circumstances; US rules focus on refunds rather than compensation for delay. Confirm which framework covers your itinerary before relying on any of it.

EU and UK Flights — Two Separate Frameworks

The EU and the UK now operate separate but related passenger-rights regimes. They are not the same body of law, they are published by different authorities, and the amounts, thresholds, and claim time limits are set out in each authority's own current guidance rather than here.

Whether anything is payable generally turns on the route and operating carrier, the cause of the disruption, the delay measured at final arrival, and how much notice was given of a cancellation. Airlines can raise defined exceptions for circumstances they argue were outside their control, and how those exceptions apply is fact-specific and has been litigated. Do not assume a particular cause does or does not qualify.

For the current EU tables and conditions, use the EU air passenger rights pages; for the UK, use the Civil Aviation Authority's delay and cancellation pages. Claim time limits differ by country and by forum, so check the relevant authority rather than assuming a single deadline.

US Flights — What the DOT Requires

US regulations are less generous, but you still have rights:

Cancelled flights: Under DOT refund rules, a refund question generally arises for the unused portion of a ticket where the flight was cancelled and you did not accept rebooking or another alternative offered. A refund that is due is made in the original form of payment; you are not required to take a voucher instead. A fare being labelled non-refundable is not by itself a bar where a qualifying disruption triggers the refund rules.

Significant changes and delays: DOT defines what counts as a significant change to a flight and when a refund obligation is triggered where a passenger chooses not to travel. Those definitions are published by DOT and should be checked against your itinerary rather than assumed.

Overbooking (involuntary bumping): Denied boarding on an oversold flight is a separate DOT topic with its own rules and its own compensation structure. The current rules and figures are published on the DOT bumping and oversales page: transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/bumping-oversales.

How to File a Claim

Step 1: Gather your documentation. You need your booking confirmation, boarding pass, and any communication from the airline about the delay or cancellation.

Step 2: Identify the review path. Use the free check at the bottom of this page to see which framework your situation points to. It does not determine eligibility, entitlement, or any amount.

Step 3: Contact the airline directly. Submit a written claim to the airline's customer relations department. Cite the framework you are relying on — the relevant EU or UK passenger-rights rules for those itineraries, or the DOT refund rules for US-covered ones — so the airline can identify the basis for your request.

Step 4: If the airline refuses, you can escalate through official channels — the DOT aviation consumer complaint process for US-covered itineraries, or the national enforcement body or approved dispute-resolution scheme named by the EU or UK authority. A paid claims service such as AirHelp is an optional alternative, not a required step; it charges a fee if it recovers compensation, so check its current terms.

Common Questions

How long does a claim take? Timelines vary by airline, route, and forum, and neither a direct claim nor a paid service comes with a guaranteed timeframe or outcome.

Does it matter which airline I flew? Yes. Coverage depends on the route and the operating carrier, and the EU and UK rules define this differently. A London to New York itinerary on a US carrier may fall within the scope of the UK rules, but falling within scope is not the same as being entitled to compensation.

What if the airline offered me a voucher and I accepted? What you accepted, and what it was described as covering, matters. Ask the airline for the written terms of what you accepted, and check them against the relevant authority's guidance.

Not sure which rules may cover your flight? Use the free check below. Answer three questions to see which review path applies — it is informational only and does not determine eligibility, entitlement, or any amount.