EU flight delay compensation 2026: EU 261 rules, up to €600
A half-day delay, a flight cancelled the night before departure, or “no seats left” right at the check-in desk — every regular traveler out of Prague has been there. The good news: the European regulation EU 261/2004 entitles passengers to a fixed compensation of €250 to €600, regardless of the ticket price. This isn’t a goodwill gesture from the airline — it’s a legal obligation. And claiming it costs nothing.
Here’s the practical breakdown: which flights are covered, exactly how much you’re owed, when an airline can legally refuse (force majeure), what you’re entitled to right at the airport, and how to choose between filing it yourself and handing it to a service for a cut. All figures are current for 2026.
What EU 261/2004 is and which flights it covers
This is the EU regulation on air passenger rights in cases of flight delay, flight cancellation, and denied boarding due to overbooking. What matters most isn’t the airline — it’s the airport of departure.
A simple rule worth remembering:
- Departing from an EU airport — covered no matter which airline in the world operates the flight. Flying from Prague to Dubai on a Gulf carrier? The regulation still applies.
- Arriving in the EU from outside the EU — covered only if the carrier is European (say, flying from New York to Prague on Lufthansa, KLM, or Air France).
Besides EU member states, the rules also apply in Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland. For Prague residents, the practical takeaway is simple: almost any flight departing from Prague (PRG) falls under EU 261, whichever airline you fly with.
One catch: the ticket must have been bought at a standard, publicly available fare. Flights on staff tickets or entirely free tickets aren’t covered. Tickets booked with air miles or loyalty points, however, are.
How much you get for a delay or cancellation: €250, €400 or €600
The compensation amount depends only on the flight distance, not the ticket price. The same scale applies to delays, cancellations, and overbooking.
| Flight distance | Compensation per passenger |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | €250 |
| 1,500–3,500 km, and all intra-EU flights over 1,500 km | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km (outside the EU) | €600 |
Compensation is paid per passenger, including children with their own ticket. Traveling as a family of four? Multiply the amount by four.
The “half” rule for long-haul flights
For flights over 3,500 km, there’s a nuance: if you arrive at your final destination between 3 and 4 hours late, the airline is allowed to pay half — €300 instead of €600. If the delay is 4 hours or more, you get the full €600. There’s no such “discount” on short and medium-haul routes.
When compensation is owed: four situations
The regulation kicks in in four main cases.
- A delay of 3 hours or more. What counts is your arrival delay at the final destination, not the departure time. Departed an hour late but made up the time in the air and landed on schedule? No compensation. Arrived 3+ hours late? You’re owed one.
- Flight cancellation. If you were notified less than 14 days before departure and weren’t offered a comparably timed alternative, compensation is due. On top of that, you can choose between a full refund within 7 days or rebooking on another flight.
- Overbooking (denied boarding). If you were bumped from the flight because of overselling and didn’t volunteer to give up your seat, compensation is always due, plus a refund or rebooking and care services.
- A missed connection. If both flights were booked under a single reservation and a delay on the first leg made you miss your connection, arriving at your final destination 3+ hours late, compensation is calculated based on the total distance of the journey.
When you WON’T get compensation: force majeure
Airlines are released from paying if the delay or cancellation was caused by “extraordinary circumstances” that couldn’t have been avoided by any reasonable measures. It’s up to the airline to prove they applied. Force majeure includes:
- severe weather (storms, icing, dense fog);
- air traffic control decisions and airspace closures;
- strikes by third-party staff — air traffic controllers or airport employees, for instance;
- political instability, security threats, medical emergencies on board.
What does NOT count as force majeure and doesn’t excuse the airline from paying:
- most technical faults with the aircraft — that’s the carrier’s own responsibility;
- a strike by the airline’s own staff (per EU Court of Justice rulings, an internal strike isn’t an extraordinary circumstance);
- crew running late, scheduling mix-ups, “the previous flight was delayed.”
In practice, airlines often stretch “weather” or “technical reasons” to cover situations that don’t really qualify. If the reason given feels vague, that’s a good sign to push back — or run your flight through a specialized checker service (more on those below).
Meals, a hotel and phone calls — you’re ALWAYS entitled to these
You can lose your right to compensation because of force majeure, but your right to care always stays in place — even when the weather is to blame. While you’re waiting for your flight, the airline must provide, free of charge:
- meals and drinks proportionate to the waiting time;
- two phone calls, emails, or messages;
- a hotel and transfer to it, if the wait stretches overnight.
The threshold for care depends on distance: 2 hours for flights up to 1,500 km, 3 hours for medium-haul, 4 hours for long-haul flights over 3,500 km.
If the airline didn’t arrange anything, keep your receipts for reasonable food, taxi, and hotel expenses — you can claim them back later. Don’t throw away your boarding pass or booking confirmation — they’re the basis for any claim.
How to claim compensation yourself — for free
You can file a claim without any middleman and without paying a cent. Here’s how:
- Gather your documents: boarding pass, booking confirmation, expense receipts, any notifications or texts from the airline.
- Get the reason on record. Ask staff why the flight was delayed or cancelled, and get it in writing if you can.
- Send a claim to the airline. Most airlines have an online form. Cite EU 261/2004, and include the flight number, date, the compensation amount you’re claiming, and your payment details.
- Give it time to respond — usually 4 to 6 weeks. If you’re refused without good reason, or hear nothing back, escalate.
Where to escalate if the airline ignores you: in Czechia, the regulator is the Úřad pro civilní letectví (ÚCL), the Czech Civil Aviation Authority. There are also alternative dispute resolution mechanisms and, as a last resort, court (small claims procedures for lower amounts). It’s free, but it takes time, correspondence, and patience — and airlines often drag things out as long as they can.
Using a percentage-fee service: no risk, no hassle
If dealing with correspondence and legal wording isn’t for you, a specialized service can do it instead. They work on a “no win, no fee” basis: they only take a cut if you get paid, and if the claim doesn’t succeed, you owe nothing. The service assesses your chances, negotiates with the airline, and goes to court if needed.
The easiest first step is to enter your flight number into a free checker and find out in a minute whether you’re owed anything at all.
A service like this pays off especially when the airline has already refused, is stalling, or the case is more complicated (connecting flights on different carriers, a dispute over the cause). Fees vary by service and typically run around 30–35% of the payout if you win; if the case goes to court, the cut is higher. Check the exact rate at the time you file, since offers and terms change from time to time.
It’s worth checking your flight with a few different services for comparison — the check is free and doesn’t commit you to anything.
The practical takeaway: for a small, clear-cut delay with a cooperative airline, it’s often simpler to file it yourself and keep the full amount. For a disputed or drawn-out case, it makes more sense to hand it to a service — you lose a percentage, but save months of hassle without taking on any risk.
Time limit: how long you have to file a claim
Your right to compensation doesn’t expire the next day — but it isn’t unlimited either. The time limit is set by national law, and it varies widely. A rough guide by popular jurisdiction:
| Country | Time limit to file a claim |
|---|---|
| Poland | 1 year |
| Belgium | 1 year |
| Italy | 2 years |
| Netherlands | 2 years |
| Czechia | 3 years (notify the airline within the first 6 months, ideally) |
| Germany | 3 years |
| Austria | 3 years |
| Spain | 5 years |
| France | 5 years |
| Ireland | 6 years |
| United Kingdom | 6 years |
Usually, the law of the country of departure or where the airline is registered applies. If your flight was from Prague, go by Czechia’s 3-year limit — but don’t wait too long: the fresher the case, the easier it is to gather evidence.
What’s changing in 2026–2027: the EU 261 reform
In summer 2026, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU reached a preliminary political agreement on reforming the regulation — the first breakthrough after more than 13 years of debate. Important to note: the current rules still apply for now — the €250/€400/€600 amounts and the 3-hour threshold haven’t changed and remain in force. Airlines’ attempts to raise the threshold to 4 hours or more didn’t make it into the final text.
The reform still has to clear final approval, and even after that, the new rules won’t take effect before the second half of 2027 at the earliest. Agreed changes include guaranteed free hand luggage (a personal item plus one bag under the seat), mandatory rebooking within 3 hours of a cancellation, a ban on “no-show” clauses, and a ban on charging extra for seating families with children together. Keep an eye on updates, but for now, none of this affects your current flights.
In brief
- How much: €250 (up to 1,500 km), €400 (medium-haul and intra-EU over 1,500 km), €600 (over 3,500 km) — per passenger.
- When: a delay of 3+ hours at the final destination, cancellation with less than 14 days’ notice, overbooking, a missed connection on a single booking.
- Which flights: any flight departing the EU (any airline) and any flight arriving in the EU on a European carrier. Almost every flight out of Prague is covered.
- When you’ll be refused: weather, air traffic control decisions, third-party strikes. Technical faults and strikes by the airline’s own staff are generally not accepted as force majeure.
- Always guaranteed: food, communication, and a hotel during a long wait — even in cases of force majeure.
- How to claim: file it yourself with the airline (free, slower) or use a service for roughly 30–35% if you win (no risk, no hassle).
- Time limit: 3 years in Czechia — better not to put it off.
Want to get to grips with other everyday questions about living in and traveling around Czechia? Check out our practical guides section.
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