If your flight has been significantly delayed, you may be entitled to a refund and compensation.
Find out how to get a refund for your ticket and learn about your passenger rights in case of a flight delay.
It’s essential to know that if your flight was canceled or if you were denied boarding, you may be entitled to a full ticket refund and even financial compensation of up to €600!
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To request a refund for your ticket, you can seek the assistance of Refly, the ideal partner to help you get the compensation you deserve.
You can also try to claim the refund on your own. In that case, remember to follow these steps:
Make sure you have the following documents available:
The processing time for receiving a refund may vary. Generally, airlines take 7 to 14 business days to process the request. However, in some cases, it may take longer, so it’s recommended to follow up on the process and request updates.
To speed up your ticket refund request, let Refly guide you, the ideal partner to help you get your rights respected.
Exceptional circumstances that exclude ticket compensation are extraordinary situations that do not depend on the airline and make it impossible to meet schedules or manage the flight regularly.
In these cases, passengers cannot claim financial compensation.
Delay duration | Mandatory services |
---|---|
2 hours or more | Meals and drinks based on waiting time |
2 hours or more | Two phone calls or fax/email messages |
Overnight stay required | Hotel accommodation and transfers to/from the airport |
5 hours or more | Option to cancel the flight with a full ticket refund |
Regarding the passenger's choice to cancel the flight and request a full ticket refund, these are the conditions to exercise this right:
Important Note:
Even if the passenger decides to cancel the flight, they are entitled to receive assistance from the airline, including meals, drinks, and, if necessary, hotel accommodation until the departure of the next flight.
Perhaps you don’t know that you could receive compensation in addition to your ticket refund. The most interesting thing to know is that one claim doesn’t exclude the other.
If your flight was significantly delayed, you may be entitled to compensation. Under EU Regulation EC 261/2004, you can claim up to €600 for delays of more than 3 hours, depending on the flight distance. To support your claim, make sure to keep all your travel documents.
Refly will not only help you understand your rights in detail in case of a flight delay, but will also handle the entire claim process for you if you’re entitled to compensation.
The monetary compensation depends on the flight distance and the delay duration, so there are three possible outcomes:
The compensation of €250 for a delayed flight specifically applies to flights under 1500 km.
The compensation of €400 for a delayed flight applies to flights between 1500 km and 3500 km.
The compensation of €600 for a delayed flight applies to flights over 3500 km.
Here's how to do it in 3 simple steps:
It only takes 1 minute to discover the amount of your compensation.
Our legal team will collaborate with the airlines and authorities regarding your case.
As soon as we win the lawsuit, you will receive the money in your bank account
Only delays of more than 3 hours are eligible, with the arrival time being considered as the moment the aircraft doors are opened. However, it’s important to note that so-called “extraordinary circumstances” are not covered. These include situations such as medical emergencies, air traffic restrictions, severe weather conditions, unexpected airport radar failures, acts of sabotage, political instability, and terrorism.
“Technical problems” and “operational circumstances” are not considered “extraordinary circumstances,” as confirmed on several occasions by the European Court of Justice. Refly helps you check if your case qualifies for compensation.
For flights covering a distance of 1,500 km or less, the compensation is €250. For intra-EU flights longer than 1,500 km, compensation amounts to €400. For flights outside the EU between 1,500 and 3,500 km, the compensation is also €400. Lastly, for non-EU flights over 3,500 km, the compensation varies: €300 for delays between 3 and 4 hours, and €600 for delays longer than 4 hours.
The different compensation scenarios for flight delays are summarized in the table below:
Flight Distance | Delay at Arrival | Compensation Amount |
---|---|---|
Up to 1,500 km | Over 3 hours | €250 |
Between 1,500 km and 3,500 km (EU/non-EU flights) | Over 3 hours | €400 |
More than 3,500 km (non-EU flights) | Between 3 and 4 hours | €300 |
More than 3,500 km (non-EU flights) | Over 4 hours | €600 |
Compensation is therefore obtainable if the delay exceeds 3 hours and is not due to extraordinary circumstances.
It’s important to be informed to request what you are entitled to! Many passengers are unaware of these rights and miss the opportunity to receive compensation. Visit our dedicated page on obtaining compensation for delayed flight.
In addition to the ticket refund, airlines may offer you various options in the event of a flight delay or cancellation.
Passenger rights and flight delay compensation depend on your destination and the applicable regulations. The EU Regulation 261 applies within the European Union and its “outermost regions.”
What are the outermost regions?:
The outermost regions (ORs) are territories that are part of the European Union, but are geographically distant from the European continent. These regions enjoy a special status provided by Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which recognizes their particular economic, social, and geographical difficulties, such as remoteness, insularity, small size, and economic dependence on a limited number of products.
In the case of air passenger rights, Regulation EC 261/2004 also applies to the outermost regions, guaranteeing passengers traveling to or from these areas the same compensation rights for delays, cancellations, or overbooking as if they were flights within the European Union.
Outside these areas – unless you are flying to the EU with an EU airline – different regulations apply.
Let’s check together whether you're entitled to compensation for a delayed flight, based on the relevant laws.
In the United States, the law does not guarantee the same protections offered by EU Regulation EC 261 in Europe. Compensation for flight delays depends on the airline's policy, except in cases of tarmac delays. In general, flight delay refunds in the USA are not always guaranteed.
If your flight is stuck on the tarmac at a U.S. airport and you’re already boarded, the airline must provide food, water, access to the restroom, and medical care within the first two hours of the delay. Additionally, after 3 hours (or 4 hours for international flights), the plane must return to the gate to allow you to disembark, unless safety or air traffic control reasons prevent it.
For flights departing from the USA to international destinations, you may be able to recover extra expenses caused by the delay if your case falls under the Montreal Convention. Additionally, if your flight includes a stopover in the EU, it may be eligible for compensation under EU Regulation EC 261.
Passenger rights for international flights are governed by the Montreal Convention, adopted in 2003 by over 130 countries, including the USA and the EU.
Yes, the Montreal Convention covers damages caused by service disruptions, but the term “damages” is interpreted differently depending on the country.
In the USA, damages refer strictly to financial losses, excluding any “emotional distress.”
In Europe, however, the term includes both financial losses and psychological trauma.
Refly is the ideal partner to help you get the compensation you deserve. Here’s how we can support you:
Many passengers refrain from claiming compensation due to the fear of dealing with complicated procedures or not getting results.
With Refly, everything becomes simple and fast. You can start the process online in just a few minutes. You can quickly check if you're eligible for compensation by entering your flight details in this form.
Don't let a delayed flight ruin your travel experience: rely on Refly to get the compensation you deserve!
Refund: This refers to the reimbursement of the money spent on the ticket, for example, when the flight is canceled or you can no longer travel.
Compensation: This is a financial compensation granted to passengers for inconveniences such as prolonged delays or cancellations, according to applicable regulations.
In the United States, airlines are not required to compensate passengers for delays, except for tarmac delays. However, you can negotiate directly with the airline to obtain compensation.
According to EU Regulation 261/2004, you are entitled to compensation for flights delayed by at least 3 hours. For international flights covered by the Montreal Convention, there is no minimum delay time, but you must prove that the delay caused you financial damages.
For international flights covered by the Montreal Convention, keep your boarding pass, request details about the reason for the delay, and retain receipts for any extraordinary expenses caused by the disruption.
Yes, if your international flight includes a connection in an EU country, you may be entitled to additional compensation under EU Regulation 261/2004.
No, if the airline offers you an alternative flight with a higher class fare, you will not be required to pay any difference. If the fare is lower, you can receive a refund ranging from 30% to 70% of your ticket price.
Only a few air travelers are aware of their rights, and many of them lack the legal understanding necessary to claim compensation for flight delays. Even if they are aware of their rights, the process of requesting compensation from airlines can be challenging.