Sturgeon C-402/07
Your flight was delayed
A delay is the most common claim and one of the clearest. The rule that makes it work isn't in the text of the Regulation at all — the Court of Justice read it in.
The short answer
If you arrived 3+ hours late and the cause was within the airline's control, you are almost certainly owed compensation.
The one thing to know: The three-hour clock runs to your arrival at your final destination, measured when the aircraft door opens — not when it lands, and not the delay on any single leg.
How it actually works
- Where the right comes from
- The Regulation only spells out compensation for cancellations. In Sturgeon the Court held that a three-hour-plus arrival delay causes the same harm, so the same fixed amount is due. This survived the 2026 reform unchanged.
- What decides it
- Two things: did you arrive three or more hours late at your final destination, and was the cause within the airline's control. Distance sets the amount; cause decides whether you get it at all.
- The most common underpayment
- On long-haul flights arriving three to four hours late, Article 7(2) lets the airline halve the figure. Check which number they offer you against the halved and full amounts.
Claiming yourself is free and keeps the whole amount. On European short-haul, Compensair is the cheaper service if you hit a wall.
What to do now
- Photograph the evidence — the departure board, the app before it updates, the arrival time when the door opens. The full checklist →
- Write to the airline, quoting the article and the flight. Use the template →
- Give them 28 days, then escalate free to the national enforcement body.
- Check your time limit — it ranges from one year to six by country. See yours →
Questions
Your flight was delayed: am I owed compensation?
If you arrived 3+ hours late and the cause was within the airline's control, you are almost certainly owed compensation.
How do I claim it?
Write to the airline first, quoting the article and flight, and allow 28 days. It is free and you keep the whole amount. Escalate to the national enforcement body if refused.