EU 261 Regulations set guidelines for travelers to be compensated for delayed and canceled flights, but only under certain circumstances. Whether you are entitled to flight compensation from the airline for a delayed, overbooked or canceled flight depends on whether the starting and/or final destination is within the EU, how long and why you were delayed, and whether the airline is registered in the EU. The chart below can help you determine if you’re eligible for EU flight compensation.
I Flew from an Airport
With an EU Airline
With a Non-EU Airline
Inside the EU
Outside the EU
Keep in mind that you can easily be entitled to compensation, even if it says “no” in the schedule if you have had a connecting flight on the trip – this also applies to charter trips.
Does the chart say you’re entitled to flight delay compensation? There is one more qualification: The delay must not be due to what is called in the rules “extraordinary circumstances” – that is, things that are completely outside the airline’s control and which the airline could not in any way have predicted or prepared for. Weather is one example of an extraordinary circumstance – airlines don’t have to pay EU flight compensation if the delay is due to weather.
What counts as an “extraordinary circumstance” is a legal assessment, and it is usually here that the battle between the airline and TravelRefund’s legal team happens.