Flight problems: what you can claim in each situation
Pick what happened to your flight. Each page gives the rule, the amount and what to do now.
What happened to your flight?
Flight delay
Three hours late at arrival on an EU or UK flight means €250–€600 per person, unless the cause was extraordinary.
Cancellation
A cancelled flight means a refund or a new flight, and €250–€600 if you were told less than 14 days before.
Missed connection
On a single booking, what counts is the delay at your final destination: 3 hours or more means €250–€600.
Overbooking
Bumped against your will: €250–€600 in the EU, up to $2,150 in the US, 250 or 500 SDR in Brazil, paid at once.
Lost baggage
Up to 1,519 SDR per passenger for a lost, late or damaged bag, with written deadlines of 7 and 21 days.
Why it happened matters
The cause decides whether the fixed compensation is due. Care and refunds are owed either way.
- StrikeAirline staff strikes are the airline's problem and compensation is due. Air traffic control strikes are not.Depends on who strikes
- Bad weatherUnsafe weather removes compensation, not care, re-routing or refund. The airline must prove it.Airline may refuse
- Technical problemMost technical faults are part of running an airline, so €250–€600 is still due under EU and UK rules.Airline usually pays
- Extraordinary circumstancesThe airline must prove an event outside its control and that it did everything reasonable to avoid the disruption.Airline must prove it
Flights within Brazil
Pages on delays, cancellations, denied boarding, baggage and complaints for passengers on Brazilian domestic flights.
- Delay in BrazilMeals after 2 hours, a hotel after 4, and your choice of rebooking, refund or other transport above 4 hours.
- Cancellation in BrazilOn a cancelled flight the choice is yours: rebooking, a full refund or other transport, plus assistance while you wait.
- Overbooking in BrazilStopped from boarding a domestic flight against your will: 250 SDR on the spot, plus rebooking, a refund or other transport.
- Baggage in BrazilBag that did not arrive: the airline has 7 days to return it and 7 more to compensate. Damaged bag: report within 7 days.
- Moral damages for delayThe text of the law on proof of harm, force majeure and the airline's liability, with no amounts and no legal advice.
- Complaints in BrazilAirline, Anac Passageiro, consumidor.gov.br, Procon and Juizado Especial: what each channel is and which deadlines the official text gives.
Quick answers
How late does a flight have to be to get compensation?
Under EU and UK rules, you must reach your final destination three hours or more after the scheduled arrival time. The delay at departure does not decide it. A flight that leaves three and a half hours late but lands two hours and fifty minutes late does not qualify for compensation, although care at the airport was still owed.
Can the airline make me take a voucher instead of a refund?
No. Under Article 8(1)(a) the refund is paid in money within seven days. A voucher is only valid with your signed agreement (Article 7(3)). In the United States, 14 CFR Part 260 also requires a refund to the original form of payment unless you accept something else.
My first flight was only 30 minutes late but I missed the connection. Can I claim?
Yes, if both flights were on one booking and you reached your final destination three hours or more late. The Court of Justice held in Folkerts, C-11/11, that the size of the delay on the first flight does not matter. Only the delay at the final destination counts.
Should I volunteer to give up my seat?
Only if the offer is worth more to you than the statutory compensation. A volunteer agrees the benefits with the airline and gives up the fixed compensation, but keeps the right to a refund or re-routing under EU rules. Ask for the offer in writing and check what the replacement flight is before you agree.
How much compensation do I get for a lost bag?
The actual value of your loss, up to 1,519 SDR per passenger on flights covered by the Montreal Convention. It is a ceiling, not a fixed sum. You need to show what was in the bag and what it was worth, so receipts, card statements and photos matter.