EU261 · UK261 · Article 7
Flight delay compensation calculator
A flight that reaches your final destination three or more hours late is worth €250, €400 or €600 under EU261 — £220, £350 or £520 under UK261 — set by the great-circle distance between your first airport and your last, never by your fare. Pick the two airports below and this page measures the distance and names the band. This is general information, not legal advice.
The bands
Fixed compensation by distance
| Distance to final destination | EU261 | UK261 | Article |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | €250 | £220 | 7(1)(a) |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km, and intra-Community flights over 1,500 km | €400 | £350 | 7(1)(b) |
| Over 3,500 km | €600 | £520 | 7(1)(c) |
Halved to €125 / €200 / €300 and £110 / £175 / £260 when Article 7(2) applies. The full rules — who is covered, the 3-hour rule from Sturgeon and Nelson, the 50 % reduction and the time limits — are in the EU261 and UK261 amounts table.
Measured, not guessed
Twenty common routes and the band each falls in
Every kilometre figure below is computed when this page is built, from the published coordinates of the two airports and the great-circle formula Article 7(4) prescribes. Distances are rounded to the nearest kilometre. Routes within about 25 km of a band edge can be measured either side of it.
| Route (first airport to final destination) | Distance | Band | Regime | Full amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dublin (DUB) → London Heathrow (LHR) | 449 km | up to 1,500 km | EU261 | €250 |
| London Gatwick (LGW) → Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat (BCN) | 1,109 km | up to 1,500 km | UK261 | £220 |
| Berlin Brandenburg (BER) → Rome–Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci (FCO) | 1,178 km | up to 1,500 km | EU261 | €250 |
| Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) → Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat (BCN) | 1,241 km | up to 1,500 km | EU261 | €250 |
| Vienna (VIE) → London Heathrow (LHR) | 1,275 km | up to 1,500 km | EU261 | €250 |
| Manchester (MAN) → Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández (ALC) | 1,681 km | 1,500 to 3,500 km | UK261 | £350 |
| Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas (MAD) → Gran Canaria (LPA)intra-EU cap | 1,766 km | intra-Community flights over 1,500 km | EU261 | €400 |
| Copenhagen Kastrup (CPH) → Athens Eleftherios Venizelos (ATH)intra-EU cap | 2,140 km | intra-Community flights over 1,500 km | EU261 | €400 |
| London Heathrow (LHR) → Athens Eleftherios Venizelos (ATH) | 2,427 km | 1,500 to 3,500 km | UK261 | £350 |
| London Heathrow (LHR) → Tenerife Sur (TFS) | 2,932 km | 1,500 to 3,500 km | UK261 | £350 |
| Stockholm-Arlanda (ARN) → Larnaca (LCA)intra-EU cap | 2,981 km | intra-Community flights over 1,500 km | EU261 | €400 |
| Oslo-Gardermoen (OSL) → Larnaca (LCA)intra-EU cap | 3,248 km | intra-Community flights over 1,500 km | EU261 | €400 |
| Lisbon Humberto Delgado (LIS) → Helsinki Vantaa (HEL)intra-EU cap | 3,364 km | intra-Community flights over 1,500 km | EU261 | €400 |
| Reykjavík Keflavik (KEF) → New York John F. Kennedy (JFK) | 4,163 km | over 3,500 km | EU261 | €600 |
| Helsinki Vantaa (HEL) → Funchal Cristiano Ronaldo (FNC)intra-EU cap | 4,305 km | intra-Community flights over 1,500 km | EU261 | €400 |
| Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) → Dubai (DXB) | 5,239 km | over 3,500 km | EU261 | €600 |
| London Heathrow (LHR) → New York John F. Kennedy (JFK) | 5,540 km | over 3,500 km | UK261 | £520 |
| Frankfurt Main (FRA) → Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK) | 9,000 km | over 3,500 km | EU261 | €600 |
| Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) → Sainte-Marie Roland Garros (RUN)intra-EU cap | 9,370 km | intra-Community flights over 1,500 km | EU261 | €400 |
| Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) → Papeete Fa'a'ā (PPT) | 15,714 km | over 3,500 km | EU261 | €600 |
Airport coordinates: OurAirports, released to the public domain. Distances: haversine formula on a sphere of mean radius 6,371.0088 km. Article 7(4) requires the great-circle method but does not name a radius, which is why routes near a band edge carry the warning above.
Questions
What people ask about the amount
How is flight compensation calculated?
It is a fixed amount set by the great-circle distance from where you started to your final destination, not by what you paid: €250 or £220 up to 1,500 km; €400 or £350 for 1,500 to 3,500 km and for intra-Community flights over 1,500 km; €600 or £520 over 3,500 km. It applies to a 3-hour arrival delay, a cancellation with under 14 days of notice, or involuntary denied boarding.
Where does the 3-hour rule come from?
Article 7 names cancellation and denied boarding. The right to the same fixed sum after a 3-hour arrival delay comes from the Court of Justice in Sturgeon (C-402/07 and C-432/07, 2009), upheld in Nelson (C-581/10 and C-629/10, 2012).
When is the amount halved?
Article 7(2) lets the airline pay half when it re-routes you to arrive within 2, 3 or 4 hours of the original arrival, by distance band. The Court of Justice in Sturgeon (paragraph 63) applies the same reduction to a flight over 3,500 km that arrives 3 to under 4 hours late, giving €300.
Does a cheap ticket reduce my compensation?
No. The amount is fixed by distance and has nothing to do with the fare. €250 on a €20 ticket is normal and correct.
Now claim it
Got an amount? Send the letter.
- Delay compensation letter — you arrived 3 or more hours late
- Cancellation compensation letter — cancelled with under 14 days of notice
- Denied boarding letter — they made you give up your seat
- Missed connection letter — one booking, a late first leg
- If they refuse — the regulator or the ADR scheme