# How Much Flight Delay Compensation? EU261 & UK261 Amounts

> EU261 pays €250, €400 or €600 and UK261 pays £220, £350 or £520, fixed by great-circle distance to your final destination rather than by the fare you paid.

- Canonical: https://flightclaimletters.pages.dev/guides/eu261-uk261-amounts/
- Section: Know your rights (https://flightclaimletters.pages.dev/guides/#reference)
- Published: 16 Jun 2026 · Updated: 6 Sept 2026 · Figures checked: 6 Sept 2026 · 6 min read
- Source site: flightclaimletters — https://flightclaimletters.pages.dev/ · General information, not legal advice.

EU261 pays **€250** up to 1,500 km, **€400** from 1,500–3,500 km and for any intra-EU flight over 1,500 km, and **€600** over 3,500 km. UK261 pays **£220, £350 and £520**. The trigger is a three-hour arrival delay, a cancellation with under 14 days' notice, or involuntary denied boarding. Distance is great-circle, to your final destination.

## Where the three-hour rule actually comes from

[Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2004/261/oj/eng) names only cancellation and denied boarding. The right to the same fixed sum after a three-hour arrival delay comes from the Court of Justice in *Sturgeon* ([C-402/07 and C-432/07](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A62007CJ0402), 19 November 2009), upheld in *Nelson* ([C-581/10 and C-629/10](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A62010CJ0581), 23 October 2012). Airlines no longer dispute it. If one tells you Article 7 does not cover delays, those are the two cases to name. In the UK the rule is now written into the statute itself: [Article 6(3) of the retained Regulation](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2004/261/article/6), inserted on 14 December 2023 by the Aviation (Consumers) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 (S.I. 2023/1370), says that a delay of three hours or more in reaching the final destination gives the right to Article 7 compensation, subject to the extraordinary-circumstances defence in Article 6(4). For the plain-language walkthrough, see [the 3-hour delay explainer](/guides/flight-delayed-3-hours-compensation/). The amount is the same whichever airline flew you — [Ryanair](/guides/ryanair-compensation/), [easyJet](/guides/easyjet-compensation/), [Wizz Air](/guides/wizz-air-compensation/) and [Lufthansa](/guides/lufthansa-compensation/) each have their own page on how that carrier prefers to be claimed against.

## EU261 amounts (Article 7(1))

| Flight distance, great-circle to final destination | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 1,500 km or less | **€250** |
| Intra-EU over 1,500 km, or any other flight of 1,500–3,500 km | **€400** |
| All other flights (over 3,500 km, EU to non-EU) | **€600** |

An intra-EU flight is capped at **€400** however long it is. The €600 band applies only to flights over 3,500 km with one end outside the EU. EU261 also applies in Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.

## UK261 amounts (retained Article 7(1))

| Flight distance, great-circle to final destination | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 1,500 km or less | **£220** |
| 1,500–3,500 km | **£350** |
| Over 3,500 km | **£520** |

The sterling figures are in the retained Regulation as amended by the Air Passenger Rights and Air Travel Organisers' Licensing (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/278) and the Aviation (Consumers) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 (S.I. 2023/1370), and the [UK CAA](https://www.caa.co.uk/air-passengers/travel-problems-and-rights/flight-delays-and-cancellations/delays/) states the same amounts.

## The 50 per cent reduction, stated once

Article 7(2) is a **re-routing** rule, not a delay rule. The airline may halve the amount only when it re-routes you and you arrive within **2 hours** (1,500 km or less), **3 hours** (intra-EU over 1,500 km, or other flights of 1,500–3,500 km) or **4 hours** (all other flights) of your original scheduled arrival. Halved, EU261 is €125, €200 or €300; UK261 is £110, £175 or £260. The Court in *Sturgeon* ([paragraph 63](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A62007CJ0402)) applies the same reduction to a flight of more than 3,500 km involving an airport outside the EU that arrives less than four hours late, giving €300.

> **A halved payment needs a re-routing that met the window.** If nobody re-routed you, or the re-routing still landed you outside the 2, 3 or 4-hour window for your band, the full amount is due. Ask the airline which limb of Article 7(2) it is relying on and what your re-routed arrival time was.

## Which flights are covered

| Your flight | UK261 | EU261 |
|---|---|---|
| Departs an EU airport, any airline | No | Yes |
| Arrives in the EU from outside, on an EU airline | No | Yes |
| Departs a UK airport, any airline | Yes | No |
| Arrives in the UK from outside, on a UK or EU airline | Yes | No |
| **Departs the UK and arrives in the EU on an EU carrier** | **Yes** | **Yes** |
| Arrives in the EU or UK from outside on a non-EU, non-UK airline | No | No |

When both regimes apply you claim **once**. Pick the currency and the regulator that suit you, and say in the letter which one you are claiming under. The direction rules are set out in full in [does EU261 cover non-EU airlines?](/guides/eu261-non-eu-airlines/).

## What else you are owed, whatever the cause

Compensation can be excused by [extraordinary circumstances](/guides/extraordinary-circumstances/). Two rights cannot be:

- **Care** — meals, refreshments, two calls or emails, and a hotel with transport for an overnight wait. The thresholds are in **Article 6(1)**: 2 hours for flights of 1,500 km or less, 3 hours for intra-EU flights over 1,500 km and other flights of 1,500–3,500 km, 4 hours for everything else. Claim it with the [expenses letter](/guides/expense-reimbursement-letter/), after working out the numbers with the [care and expenses calculator](/tools/care-and-expenses/).
- **Refund or re-routing** — your choice on a cancellation or a delay of five hours or more. Article 8(1)(a) with Article 7(3) means reimbursement within seven days, in cash or by bank transfer, and a voucher only if you agree to one in writing. See [refund or re-route](/guides/refund-vs-reroute-letter/).

## How much compensation for a 3-hour flight delay?

Under EU261, €250 for flights of 1,500 km or less, €400 for intra-EU flights over 1,500 km and other flights of 1,500–3,500 km, and €600 over 3,500 km. Under UK261, £220, £350 or £520. The delay is measured on arrival at your final destination.

## How much for a 4-hour delay?

The same fixed amounts as a three-hour delay: €250, €400 or €600, or £220, £350 or £520. There is one threshold, at three hours of arrival delay, and no higher band for a longer wait. Only the Article 7(2) re-routing reduction can change the figure.

## How long do I have to claim?

There is no EU-wide deadline. The Court held in *Cuadrench Moré* ([C-139/11](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A62011CJ0139), 22 November 2012) that the period is set by each member state's own limitation rules. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland it is six years ([Limitation Act 1980, section 9](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/58/section/9)); in Scotland five years (Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973, section 6). For any other country, check the statute there or ask the national enforcement body — do not rely on a number you cannot source. Baggage is different and far shorter: see the [Montreal Convention deadlines](/guides/montreal-convention-baggage/).

## Rules in force today

Everything above is the law that applies to a flight you take today. A revision of Regulation 261/2004 was adopted in July 2026 — the Parliament approved the conciliation text on 7 July 2026 and the Council gave final approval on 13 July 2026 — but it is not yet in force: it applies 12 months after it enters into force following publication in the Official Journal, and the final text sets the details. See [what the 2026 EU261 reform changes](/guides/eu261-reform-2026/).

Know your amount? Send the [delay letter](/guides/delay-compensation-letter/), the [cancellation letter](/guides/cancellation-compensation-letter/) or the [denied-boarding letter](/guides/denied-boarding-letter/) — or, if the cancellation came less than 14 days before departure, check [what a short-notice cancellation means for your claim](/guides/flight-cancelled-less-than-14-days/) first. US flights work on a different system entirely — see [US passenger rights](/guides/us-passenger-rights/). Not sure which letter fits? The [what happened finder](/what-happened/) picks the right one from a few questions.