00 Start here

What went wrong with your flight?

Pick the one closest to your trip. About a minute to find your letter, about two more to fill it in. Nothing you answer leaves your browser — not even to us.

01 No questions

Or just read the rule for your situation

The same answers the questions above lead to, written out. Every figure is checked against the primary source on 6 September 2026.

All 88 letters & guides →

My flight was late

Left an EU, Icelandic, Norwegian or Swiss airport, or landed in one on a European airline: EU261 applies. Left a UK airport, or landed in one on a UK or European airline: UK261 applies.
You must have reached your final destination 3 or more hours late, measured when the doors opened — not at touchdown.
The amount is set by the straight-line distance from your first airport to your last: €250 / £220 up to 1,500 km, €400 / £350 for 1,500–3,500 km and for intra-EU flights over 1,500 km, €600 / £520 above that.
A flight over 3,500 km that arrives 3 to 4 hours late may be paid at half.
The airline pays nothing only if it proves extraordinary circumstances — weather and air-traffic control usually count, its own technical faults and its own staff striking usually do not.

My flight was cancelled

Two weeks’ notice or more: no fixed compensation, but a full refund within seven days or re-routing — your choice.
Less than two weeks: the same €250 / €400 / €600 bands, unless they re-routed you close to the original times.
The refund is in cash or by bank transfer. A voucher counts only if you agree to one in writing.
Meals, a hotel and transport to it are owed whatever caused the cancellation.

They wouldn’t let me board

If you volunteered in exchange for something, the fixed compensation does not apply — you are owed the deal you agreed to.
If you were bumped against your will, the same distance bands apply with no minimum delay.
In the United States it is a percentage of your one-way fare instead: 200 % up to $1,075, or 400 % up to $2,150 when the replacement gets you in much later.

I missed my connection

Both flights on one booking, one reference number: the delay is measured at your last stop, and the distance from your first airport to your last.
Two separate bookings: normally two separate trips, so the missed flight is not covered — but the first flight can still be claimed on its own if it was 3+ hours late to its own destination.
On one booking, the airline that operated the first leg can be liable even for a later leg flown by a partner (CJEU, České aerolinie, C-502/18, 2019).

Something happened to my bag

International flights: the Montreal Convention. Write within 7 days for damage, and within 21 days of getting a delayed bag back. Court action within 2 years.
The ceiling is 1,519 SDR per passenger — roughly US$2,080. It pays what you can prove, not a fixed sum, so keep receipts.
US domestic flights: the DOT rules instead, capped at $4,700 per passenger.
Report it before you leave the airport and keep the reference — the PIR. Most airlines require it.

I flew in a lower class than I paid for

Article 10(2) reimburses 30 % of that flight’s price up to 1,500 km, 50 % from 1,500 to 3,500 km, and 75 % above that.
The percentage applies to the price of the flight you were downgraded on, excluding taxes and charges not linked to that flight (CJEU, Mennens, C-255/15, 2016).
Air miles or a voucher are not a substitute for the money.

My money hasn’t come back

Ticket refunds under EU261 and UK261: seven days, in cash or by bank transfer.
Meals, hotel and transport you paid for yourself are owed whatever caused the disruption — even when compensation is not.
A cancelled package holiday must be refunded in full within 14 days by the organiser.
In the United States the 2024 rule refunds a card payment within 7 business days and anything else within 20 calendar days, automatically.
A card payment gives you a second route: your card scheme’s chargeback, with its own time limit — a scheme rule, not law.

The airline said no, or went quiet

Ask for a final response in writing. That is the document the regulator and the ADR scheme want.
In the EU the complaint goes to the national enforcement body of the country you departed from; in the UK, to the airline’s ADR scheme, within 12 months of the final response.
“Operational reasons” is not a defence. Article 5(3) needs a named circumstance the airline could not have avoided.
A part payment settles only what it says it settles — reply in writing before you accept it.
If the airline has gone bust, the card scheme, your insurance or an ATOL is the route that pays.

General information, not legal advice. Rules and amounts change — check the source linked on each page before you rely on a figure.