Flight Delay Compensation Calculator

Last updated: July 21, 2026

Use the calculator below to check whether you are owed flight delay compensation under UK261, EU261 or the US DOT rules — and how much. Enter your route, distance and delay, and it applies the official distance bands, the three-hour threshold and the long-haul reduction most calculators get wrong.

How This Calculator Works

Flight compensation is not based on how annoyed you were, or on the price of your ticket. Under UK261 and EU261 it is a fixed amount set by two things: how far the flight was, and how late you arrived at your final destination. This tool applies those official bands, plus the three-hour threshold, the long-haul reduction, and the extraordinary-circumstances exemption. For US flights it applies the very different DOT rules, which guarantee refunds rather than fixed payouts.

What You Need To Enter

• Which rules apply — UK261 covers flights departing a UK airport (any airline) and flights arriving in the UK on a UK or EU airline. EU261 works the same way for EU airports. US flights follow DOT rules instead.
• What happened — a delay, a cancellation notified less than 14 days ahead, or being involuntarily denied boarding.
• Flight distance — the great-circle distance of the flight, in three official bands.
• Arrival delay — measured by when you reached your final destination, not when you left. A missed connection that gets you in five hours late counts as five hours.
• Extraordinary circumstances — tick this only if the airline actually blamed something outside its control.

UK261 and EU261 compensation amounts

Flight distance	Arrival delay	UK261	EU261
Under 1,500 km	3+ hours	£220	€250
1,500 – 3,500 km	3+ hours	£350	€400
Over 3,500 km	3 – 4 hours	£260 (50% reduction)	€300 (50% reduction)
Over 3,500 km	Over 4 hours	£520	€600

The amount is per passenger, not per booking — a family of four on a delayed long-haul flight can be owed over £2,000 between them. It is also unrelated to what you paid: a £40 short-haul fare delayed by four hours still attracts the full £220.

Right to care: what you get regardless of the cause

This is the part most travellers do not claim. Even when compensation is not payable — including in extraordinary circumstances — the airline still has to look after you once your delay passes these thresholds:

Flight distance	Right to care starts after	What the airline must provide
Under 1,500 km	2 hours	Food and drink appropriate to the wait, means to communicate, and hotel accommodation plus transfers if you are delayed overnight.
1,500 – 3,500 km	3 hours
Over 3,500 km	4 hours

If the airline does not provide it, keep your receipts and claim the cost back afterwards. And if your delay reaches five hours or more, you can choose not to travel at all and claim a full refund instead.

US flights: refunds, not compensation

The single biggest misunderstanding for travellers flying in the United States is expecting an EU-style payout. There is no fixed cash compensation for delayed US flights. What the DOT rules do guarantee is an automatic refund if your flight is cancelled (and you decline rebooking) or “significantly delayed” — defined as 3+ hours for domestic and 6+ hours for international flights. Refunds must be paid in cash or your original payment method, not vouchers, within 7 business days for card payments or 20 calendar days otherwise. Involuntary denied boarding is the exception: that does carry cash compensation based on your fare.

When You Are Not Owed Compensation

• You arrived less than 3 hours late at your final destination.
• The airline proves extraordinary circumstances — severe weather, air traffic control strikes, security incidents, or a bird strike.
• You were told about a cancellation more than 14 days in advance.
• You voluntarily gave up your seat in exchange for benefits.

Be sceptical about the extraordinary-circumstances defence. Routine technical faults, crew shortages and knock-on delays from the aircraft’s earlier rotation generally do not qualify, and airlines have lost repeatedly on this point. If the reason you were given sounds like an everyday operational problem, it is worth pushing back.

How to claim

1. Claim directly with the airline first. It is free, and you keep 100% of the money. Claim-management firms typically take 25–36%.
2. Gather evidence — booking reference, boarding passes, the reason you were given, and photos of departure boards showing the delay.
3. State the amount you are claiming and the regulation (UK261 or EU261) in writing.
4. Give them time to reply — UK airlines have eight weeks to respond.
5. Escalate if refused — to the airline’s alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme, or to the CAA in the UK.

For the full walkthrough — including a copy-and-paste claim template and a table of the excuses airlines use most often and how to challenge each one — see our guide to claiming delayed flight compensation in the UK.

Important Things This Tool Does Not Replace

This calculator gives an estimate of your likely entitlement, not a legal ruling. Whether a specific disruption counts as extraordinary, how distance is measured on multi-leg itineraries, and how a re-routing affects a cancellation payout are all things an airline, an ADR scheme or a court decides on the facts. Treat the result as a well-informed starting point for your claim, and confirm your position with the CAA or the airline before relying on it.

Methodology

The distance bands, the three-hour arrival threshold, the 50% long-haul reduction between three and four hours, and the two/three/four-hour right-to-care thresholds are taken from the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s published guidance on delays and cancellations, with EU261 amounts from the equivalent EU regulation. US figures follow the Department of Transportation’s automatic refund rule and its denied boarding provisions. Verified July 2026.

Related Tools and Guides

• Delayed Flight Compensation UK: How to Claim — step-by-step claim process, a copy-and-paste template, and how to challenge a refusal
• Layover Calculator — check whether a connection is realistic before you book
• Minimum Connection Time Calculator
• Airport Arrival Time Calculator
• Summer 2026 Flight Delays: Worst UK Airports
• All layover and airport guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How much compensation do I get for a delayed flight?

Under UK261 it is £220 for flights under 1,500 km, £350 for 1,500–3,500 km, and £520 for flights over 3,500 km — reduced to £260 if a long-haul flight is between three and four hours late. EU261 pays €250, €400 and €600 on the same bands. You must arrive at your final destination at least three hours late.

Is the 3 hours measured at departure or arrival?

Arrival. What matters is how late you reached your final destination, not how late you left. A short departure delay that causes you to miss a connection and arrive five hours late still counts as a five-hour delay.

Am I entitled to flight delay compensation if the weather was bad?

Usually not. Severe weather is an extraordinary circumstance outside the airline’s control, so compensation is not payable — but your right to care (food, drink and accommodation) still applies, and you can still claim a refund if the delay reaches five hours.

Does a technical fault count as an extraordinary circumstance?

Generally no. Routine technical problems are considered part of running an airline, so they do not usually excuse compensation. If your delay was blamed on a technical issue, it is well worth challenging a refusal.

Do I get compensation for a delayed flight in the US?

No fixed compensation exists for US delays. The DOT rules entitle you to an automatic refund if your flight is cancelled or significantly delayed (3+ hours domestic, 6+ hours international) and you choose not to travel. Involuntary denied boarding does carry cash compensation.

Should I use a claim company?

You do not need one. Claiming directly with the airline is free and you keep the full amount, whereas claim-management firms typically take 25–36% of your payout. Consider one only if the airline has refused and you do not want to handle the escalation yourself.

How long do I have to claim?

In the UK you generally have six years to bring a claim (five in Scotland), and time limits vary across EU countries. Airlines have eight weeks to respond before you can escalate to an ADR scheme or the CAA.

Does compensation depend on my ticket price?

No. UK261 and EU261 amounts are fixed by distance and delay, so a cheap fare and an expensive one attract the same compensation. It is also paid per passenger, not per booking.

Sources

Compensation bands, the three-hour arrival threshold, the long-haul 50% reduction and right-to-care thresholds are from the UK Civil Aviation Authority; EU261 amounts from the equivalent EU regulation; US rules from the US Department of Transportation. Verified 14 July 2026. This is general guidance, not legal advice — confirm your position with the airline or the CAA before relying on it.