Are You Entitled to Flight Compensation? 2026 Decision Guide

Delayed, cancelled, or bumped, and wondering if anyone owes you money? The answer depends far less on which airline you flew than on where your flight departed. That one fact decides whether you are looking at generous European compensation, the UK’s near-identical version, or the much thinner US rules.

Here is the decision in three steps, then the details and a side-by-side of what each regime pays.

Step 1: Where did your flight depart?

This is the question that sorts everything else.

• Departed an EU airport (any airline): you are under EU261, which pays €250 to €600. The EU here includes the 27 member states plus Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland.
• Departed a UK airport (any airline): you are under UK261, which pays £220 to £520.
• A US itinerary with no EU or UK departure leg: you are under US DOT rules, which pay nothing for delays, only a refund if you decline a cancelled or significantly changed flight, plus bumping compensation.

One wrinkle for flights arriving into the EU or UK: those qualify only if an EU or UK airline operated them. A US carrier landing in London is not covered, but the same route on British Airways or an EU carrier is. Flights departing the EU or UK are covered no matter who operates them.

On a typical US round trip to Europe, that means the outbound leg from the US is usually unprotected, while the homebound leg departing Europe often is.

Step 2: What actually happened?

Under EU261 and UK261, compensation is triggered by one of:

• A delay of 3 or more hours at your final destination
• A cancellation announced with less than 14 days notice
• Involuntary denied boarding because the flight was overbooked

Under US rules there is no delay payout. A cancellation or significant change gives you a refund if you choose not to fly it, and involuntary bumping pays cash.

Step 3: Why did it happen?

For EU261 and UK261, the cause is decisive. Compensation is owed only when the disruption was within the airline’s control:

• Pays compensation: technical faults, crew shortages, most operational failures, overbooking
• Pays nothing (extraordinary circumstances): bad weather, air traffic control decisions, security alerts, political instability, strikes outside the airline

The airline has to prove the cause was extraordinary, so a vague “operational reasons” line is not a valid refusal. (US refund rights do not depend on the cause at all: a refund for a cancelled or significantly changed flight is owed regardless of why it happened.)

What each regime pays

The gap is stark: the exact same 4-hour delay can owe you €600 leaving Paris, £520 leaving London, and nothing leaving New York.

For US itineraries (and for any departure where the cause falls into extraordinary circumstances), travel insurance is the only path to recovering the costs of a stranded night, a missed connection, or medical care abroad. SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance covers all of those globally on a subscription basis, which is useful for travelers who do not want to buy a separate policy per trip.

A point worth repeating: a rebooking does not waive your claim

The most common reason eligible travelers never collect is the belief that accepting the airline’s replacement flight, or taking a refund, ended their rights. It did not. Under EU261 and UK261, compensation is a separate right from your refund and your right to care. If you still arrived 3 or more hours late for a reason within the airline’s control, you can claim the cash even though you took the alternative flight the airline put you on.

Now go to the right guide

Once you know which regime covers your flight, the matching guide has the exact amounts, the claim steps, and how to escalate for free if the airline refuses:

• EU261 Flight Compensation for flights departing the EU (or arriving on an EU airline)
• UK261 Flight Compensation for flights departing the UK (or arriving on a UK or EU airline)
• US Flight Delay and Cancellation Rights for US itineraries

You can claim any of these yourself, for free. Claims companies take 25 to 35 percent of the payout for sending the same letter, so unless an airline is genuinely stonewalling a clear case, do it yourself and keep the whole amount.