Flight compensation checker
Was your flight delayed or cancelled? Enter the route to see which air passenger rights rules apply — Europe's EU261, the UK's equivalent, Canada's APPR or Brazil's ANAC rules — and whether the delay is long enough to be worth a claim. Free, and no sign-up needed.
Measured at arrival, against the scheduled arrival time — not how long you waited to depart.
The rules this checker knows
EU / UK air passenger rights
EU Regulation 261/2004 and its UK equivalent. Compensation starts at an arrival delay of 3 hours, and can be between €250 and €600. Delays caused by weather, air traffic control or security count as extraordinary circumstances and are not compensated.
Canadian air passenger protection
Canada's Air Passenger Protection Regulations. Compensation starts at an arrival delay of 3 hours, and can be between CA$125 and CA$1,000, depending on the delay and the size of the airline. Only disruptions within the airline's control are compensated — weather, safety issues and air traffic control are not.
Brazilian air passenger rules
Brazil's ANAC Resolution 400. Compensation starts at an arrival delay of 4 hours, and can be a refund, rebooking or compensation. What you are owed depends on the cause and on what the airline offered you at the time.
Most of the world has no equivalent. In the United States there is no federal right to compensation for a delay at all — only to a refund when the airline cancels and you decline the rebooking.
Common questions
Which countries' rules does this cover?
Four regimes: EU Regulation 261/2004 across the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland; the UK's retained version of the same rule; Canada's Air Passenger Protection Regulations; and Brazil's ANAC Resolution 400. A flight touching any of them at either end may be covered, so this is not only a European question — a Toronto to Vancouver flight has its own compensation scheme.
Which flights are covered by EU261?
Any flight departing an airport in the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland is covered whoever operates it. A flight arriving at one of those airports from outside is covered only when the operating airline is licensed in the EU or UK. The UK keeps its own copy of the rule, with the same thresholds, for flights departing the UK.
How late does a flight have to be?
Three hours under the European and Canadian rules, four under Brazil's — measured at arrival, against the scheduled arrival time. A flight that leaves three hours late and makes up two of them in the air is not a claim.
How much compensation can I get?
Between €250 and €600 under the European rules, depending on the distance flown. Canada pays between CA$125 and CA$1,000 depending on the delay and the size of the airline. The figure does not depend on what the ticket cost, which is why a €40 fare can carry a €400 claim.
Does a delay caused by weather count?
No. Every regime here has an excuse clause — 'extraordinary circumstances' in Europe, 'outside the carrier's control' in Canada — and weather, air traffic control and security incidents fall under it. Technical faults with the aircraft generally do not, because maintaining the fleet is the airline's own responsibility.
How long do I have to claim?
Longer than most people assume. Deadlines are national: six years in the UK, three in Germany, five in Brazil, two in some EU member states. A flight from a couple of years ago is often still worth checking.
Do airlines pay this automatically?
Almost never. The obligation exists whether or not you ask, but in practice the money moves only when a passenger claims it. Airlines are also allowed to offer vouchers instead, which you are free to decline in favour of the cash.
This is a filter, not legal advice
Every answer here is really “maybe”. Whether a claim actually pays turns on facts this page does not have: why the flight was late, how much notice a cancellation gave, whether a replacement was offered and when it got you there. The checker tells you which rules reach your route and whether the delay clears their threshold — that is the part that can be decided from a route and a clock.
It is deliberately biased towards saying no, because a checker that is usually wrong is worse than one that occasionally misses. If it says a claim looks possible, that is a reason to have someone look at the specific flight, not a promise of a payment.
Don't go looking for the next one
routebook logs the flights you take, watches their status, and flags the ones that land late enough to be worth a claim — so the money you're owed finds you instead of the other way round.
Start your flight log — freeMore tools: the distance calculator and the carbon footprint calculator.