Air passenger rights

Your eligibility for compensation depends on both regional regulations and whether your connecting flights are part of the same booking.

Same booking: If all flights are under the same booking reference, they’re usually protected by flight compensation regulations. If you meet all other eligibility requirements, you may qualify for compensation for the disrupted leg of the flight.

Separate bookings: If your connecting flights were booked separately, they are treated as individual flights. In this case, if a delay on the first leg causes you to miss the next, it will likely be considered a no-show, and compensation will not apply.

If you’re unsure about your eligibility, use AirHelp’s flight checker.

Your eligibility for compensation depends on the regulations in the region where you are flying. AirHelp supports claims under various flight regulations worldwide, including EC 261 in Europe, ANAC 400 in Brazil, Saudi Arabia PRPR, and more.

Since each regulation has its own eligibility criteria, the simplest way to check if you qualify is by using AirHelp’s flight checker.

In general, you may be eligible for compensation if:

• Your flight was canceled 7-14 days before scheduled departure

• The airline was responsible for the disruption

• You have a confirmed flight reservation

• You submit your claim within the country’s time limit

Airlines must pay compensation for denied boarding where they are at fault — the most common example is flight overbookings. 

We can’t accept claims for denied boardings due to document problems

It is the passenger’s responsibility to ensure they have the correct documents required to board their flight and enter their destination country. For example:

• Valid passport or other accepted ID

• Valid visa

• Proof of return ticket

• Proof of Covid-19 vaccinations

• Negative Covid-19 test result 

• Passenger locator form

If you are not able to show the airline the required documents when requested, the airline has no choice but to deny boarding. There is no compensation owed in this circumstance as the airline is not at fault. 

Other situations where the airline may deny boarding and is under no obligation to provide compensation include:

• Passengers who arrive at the gate too late

• Passengers behaving disruptively
  

We’ll have to check a few things, but generally, yes, you can get compensation for your flight if it is eligible. However, always be careful when signing agreements with the airlines, as some may require you to give up your compensation if you choose to accept a voucher. If you’re unsure about whether you’re entitled to compensation or not, always check with our easy Compensation Check to see what you’re owed.

Yes, if your flight is eligible for compensation. Airlines are required to offer assistance for any long flight delay or cancellation, as well as compensation. The easiest way to check if you’re eligible for compensation is to use our easy Compensation Check.

While theoretically, you can try to claim compensation with a bankrupt airline, the reality is that you are likely not going to get it. Passengers are often last in a long line of creditors that airlines have to pay off after going under. However, there is one possible exception: if your flight was operated by a different airline that partnered with the airline which went bust. In that case, we’ll continue pursuing that partner airline for compensation passengers are owed. You can learn more about what happens following an airline bankruptcy here.

Yes. It doesn’t matter if the company offers low cost flights as long as the flight delay or cancellation meets the eligibility criteria for getting compensation. The easiest way to check if your flight is eligible is to use our easy Compensation Check.

Generally speaking, yes. It will depend on several factors, such as where your flight was departing from, how late you arrived at your final destination, and whether all of your connecting flights were part of the same flight reservation (under the same booking reference number). The easiest way to check if your flight is eligible is to use our free Compensation Check.

Airlines are not liable for flight disruptions that were due to “extraordinary circumstances.” These are scenarios that could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken and include situations such as medical emergencies, civil unrest, strikes initiated by airport staff or air traffic control, serious adverse weather, and natural disasters, to name a few.

If you have experienced a delayed, canceled, or overbooked flight within the last 3 years you may be eligible for compensation. However, the laws differ quite a bit based on where you’re flying. AirHelp supports claims under various flight regulations worldwide, including EC 261 in Europe, ANAC 400 in Brazil, Saudi Arabia PRPR, and more.

Since each regulation has its own eligibility criteria, the simplest way to check if you qualify is by using AirHelp’s flight checker.

In general, you may be eligible for compensation if:

• Your flight was heavily delayed by several hours or canceled 7-14 days before departure

• The airline was responsible for the disruption

• You have a confirmed flight reservation

• You submit your claim within the country’s time limit

While we do everything that we can to help uphold your air passenger rights, we cannot help you get compensation if your flight is found to be ineligible. One common reason for ineligibility is if your flight was disrupted by extraordinary circumstances, such as adverse weather conditions or travel restrictions. You can learn more about what flights qualify for compensation and your rights here.

Of course, air passenger rights are complex, so if you have any questions or believe that your flight has been assessed incorrectly, please contact us here.

There are currently no international laws that cover your rights when airlines change their flight schedules, which means that you will need to check the Terms and Conditions of your ticket or contact the airline directly for more information.

Generally, most airline Terms and Conditions will offer you a full refund, or give you the option to change to another flight whenever there has been a significant change in the flight schedule.

What counts as a “significant” schedule change is also up to the airlines to decide. For some, it means any departure time that has changed by two or more hours, while for others, it’s a change of at least 12 hours or more.

However, if your flight was canceled less than 14 days before your departure date, and if the replacement flight offered arrives more than 3 hours late at your destination, then you are covered by the law. In these cases, you can get compensation on top of your refund or replacement flight. To find out if you are eligible, check your compensation here.

Yes, your eligibility for compensation varies depending on whether your connecting flights are part of the same booking.

Same booking: If all flights are under the same booking reference, they’re usually protected by flight compensation regulations. If you meet all other eligibility requirements, you may qualify for compensation for the disrupted leg of the flight.

Separate bookings: If your connecting flights were booked separately, they are treated as individual flights. In this case, if a delay on the first leg causes you to miss the next, it will likely be considered a "no-show," and compensation will not apply.

If you’re unsure about your eligibility, use AirHelp’s flight checker.

Your eligibility for compensation depends on the regulations in the region where you are flying. AirHelp supports claims under various flight regulations worldwide, including EC 261 in Europe, ANAC 400 in Brazil, Saudi Arabia PRPR, and more.

Since each regulation has its own eligibility criteria, the simplest way to check if you qualify is by using AirHelp’s flight checker.

In general, you may be eligible for compensation if:

• Your flight was heavily delayed by several hours

• The airline was responsible for the disruption

• You have a confirmed flight reservation

• You submit your claim within the country’s time limit

You can check if you’re entitled to compensation for your disrupted flight(s) and how much are you entitled to via our Eligibility Check. It takes only a few minutes and is completely free of charge.

Your eligibility for compensation depends on the regulations in the region where you are flying. AirHelp supports claims under various flight regulations worldwide, including EC 261 in Europe, ANAC 400 in Brazil, Saudi Arabia PRPR, and more.

Since each regulation has its own eligibility criteria, the simplest way to check if you qualify is by using AirHelp’s flight checker.

In general, you may be eligible for compensation if:

• Your flight was heavily delayed by several hours

• The airline was responsible for the disruption

• You have a confirmed flight reservation

• You submit your claim within the country’s time limit

How much you’re entitled to will depend on the regulations of the country or countries where you were flying. You can learn more about compensation here.

The EU air passenger rights regulation, EC 261, applies to all countries and territories under the European Union, as well as the UK, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland. Likewise, all airlines registered within these member states and operating within the EU are subject to this regulation.

On average, you can make a claim for a flight delay or cancellation from as far back as 3 years ago but different countries have different limitation periods. You can check them here.

If you think you’re entitled to compensation for your flight problem but the airline won’t do anything about it, don’t worry! There’s a chance that we can still help you. Simply use our Flight Checker to see if you are eligible. If we find that you have a valid claim, we will then discuss it with our Legal Team to see what options are available. We’ll handle the entire process for you from start to finish.

Yes, regardless of who paid for the flight ticket, it is always the passenger who experienced the disruption who is eligible to claim for compensation.

Yes, if you are a member of AirHelp+.

Luggage claims are an exclusive service for AirHelp+ members. When you sign up, we’ll help you reclaim up to €1,400 for delayed, damaged, or lost luggage. Learn more about AirHelp+ here.