Travel guide
If your flight departs from the EU, or arrives there on an EU airline, EU air passenger rights can get you cash, food, and a new flight. If you're flying a US carrier from the US to Europe, these rules don't apply.
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EU air passenger rights are a set of rules that can get you cash compensation, food, and a new flight when your trip goes wrong. They apply to many flights that touch Europe, but not all of them. As a US traveler, whether you're covered depends on where you're flying from, where you're flying to, and which airline you're on.[1]
The rules apply to flights within the EU operated by an EU or non-EU airline. They also apply to flights departing from the EU to a non-EU country, on any airline. And they apply to flights arriving in the EU from outside, but only if an EU airline operates the flight.[1]
So if you're flying home to the US on a US airline, EU rules generally don't cover that flight. If you're flying home on an EU airline, they might. And if you're flying between two EU countries, the rules apply whether the airline is an EU airline or not.[1]
You're covered if your flight fits one of these three patterns:[1]
The rules also apply to flights to and from Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland. So a flight between the EU and one of those countries can fall under the same rules, alongside the usual flights within the EU and flights arriving from or departing to other countries.[1]
For these rules, "the EU" means the 27 EU countries, and it includes places like Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion, Saint Barthélemy, Saint-Martin, the Azores, Madeira, and the Canary Islands. It does not include the Faeroe Islands.
The rules set out what airlines owe you when a flight is delayed, cancelled, or you're denied boarding. Depending on what went wrong, that can include compensation, reimbursement, re-routing or rebooking, and assistance.[1]
If you're denied boarding because of overbooking or operational reasons, and you checked in on time with a valid reservation and travel documents, you're entitled to compensation, a choice between reimbursement, re-routing, or rebooking later, and assistance.[1]
If your flight is cancelled, you can choose between reimbursement, re-routing, or return, and you're entitled to assistance at the airport. If you were told less than 14 days before departure, you're also entitled to compensation.[1]
If you arrive at your final destination 3 hours or more late, you're entitled to compensation, unless the delay was due to extraordinary circumstances.[1]
The rules give you three main things: compensation, assistance, and a choice between reimbursement, re-routing or rebooking. Which ones you get depends on what went wrong.[1]
If your flight is delayed at departure, you have the right to assistance, and to reimbursement and a return flight, depending on how long the delay is and how far you're flying.[1]
If you're denied boarding, you can choose between reimbursement, re-routing, or rebooking at a later stage, and you're entitled to assistance.[1]
If you're downgraded, you're entitled to a reimbursement of part of the price of your ticket: 30% on a flight of 1 500 km or less, and 50% on flights within the EU of more than 1 500 km (except flights between the EU and French overseas departments) and on all other flights between 1 500 and 3 500 km.[1]
If your checked-in luggage is lost, damaged or delayed, the airline is liable and you're entitled to compensation up to an amount of approximately € 1 300. If your hand luggage is damaged, the airline is liable if it was responsible for the damage.[1]
If you were denied boarding, the rules apply when you presented yourself on time for check-in with a valid flight reservation and travel documentation. For a missed connecting flight, they apply when your flights were booked as part of a single reservation.[1]
Check you're covered
Confirm your flight fits one of the covered patterns: within the EU, departing the EU, or arriving in the EU on an EU airline. Also check it's not a flight you've already claimed for under another country's law.[1]
Work out what went wrong
Was it a cancellation, a long delay, denied boarding, a downgrade, or a baggage problem? Each has its own rules and deadlines.[1]
Claim in writing
For baggage problems, write to the airline within 7 days for lost or damaged bags, or within 21 days of receiving your bag if it was delayed.[1]
There's no single deadline for all claims, but some are tight. For baggage, you must claim in writing within 7 days for lost or damaged bags, or within 21 days of receiving your bag if it was delayed. For downgrade refunds, the airline should pay within 7 days.[1]
For cancellations, the key timing is when you were told: if you were informed less than 14 days before departure, you have a right to compensation.[1]
For delays, the trigger is when you arrive: 3 hours or more late at your final destination.[1]
You can choose reimbursement, re-routing, or rebooking if you're denied boarding. You can choose reimbursement, re-routing, or return if your flight is cancelled. You can claim compensation for a cancellation if you were told less than 14 days before departure, and for a delay of 3 hours or more at your final destination.[1]
You can also claim for a missed connecting flight if your flights were booked as part of a single reservation, EU air passenger rights apply, and the delay was not caused by extraordinary circumstances. But you can't claim if you missed the connection because of delays at security checks or because you didn't respect the boarding time at the transfer airport.[1]
You can't get compensation if the airline can prove the cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances that couldn't have been avoided even with all reasonable measures. And you can't get compensation for a delay caused by extraordinary circumstances.[1]
If you have two or more connecting flights on a single ticket and you're downgraded, you can only be reimbursed for the flight that was downgraded, not the whole journey.[1]
Airports in the EU must clearly display a printed or electronic notice about EU air passenger rights at the check-in desk, at check-in kiosks, and online. If you're unsure what you're entitled to, look for that notice.[1]
If you're denied boarding, it matters why. You're entitled to compensation if you checked in on time with a valid reservation and travel documents and were denied boarding due to overbooking or operational reasons without voluntarily giving up your seat. But airlines can deny boarding for safety, security, or health reasons, if you don't have the correct travel documents, if you didn't take the outbound flight of a reservation that included a return flight, if you didn't take other flights in a reservation with consecutive flights, or if you don't have the right documentation for your pet.[1]
If you're denied boarding, you should always receive compensation if you arrived on time for check-in, with the only exceptions being reasonable grounds such as health, safety, or security concerns, or if you didn't have the required travel documents.[1]
If your checked bag is damaged because of an inherent defect in the bag itself, you're not entitled to any compensation.[1]
If you've already received benefits for the flight problem under the relevant law of a non-EU country, EU air passenger rights don't apply. So don't accept a payment from another scheme and then try to claim under EU rules as well.[1]
It depends on the airline. EU air passenger rights apply to flights arriving in the EU from outside the EU only if an EU airline operates the flight. If you're flying a US airline from the US to Europe, these rules generally don't apply to that flight.[1]
EU air passenger rights apply to flights departing from the EU to a non-EU country, operated by an EU or non-EU airline. So your return flight from Europe to the US is covered, whichever airline you fly.[1]
Yes. The rules also apply to flights to and from Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland, in addition to the EU countries.[1]
If your checked-in luggage is lost, damaged or delayed, the airline is liable and you're entitled to compensation up to an amount of approximately € 1 300. If you want to file a claim for lost or damaged luggage, do it in writing to the airline within 7 days, or within 21 days of receiving your luggage if it was delayed.[1]
You're entitled to compensation for a missed connecting flight if your flights were booked as part of a single reservation, EU air passenger rights apply, and the delay was not caused by extraordinary circumstances. You're not entitled if you missed the connection due to delays at security checks or because you didn't respect the boarding time at the transfer airport.[1]
You're entitled to a reimbursement of part of the price of your ticket: 30% on a flight of 1 500 km or less, and 50% on flights within the EU of more than 1 500 km (except flights between the EU and French overseas departments) and on all other flights between 1 500 and 3 500 km. Reimbursement for a downgrade should be paid within 7 days.[1]
Yes. You won't get compensation if you've already received benefits for the same problem under the relevant law of a non-EU country. For cancellations, compensation isn't due if the airline can prove the cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances that couldn't have been avoided even with all reasonable measures.[1]
Every rule, fee and deadline above is taken from these official pages, which we read on November 4, 2026. Rules change, so check the official page before you apply or pay.
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You're not covered if you've already received benefits for the same flight problem under the relevant law of a non-EU country. You can't claim twice for the same disruption.[1]
Good to know
Upgrades are free
If you're upgraded, the airline can't ask you to pay anything extra.[1]
Ask for what you're owed
For denied boarding, ask for compensation, assistance, and your choice of reimbursement, re-routing, or rebooking. For cancellations, ask for your choice of reimbursement, re-routing, or return, plus assistance. For delays of 3 hours or more at your final destination, ask for compensation.[1]
Keep your receipts
If your flight is delayed at departure, you have the right to assistance, to reimbursement and a return flight, depending on the duration of the delay and the distance of the flight.[1]
