AirfareService

Passenger rights

Delayed or cancelled? Check what you may be owed.

Enter your flight and date. We look up what actually happened, work out which rules cover it (the US refund rule, EU261 or UK261, depending on where you flew and which airline operated the flight), and tell you what you may be entitled to and what to do next.

This is a guide, not legal advice. The final word is the airline's, then the regulator's or a court's.

Which rules apply depends on three things: where the flight departed, where it landed, and which airline operated it. On a codeshare, that's the airline whose plane and crew flew it, which may not be the one on your ticket.

Related guides

US automatic refund rule

What counts as a significant change, how fast the refund must arrive, and the fees that come back too.

EU261 compensation explained

Distance bands, extraordinary circumstances, and how to claim without paying a middleman.

Denied boarding in the US

The dollar amounts, the caps, and when you can turn down a voucher.

Airline lost my bag

Montreal Convention limits, the PIR number and what you can claim.

Frequently asked questions

Does EU261 cover flights from the US to Europe?

Only when the airline operating the flight is licensed in the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland. A Lufthansa flight from Chicago to Frankfurt is covered; a United flight on the same route is not. Every flight departing the EU is covered, whatever the airline.

Is a delay enough for a US refund?

Only if it's a significant change: more than 3 hours on a domestic itinerary or more than 6 hours on an international one, or a cancellation, airport change, extra connection or cabin downgrade. And only if you didn't fly. The rule refunds travel you didn't take; it doesn't pay compensation for a late flight you still took.

Why does it say I "may be" entitled rather than that I am?

Because the airline can refuse EU261 and UK261 compensation for extraordinary circumstances, such as severe weather or air-traffic-control restrictions. Some details also aren't in flight data, like when you were told about a cancellation, or what replacement flight you were offered. The amounts shown are what the rules set out if your claim succeeds.

The times look slightly different from what I remember. Does that matter?

It can, at the edge of a threshold. EU261 measures your arrival when a door opens, and flight data often records gate or touchdown times. If you're within a few minutes of 3 hours, use your own evidence (photos, messages, the airline's emails) when you claim.