The airline said no
You missed a connection, and the first flight was only a little late
The delay that counts is at your final destination, not on the first flight. A delay of under an hour can still mean you are owed compensation.
Strong answer
This works only if all your flights were on one booking and you reached your final destination at least 3 hours late. If you booked them separately, it does not apply. The airline can still argue extraordinary circumstances, so ask what caused the first delay.
What the courts and the law say
- Air France v Folkerts (C-11/11, 26 February 2013). On directly connecting flights, compensation depends on arriving at the final destination at least three hours late. A shorter delay at departure does not stop the claim. Read it
- Wegener v Royal Air Maroc (C-537/17, 31 May 2018). The Regulation covers a single booking that leaves from the EU and ends outside it, even with a scheduled stop and a change of aircraft outside the EU. Read it
- LE v Transportes Aéreos Portugueses (C-74/19, 11 June 2020). An airline may rely on an extraordinary circumstance that hit an earlier flight by the same aircraft, but only if there is a direct causal link to your delay or cancellation. Read it
- LE v Transportes Aéreos Portugueses (C-74/19, 11 June 2020). Putting you on the airline's own flight the next day is not a reasonable measure if another flight, on any airline, would have got you there sooner, unless that would have been an intolerable sacrifice for the airline. Read it
- UK261, Articles 3(1A) and 6(3). Since 14 December 2023 a flight of more than one leg booked as a single unit is treated as a whole, and a delay of three hours or more in reaching the final destination gives the right to compensation, unless the airline proves extraordinary circumstances. Read it
Only for UK261 claims: UK261, Articles 3(1A) and 6(3).
Claiming under UK261? EU rulings from before 2021 still count. UK courts decide what UK261 means in line with them (European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, section 6), and only the Supreme Court and certain appeal courts can depart from them. The government says its 2023 amendment restates certain of those principles. For a flight before 14 December 2023, an earlier version of the text applies.
We read each ruling in the official text on 3 and 4 November 2026. The EU has adopted new EU261 rules that apply from 23 October 2027 (Regulation (EU) 2026/2202). Until then the current rules apply. We have not yet confirmed how the new rules treat earlier flights, and we will update this site before that date. Not legal advice.
Your reply
Fill this in and copy the reply into an email or the airline's form. None of it leaves your device.
If it still says no
For EU261, complain to the national enforcement body of the country where it happened, use an Alternative Dispute Resolution body, or use the European Small Claims procedure. For UK261, use the airline's Alternative Dispute Resolution scheme, or the UK CAA if it has none.
Want a person to look at your case? In England and Wales, try Citizens Advice, whose flight delay page lists a consumer helpline. If you live in the EU, Norway or Iceland, your European Consumer Centre gives free advice on your rights when you travel in another country there.
Rather not argue?
AirHelp and Compensair both say they can take a claim the airline has already refused. No win, no fee, but they keep a share when they win, so check the fee first.
We may earn a commission if you use these links. Claiming yourself is free and you keep 100%.