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EU261 compensation is a fixed amount of 250, 400 or 600 euros per passenger, set by the distance of your journey, and it does not depend on the price you paid. This guide explains how the distance is measured, when the airline may pay half, how connecting flights are treated, and how the money must be paid.
Last updated: 5 October 2026.
Article 7(1) of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 sets the amounts:
| Flight | Compensation per passenger |
|---|---|
| All flights of 1500 km or less | 250 euros |
| All intra-EU flights of more than 1500 km, and all other flights between 1500 and 3500 km | 400 euros |
| All flights not covered by the two rows above | 600 euros |
"Intra-EU" means a flight between two EU airports. A flight of 2000 km between Spain and Germany pays 400 euros. A flight of 2000 km between Spain and Morocco also pays 400 euros, because it falls in the 1500 to 3500 km band. A flight of 4000 km between Spain and the US pays 600 euros.
The amount is per passenger, not per booking. A family of four on the same delayed flight is owed four times the amount (children travelling with their own seat count as passengers, but see the exception for infants without a seat in who is covered). The compensation does not depend on the price of your ticket.
Article 7(4) says distances are measured by the great-circle route method, the shortest distance between two points on the Earth's surface. It is not the length of the route actually flown. The distance that counts is between the airport of departure and the final destination.
For a journey with connecting flights, the Court has held that the distance is the great-circle distance between the place of departure and the final destination of the whole journey, not the sum of the separate legs (Case C-559/16, Bossen). This holds even if only the second leg was delayed or cancelled. See missed connecting flights.
Article 7(2) allows the airline to reduce the compensation by 50% if it rerouted you and you arrived within a limited time of the original arrival:
The Court found that this reduction also applies to passengers who suffer a long delay at arrival. In practice, for a delay at arrival of 3 hours or more but less than 4 hours on a journey of more than 3500 km, the compensation may be cut by half, to 300 euros. If a flight was brought forward by an amount that gives a right to compensation, the airline cannot reduce it by 50% on the ground that it offered you rerouting without delay (Case C-146/20 and others, Azurair). See delays of three hours or more.
Article 7(3) says compensation must be paid in cash, by electronic bank transfer, bank orders or bank cheques. The airline may pay in travel vouchers or other services only with your signed agreement. See voucher or cash.
You may also ask for payment in the national currency of your place of residence. The Court has ruled that national rules that dismiss a claim solely because it is expressed in the passenger's local currency are not allowed (Case C-356/19, Delfly).
For denied boarding, Article 4(3) says compensation must be paid "immediately". The Commission reads this to mean that if payment is not made on the spot, at least a commitment to pay should be made before you leave the airport.
If you were moved to a lower class than the one you paid for, the airline must refund a percentage of the ticket price (30%, 50% or 75%) instead of the fixed amounts above. See downgrading.
Yes, in some cases. Article 12 says EU261 applies without prejudice to a passenger's right to further compensation. A national court may award more, under the Montreal Convention or national law, for damage arising from the breach of the contract of carriage, including non-material damage. The compensation you received under EU261 can be deducted from it, though the court is not obliged to do so (Case C-83/10, Sousa Rodríguez; Case C-354/18, Rusu).
No. The compensation is a fixed amount set by distance. It is the same whether you paid 30 euros or 600 euros.
Yes, the compensation is per passenger. Infants who travel free of charge without their own seat, boarding pass or place on the reservation are excluded by the Court's case law.
This guide does not cover tax treatment, which depends on your country. Ask a tax adviser if it matters to you.
It is a journey of more than 3500 km with an arrival delay of at least 3 but less than 4 hours, so the airline may reduce the 600 euros by half to 300 euros.
This guide is general information based on the sources above, not legal advice.
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