What proof do you need for a flight compensation claim? A checklist
You need less proof than most people think. If you had a confirmed booking and took the flight, you do not have to produce your boarding pass, and the airline has to prove its own defences. What you should have is the booking confirmation, the flight details, and the actual arrival time. This checklist explains what helps, what the law requires, and what the airline must show.
Last updated: 5 October 2026.
The core documents
- Proof of your booking. A booking confirmation, e-ticket or any proof showing your name, the flight number and the date. The Regulation defines a "reservation" as having a ticket "or other proof" that the reservation was accepted and registered by the airline or tour operator (Article 2(g)). It does not matter where you booked.
- Flight details. Date, flight number, departure and arrival airports, and the name of the operating airline.
- The scheduled arrival time. The Court has said that the scheduled arrival time is the time fixed in the schedule and shown on your booking. Your booking confirmation or the airline's schedule change notice is your evidence.
- The actual arrival time, for a delay claim (see below).
The boarding pass: helpful, not required
The Regulation requires that you have a confirmed reservation and that you present yourself for check-in in time. The Court has clarified that if you held a confirmed reservation and took the flight, you are considered to have met the check-in requirement, and you do not need to produce a boarding card or another document confirming your presence. It is for the airline to prove that you were not carried on the flight (Case C-756/18, easyJet). A boarding pass is still good supporting evidence, so keep it.
The requirement to have presented yourself at check-in is real: if you were told in advance that the flight would be delayed and you decided not to go to the airport, you cannot claim compensation for the delay (Case C-474/22, Laudamotion).
Proving the delay
- What counts: the moment at least one aircraft door opens at your final destination (Case C-452/13, Germanwings).
- Ask the airline. The Commission considers that airlines should record the time of arrival, for example through a signed declaration by the crew or the handling agent, and provide it free of charge on request to passengers and to the national enforcement body.
- Your own record. Note the time yourself, and keep any messages about the delay. Independent flight-tracking history and airport displays can support your account, but the legal measure is the door-opening time.
Proving a cancellation
- Keep the cancellation notice, with the time and date you received it. The airline carries the burden of proof about whether and when you were informed (Article 5(4)).
- Keep any rerouting offer you received, with its times, because the compensation depends on whether the replacement flight met the limits in Article 5(1)(c).
- If you booked through an agent, remember that if the agent did not pass on the airline's notice in time, the airline still pays unless you expressly authorised the agent to receive it (Case C-302/16, Krijgsman).
Proving denied boarding
- Ask the airline for a written statement that you were denied boarding.
- Keep the booking confirmation and note the time you presented yourself at check-in.
- Article 14(2) requires the airline to give each affected passenger a written notice setting out the rules for compensation and assistance, with the contact details of the national enforcement body.
Receipts for care expenses
If the airline did not provide meals, a hotel or transport, keep every receipt. You can claim back expenses that were necessary, reasonable and appropriate (Case C-12/11, McDonagh). See meals, hotel and expenses.
What the airline must prove, not you
If the airline claims extraordinary circumstances, it must prove the event, the link to your delay, and that it took all reasonable measures. The Commission's view is that it should provide evidence such as logbook extracts or incident reports free of charge to you and to the national enforcement body. You do not have to disprove its reasons, but you can ask for the evidence. See what the EU Court has decided.
The checklist
- Booking confirmation or e-ticket
- Flight number, date, route and operating airline
- Scheduled arrival time (from your booking or the airline's notice)
- Actual arrival time (ask the airline for the recorded time)
- Boarding pass, if you have it (not required if you took the flight)
- Cancellation notice or rerouting offer, with the date and time you received it
- Written statement of denied boarding, if applicable
- Receipts for meals, hotel and transport, if you paid for them
- All correspondence with the airline
- The airline's stated reason for the delay or cancellation, and any evidence it gave
Frequently asked
I lost my boarding pass. Can I still claim?
Yes. If you held a confirmed reservation and took the flight, you do not have to produce your boarding card. The airline would have to prove you were not on the flight.
I do not have the booking confirmation any more.
Look in your email or the account where you booked. The airline can usually find your booking from your name, the flight number and the date.
The airline will not tell me the arrival time.
The Commission's position is that airlines should provide the recorded arrival time free of charge on request. Ask in writing, and mention it in any complaint to the national enforcement body.
Sources
This guide is general information based on the sources above, not legal advice.
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