Flight delayed or cancelled? Here's what the airline owes you in 2026
Most passengers walk away from delayed and cancelled flights without claiming a penny — not because they aren't owed anything, but because nobody ever told them the law is on their side. Here's the short version of what airlines owe you in 2026, wherever you fly.
Europe: EU261 — the gold standard
If your flight departed the EU (any airline), or arrived in the EU on an EU airline, a delay of 3+ hours at arrival entitles you to fixed cash compensation:
| Route distance | Compensation |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | €250 |
| 1,500 – 3,500 km | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km | €600 |
Cancellations with less than 14 days' notice and denied boarding qualify too — and this is real money per passenger, not vouchers.
United Kingdom: UK261
After Brexit, the UK kept the same system: £220 / £350 / £520 depending on distance, for departures from the UK on any airline and arrivals on UK carriers. Claims in England and Wales can go back up to 6 years.
Canada: APPR
For flights to, from or within Canada on large carriers, controllable disruptions pay CAD $400 (3–6h), $700 (6–9h) or $1,000 (9h+). Denied boarding pays up to CAD $2,400 — and it must be paid within 48 hours.
Nigeria: NCAR 2023
Nigeria has one of the world's lowest thresholds — compensation starts at just 2 hours of delay:
- Domestic: ₦15,000 (2–3h) · ₦25,000 (3–5h) · ₦50,000 (5h+ or cancellation)
- International departures: ₦75,000 · ₦150,000 · ₦250,000
The NCAA enforces these rules, and airlines that ignore valid claims can face the FCCPC and the Federal High Court.
Everywhere else: the Montreal Convention
On most other international routes, airlines are liable for the documented losses a delay causes — hotels, meals, missed connections — up to roughly US$8,000, plus up to ~US$2,000 for lost, damaged or delayed baggage.
"The airline said it was the weather"
The famous extraordinary circumstances excuse. Genuine storms do exempt airlines — but crew shortages, technical faults and the airline's own staff strikes do not, and airlines misuse the excuse constantly. Never take a rejection at face value: the real cause of a disruption is visible in operational flight data, and that's exactly what we check.
How long do you have?
Longer than you think: roughly 3 years in Nigeria and Canada, up to 6 in the UK, and anywhere from 1 to 10 years across EU countries. That flight from 2024? Probably still claimable.
The easiest way to find out
Our free checker matches your flight against all six regimes and tells you in two minutes exactly what you're owed — no account, no card, no obligation. If you have a claim, we fight it on a strict no win, no fee basis: if you don't get paid, neither do we.