Flight Compensation · Worked Examples
Flight Compensation: Real Payout Examples
The rules make more sense with numbers attached. Below are six illustrative scenarios — the kind of disruption that happens every day — showing what each one pays under EU261, and, just as usefully, the case that pays nothing and why.
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The pattern to notice: payout is driven by three things — flight distance, how late you actually arrived, and whether the airline was at fault. Ticket price is irrelevant. These examples are illustrative, not real named passengers, but the amounts are exactly what the rules produce.
What happened: a short-haul flight under 1,500 km delayed four hours by a crew shortage — squarely within the airline's control.
Result: €250 per passenger. Two travelling together: €500.
What happened: a 1,500–3,500 km flight cancelled the day before with no adequate rebooking, for a reason within the airline's control.
Result: €400 per passenger, plus a refund or re-routing on top.
What happened: a long-haul flight over 3,500 km arriving five hours late due to a technical issue the airline couldn't show was extraordinary.
Result: €600 per passenger. A family of four: €2,400.
What happened: the flight was overbooked and a passenger with a valid ticket was bumped against their will.
Result: €600 for the denied-boarding passenger, plus re-routing or refund. See our denied-boarding rights guide.
What happened: a delayed first leg on a single booking caused a missed connection and a 4-hour-plus late arrival at the final destination.
Result: €400, judged on the total journey. See missed-connection compensation.
What happened: a three-hour delay caused entirely by a severe storm closing the airport — a genuine extraordinary circumstance.
Result: no compensation, because the cause was outside the airline's control. Care and re-routing rights still apply.
Which example is closest to your flight?
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What the examples teach
Three lessons repeat. First, distance sets the band — €250, €400 or €600 — so the same delay pays very differently on a hop versus a long-haul. Second, it is your arrival delay that counts, not the departure, which is why a missed connection on a single booking can qualify even when each individual leg looked marginal. Third, the entire question of whether you're paid turns on cause: within the airline's control means compensation, genuinely extraordinary means care and re-routing but no cash. Our guide to extraordinary circumstances is where most disputes are won or lost.
Notice too that the fare never appears in any of these calculations. A €40 budget ticket on the London–New York example still yields €600, because EU261 compensates the disruption, not the price of the seat.
If your flight matches one of the paying scenarios, the only remaining choice is how to claim it — yourself for free, or via a service for a fee. We weigh both in the claims-company vs DIY comparison and rank the providers in the companies comparison.
Straight answers
How is the payout amount decided?
By the flight distance and the length of your arrival delay, not by what you paid. Up to 1,500 km pays €250; 1,500–3,500 km pays €400; over 3,500 km pays €600, with a possible reduction on some long-haul delays between three and four hours. The cause of the disruption decides whether anything is due at all.
Do these amounts apply per person?
Yes. Each passenger on the booking is entitled in their own right, so a family or group multiplies the figure. Four passengers on a €600 flight are collectively owed €2,400.
Why did the storm example pay nothing?
Because a severe storm that closes an airport is an extraordinary circumstance outside the airline's control, and EU261 does not require compensation in that case. You are still owed care — meals, accommodation where needed — and a refund or re-routing, but not the cash compensation.
Does a missed connection really count?
Yes, when the connecting flights are on a single booking and the delay to your first leg makes you arrive at your final destination three or more hours late. The claim is judged on the whole journey, not each leg separately.
Are these real passengers' claims?
No — they are illustrative scenarios chosen to show how the rules apply to common disruptions. The amounts, however, are exactly what EU261 produces for those situations. Your own figure depends on your specific flight.
My delay was just under three hours — do I get anything?
Generally not the cash compensation, which requires an arrival delay of three hours or more. It is the delay at your destination that matters, so borderline cases are worth checking precisely rather than assuming — a free eligibility check settles it.
Disclosure. Uncompromised Travel earns a commission if you start a claim through the AirHelp link on this page, at no extra cost to you. Scenarios are illustrative, not real named passengers; amounts reflect EU261/UK261 at the time of writing. You can always claim for free directly with the airline. General information, not legal advice.