Flight Delay Compensation Calculator 2024

With delays in air travel, it can be hard to keep up with air passenger rights and regulations. Fortunately, there are ways in which you can quickly see how eligible you are by using a flight delay compensation calculator, such as the one on this website. It will quickly tell you whether you qualify for compensation for a delayed or cancelled flight based on how long you were delayed for.

This article will explain the rules about flight delay compensation and how it’s calculated. Although using a flight delay calculator is useful, it’s helpful to understand how it works before you claim. If you already know how late your plane arrived at your destination, why not have a go and use the flight delay compensation calculator?

Ready to start your claim? Use our online tool to find your exact flight and receive up to £520 for your troubles. It only takes a minute.

When a Flight is Classed as Delayed

The European Union came up with the Air Passenger Rights Regulation in 2004. This was one of the retained EU laws post-Brexit. As such, there’s a universal definition of a delayed flight in order to protect passengers, whether they’re flying into the UK/EU or out of the UK/EU. Providing the airline could have prevented the delay, you can claim compensation.

As any flight delay compensation calculator will tell you, you cannot claim if your flight was delayed by less than three hours. The time is determined from when the plane was originally meant to land. If there is a discrepancy of three or more hours, you are eligible to make a claim. The cut off point is when one of the passenger doors opens.

How Is Compensation Calculated for Flight Delay?

Besides the length of time that the plane was late, it wouldn’t be fair for all flights to receive the same payout. Tickets vary in price depending on who you fly with and how far you’re travelling. The other element a flight delay compensation calculator will take into consideration is the distance you travel, which is measured in kilometres.

The distances are separated into three bands:

• Under 1,500km

• Between 1,500km and 3,500km

• Over 3,500km

Any flight delay compensation calculator will be able to tell you how much you can receive when looking at the distance of your flight. The smallest amounts are reserved for shorter flights, starting at £220, while the highest amounts go up to £520. If claiming under EU regulations, these amounts are between €250 and €600.

Compensation Amounts

When distance and time are combined, you can see how much you’re entitled to. The graph below details the amounts you can receive, which you can use as an alternative to a flight delay compensation calculator. You can switch between UK and EU amounts using the dropdown at the top.

Flight Delay Compensation Calculator

Short of using an online form to see how much you’re actually entitled to, you can get a rough idea using the interactive flight delay compensation calculator included below.

Simply input the length of your delay, and the results will show you how much you’re entitled to based on distance.

The only trouble with using tools like the flight delay compensation calculator above is that they rely on subjective measures. In order to get an accurate idea of how much you’re entitled to, use the button below to find your journey and start your flight delay claim. The form compiles real flight data and accurately determines how delayed your flight was.

Which Situations Are Covered?

Any cause of delay that’s within the airline’s control entitles you to money back. While a flight delay compensation calculator won’t necessarily tell you the reason for the hold-up, you’ll need to make sure you find out the cause for the delay.

You’re due compensation if you were delayed due to:

• Airline crew lateness

• Airline crew sickness or strike action

• Cancellation because of underbooking

• Technical problems of a routine nature

If any of these situations apply to you, use the flight delay compensation calculator on this page to find out how much you’re due. Alternatively, start your claim now by finding your flight.

Which Situations Don’t Apply?

Known as extraordinary circumstances, there are situations in which, even if you are delayed for the correct amount of time, you will not be eligible for compensation. The other drawback of using a simplistic flight delay compensation calculator is that it doesn’t tell you the last detail: the airline must be at fault.

Extraordinary Circumstances

If your flight was delayed as a result of the following, you will not be due compensation:

• Extreme weather conditions

• Airport strikes

• Political issues and upheaval, including civil unrest

• Safety and security issues or risks

• Air traffic control decisions

• Technical problems of an unusual nature

You will need to find out the cause of disturbance before you use a flight delay compensation calculator. This way, you can avoid missing out.

What Happens When a Flight Is Cancelled?

Cancellations, especially on short notice, are never welcome. The airline has to ensure you are looked after, depending on when they cancelled your flight. With more than 14 days’ notice, flights can be cancelled without having to find you a replacement. A cancellation within 1 or 2 weeks of your scheduled flight gives you certain rights. Though the flight delay compensation calculator doesn’t show these amounts, you can find them below.

A replacement flight can be offered in this 14 day window, but if it gets you to your destination later than the originally scheduled flight, you may be able to make a claim. The amounts are similar to what you’d see in the flight delay compensation calculator outlined above. They can be slightly more generous depending on when your original flight was cancelled.

Cancellation With 7–14 Days’ Notice

The alternative flight that you’re offered must land at your destination with some form of delay in order to claim compensation. The rules are more strict, but we’ve developed another calculator, similar to the flight delay compensation calculator above. It’s further down the page.

A cancellation in this window doesn’t qualify for compensation if the replacement takes off within 2 hours of your original flight and arrives within 4 hours to its final destination. In that particular situation, you don’t qualify.

However, you can claim compensation in the following replacement flight scenarios:

• Under 1,500km arriving at least 2 hours late to your destination

• Under 1,500km arriving less than 2 hours late to your destination

• 1,500–3,500km taking off more than 2 hours before your original flight and arriving at least 3 hours late to your destination

• 1,500–3,500km taking off within 2 hours before your original flight and arriving less than 3 hours late to your destination

• Over 3,500km arriving at least 4 hours late to your destination

• Over 3,500km taking off less than 1 hour before your original flight and arriving less than 4 hours late to your destination

Full amounts can be seen in the similar flight delay compensation calculator included further on.

Cancellation With Less Than 7 Days’ Notice

If your flight was cancelled within a week of being due to fly, you may be able to claim compensation based on the replacement flight. The amounts are fully outlined in a similar flight delay compensation calculator in the next section.

A cancellation in this window doesn’t qualify for compensation if the replacement takes off within 1 hour before your original flight and gets you to your destination within 2 hours of the original time.

However, you can claim compensation in the following replacement flight scenarios:

• Under 1,500km arriving at least 2 hours late to your destination

• 1,500–3,500km arriving at least 3 hours late to your destination

• Over 3,500km arriving at least 4 hours late to your destination

• Over 3,500km arriving less than 4 hours late to your destination

To find out how much you’re entitled to in these situations, use the next section for the cancellation version of the flight delay compensation calculator.

Cancelled Flight Compensation Calculator

Very similar to the flight delay compensation calculator used above, this version gives you an idea of what you could claim if your alternative flight gets you to your destination later than the original flight. The amounts are based on delay and distance, but also how much notice you received before the flight was cancelled.

As you can see, some situations require the replacement flight to have left before your original flight. This can make being eligible trickier to understand and qualify for. Fortunately, this version of the flight delay compensation calculator is easy to grasp.

Start Your Claim

If you’ve used the flight delay compensation calculator and know how much you’re entitled to, why not start your claim by clicking on the button below? It’s a more advanced flight delay calculator that can find your exact journey. Once you’ve entered your details, your claim will be processed for you.