Flight delay and cancellation compensation: US, EU, UK, Canada and Australia rules

>- Two regimes pay cash for delay: the EU/UK scheme (Regulation EC 261/2004 and the UK's retained version) and Canada's Air Passenger Protection Regulations. The US and Australia do not require delay compensation, though both require refunds in defined cases.

>- The EU/UK test is arrival delay, not departure: if you land 3 hours or more late you are normally owed €250–600 (or £220–520), unless the airline can show an extraordinary circumstance. Canada pays C$400–1,000 on a sliding scale for large airlines. In the US, the DOT requires a refund when a flight is cancelled or significantly changed and you choose not to travel — no cash for a delay. Australia's consumer law gives refunds and remedies, not delay payouts.

>- File with the airline first, in writing, with your booking reference and the delay length. Escalate to the national enforcement body (EU/UK), the Canadian Transportation Agency, or the US DOT if the airline refuses.

>- EU 261 covers any flight departing an EU airport, on any airline, and flights arriving in the EU on an EU-based carrier. So a US airline flying New York to Paris is not covered on the way out, but is on the way back if it is an EU carrier — check which carrier actually operates your flight, because codeshares are judged on the operating airline.

>- UK 261 mirrors this for UK airports and UK carriers. Canada's APPR covers flights to, from and within Canada, with the largest payouts for big airlines; small airlines pay less. The US has no delay compensation rule, but the DOT's refund rule applies to flights to, from and within the US. Australia's consumer guarantees apply to flights sold to consumers there.

>- 1. Record the facts at the airport: scheduled and actual arrival time, flight number, booking reference, and the reason the airline gives. Photograph the departure board and any written notice.

>- 2. Claim in writing to the airline — most have a form on their site. State the regulation (EU 261, UK 261 or APPR), your route, the delay and the amount you believe is due. Keep a copy.

>- 3. Wait for the response. Airlines have set deadlines in some regimes (Canada: 30 days). If refused, ask for the specific extraordinary-circumstance reason in writing.

>- 4. Escalate: the national enforcement body for the EU country of departure or arrival, the UK CAA, the Canadian Transportation Agency, or the US DOT for refund disputes. For small claims, courts are an option in the UK and EU.

>- 5. If you use a claims agency, expect a commission of roughly 25–35% of the payout. Filing yourself is free.

>- Filing is free. A claims agency takes about a quarter to a third of what you recover, so use one only if you would not chase it yourself. Airlines often pay within a few weeks; contested cases can run for months, and enforcement bodies vary in speed (check).

>- The money is the compensation itself: €250–600, £220–520 or C$400–1,000 depending on distance and delay length. In the US and Australia, the realistic outcome is a refund of the unused ticket, a rebooking, or a voucher — not a statutory payout.

>- Extraordinary circumstances excuse EU, UK and Canadian payouts: severe weather, air-traffic-control restrictions, security alerts, political instability and some strikes. Technical faults are usually not extraordinary — courts have generally treated many mechanical problems as the airline's responsibility (check).

>- Canada adds a safety exception for delays outside the airline's control. In the EU and UK, if you are offered a rebooking that arrives less than 3 hours late, the cash claim usually falls away. Always ask for the reason in writing before accepting a voucher.

>- The EU and UK are the strongest for delay cash; Canada is close but tiered and capped lower; the US and Australia rely on refunds and consumer law. If your itinerary touches more than one regime, claim under the one that pays most — usually the EU or UK leg.

>- See below for common questions regarding flight delay and cancellation compensation across different jurisdictions.