Do you know that with the ever-increasing number of flight delays and cancellations happening around the world, around 900,000 people could be eligible for compensation? Worse still, only 38% of them were known to ever file for a refund. Why?
There are numerous reasons for this. First, lack of knowledge regarding flight delay compensation and cancellation refunds. Second, people are often scared of the legal suit and never-ending paper trail. Third, and most important, they don’t really know how much time they get to claim their flight compensation, and regulatory boards like the EU, CTA and DOT take every complaint seriously.
Want to understand the nitty-gritty of flight compensation deadlines? This blog has got you covered!
If your flight was delayed, canceled, or overbooked, you might be owed money. But before you file a claim, make sure you meet the requirements. Here’s what you need to know.
Not every disruption qualifies. Check these points first (our use free compensation calculator):
If you don’t have evidence, you won’t get far. You need:
This is where airlines try to get out of paying.
The EU261/2004 regulation says you will get flight delay compensation and flight cancellation compensation if you find out your flight:
However, certain extraordinary circumstances, such as adverse weather or airport issues, may exempt airlines from compensating passengers. However, if the delay results from technical problems or an airline staff strike, Regulation (EC) No. 261/2004 likely entitles you to compensation.
EC Regulation 261 gives you the right to claim compensation for flight delays, cancellations, or overbookings that weren’t your fault.
While airlines can avoid paying for disruptions caused by bad weather, technical faults and staff strikes often qualify for compensation under Regulation (EC) No. 261/2004.
For European flights, you typically have up to 3 years to file a claim. Use our quick compensation calculator to check if you’re eligible, and if you are, our team is ready to help you get what’s owed.
| Up to 1500 km | Up to 3500 km | More than 3500 km |
|---|---|---|
| €250 | €400 | €600 |
If the airline reroutes you and you still get to your destination without a huge delay, they might cut your compensation in half—it depends on how late you actually arrive. But if your flight is delayed more than five hours, you can ask for a full refund instead of waiting around.
If you're stuck for hours, the airline hould cover your meals and drinkss. If the delay is long enough, they might even pay for a hotel stay and transport to and from the airport.
If your flight is canceled, the airline has to offer you either:
And here’s something important—if they cancel your flight less than 14 days before departure, you might also be entitled to up to €600 in compensation.
If your flight is canceled, European air passenger rights say the airline must give you a refund or rebook you. That’s non-negotiable.
If they told you about the cancellation less than 14 days before your flight, you might be able to claim up to €600 per person. And if you finally land more than two hours late, you can also ask for reimbursement.
Now, most airlines will try to rebook you automatically at no extra cost. If that new flight doesn’t work for you, or you decide not to travel, you can push for a different solution.
Here’s one catch: If they book you on a new flight that lands around the same time as your original one, you won’t get compensation—since your plans weren’t really affected. But if your flight was canceled at the last minute and you got stuck for hours, you probably have the right to file a claim.
One last thing, if the cancellation happened because of something completely out of the airline’s control (like a huge storm or an airport security issue), they don’t have to pay compensation.
In the U.S., airlines don’t have to pay you for flight delays—that’s just not a rule here like it is in Europe. The only time they’re legally required to compensate you is if they bump you off a flight because they overbooked it. That’s called involuntary denied boarding, and in that case, you can get money back.
Now, if your flight is straight-up canceled or significantly changed, that’s different. Airlines have to give you a refund if you decide not to take the flight at all. ‘Significant change’ usually means a delay of more than three hours for domestic flights or over six hours for international ones. And if you paid with a credit card, they have to process that refund within seven days. If you paid another way, it might take up to 20 days.
The tricky part? There’s no set deadline for filing a claim for a delay. Every airline has its own policies, so the sooner you reach out, the better. If you wait too long, you might miss your chance. The best thing to do is check with your airline and start the process as soon as possible.
However, if you’re denied boarding on a U.S. flight, the airline is required to compensate you within 24 hours of the incident, says DOT.
If your flight was delayed, canceled, or you were denied boarding, Canadian law says the airline might owe you up to CAD $1,000. This applies if you were flying in, out of, or within Canada on a Canadian airline.
For filing claims, you’ve got up to two years under the Montreal Convention. But don’t wait too long—it’s always easier to get things sorted sooner.
You'll need to submit it in either the country where your flight departed or the country where it landed. You can choose whichever one has the longer deadline for claims, which might give you a better chance. Let’s say your flight left Romania and landed in Portugal. If Romania gives you more time to file, then you’d want to submit it there. It’s all about maximizing your options.
However, you shouldn’t wait too long. The longer you delay, the harder it gets to track down documents, receipts, or even responses from the airline. It’s best to file as soon as possible.
You can always file at the last minute, but it will ultimately become too much of a hassle if you wait too long. If it feels overwhelming, our team can handle everything for you. Just enter your flight details in our calculator, and we’ll take care of the rest.
Then the airline won’t pay—simple as that. The time limits are pretty generous, but once they expire, your claim is dead. Rights don’t mean airlines will just hand over money.
You have to file the claim correctly and on time. If you don’t, you’re giving them a reason to deny it. Bottom line—don’t wait. Get the claim in as soon as possible.
Every country has different rules, so you need to check their deadlines and process. Here’s how it usually works. Start by contacting the airline that actually operated your flight. If you booked through a travel site like Expedia, that doesn’t matter—the claim goes to the airline, not the website. Also, if one airline sold the ticket but another airline flew the plane, your claim goes to the one that actually operated the flight.
Also, each airline has a specific process. You’ll usually find details on their website under ‘claims’ or in their contract of carriage.
To respond to your claim, airlines could be weeks. Airlines don’t rush these things, and in many cases, they’ll ignore or reject claims at first. That’s why many passengers have to escalate the complaint. This makes the process too struggling and tiring, while you keep on navigating a legal suit, paper trails, and endless waiting to get the money you deserve.
Claiming flight compensation is a lot more than just filing complaints and submitting documents. It starts with understanding how much you are actually eligible, collecting every document, navigating the huge paper trail, then building up the case, and then going back and forth with the airlines that, in most cases, will try to negotiate with insignificant vouchers. Tedious and lots of hassles, isn’t it?
And that’s where we, Click2Refund, make your life easy and unburden you of all the hard work.
We make the process stress-free by handling the entire compensation claim. With a success rate of over 98%, we have helped many passengers not only get back their money but also save all the heavy lifting. No advance payments, no hidden fees, just fast, hassle-free service.
Want to know how much you are eligible to claim? Check with our free flight compensation calculator - Error free results in 2 minutes, no charges!
In the UK, you can claim flight compensation under EC 261 for up to 6 years from the flight date. This applies to delays, cancellations, and denied boarding on flights departing from the UK or operated by a UK/EU airline. Claim sooner for better success.
In the US, airlines set their own claim deadlines, usually within 1 to 2 years. Compensation is only required for denied boarding due to overbooking. The DOT doesn’t mandate refunds for delays, but you can request one if your flight is significantly disrupted and you don’t travel.
Yes, but deadlines vary. In the UK, you have up to 6 years. In the US, airlines typically allow 1 2 years. Some EU countries have shorter limits, so where you file matters. Always check the rules for your flight’s origin and destination to avoid missing out. Check the time limitation in different countries on our related blog post.
If you file late, the airline isn’t required to pay you. Once the deadline passes—6 years (UK), 1–2 years (US)—your claim is invalid. It’s best to file as soon as possible, as evidence like booking details and receipts may be harder to retrieve over time.
To check eligibility, find your flight details, note the date, and compare it with the claim deadlines: 6 years in the UK, 1–2 years in the US. Many claim services offer free calculators—enter your details, and they’ll confirm if you’re still eligible to file.