Air Austral: EUR 250, 400 or 600 per passenger
The distance visible on an Air Austral booking is not enough to choose EUR 250, EUR 400 or EUR 600. EU261 first classifies the journey as intra-EU or as travel involving a genuine third country, then measures the relevant route. That makes Paris–Réunion the important exception: despite its long-haul distance, it normally belongs in the EUR 400 band.
Free eligibility check
Check your case in the form
Enter your route, date and type of disruption. We will check whether your case qualifies for a claim under EU 261/2004 or UK261.
What happened to your flight?
Claim up to €600 for a delayed or cancelled flight.
Choose the situation that applies to your flight:
Use the current compensation table
As at 9 September 2026, the established bands remain EUR 250 for flights up to 1,500 kilometres; EUR 400 for intra-EU flights over 1,500 kilometres and other covered flights between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometres; and EUR 600 for other covered flights over 3,500 kilometres. These are per eligible passenger, not per booking, and do not depend on the ticket price.
The July 2026 EU reform has deferred application. Do not use future thresholds or describe its future nine-month claim period as current. Eligibility still requires a covered long delay, cancellation or denied boarding under the rules presently in force.
Classify Réunion and Mayotte correctly
Réunion and Mayotte are EU outermost regions. Paris–Saint-Denis and Paris–Dzaoudzi are therefore intra-EU journeys. Once their distance exceeds 1,500 kilometres, the normal fixed band is EUR 400. Treating Réunion as a third country simply because it lies in the Indian Ocean creates the false EUR 600 answer.
Mauritius, Madagascar, Comoros and Seychelles are genuine third countries. A covered journey over 3,500 kilometres between one of those states and EU territory can enter the EUR 600 category. Coverage must still be established from direction and operator before calculating the amount.
Measure one contract to its final destination
For direct travel, measure the route between departure and arrival airports using the regulation’s method. On a protected connection sold as one transport contract, the final destination can control the distance band and arrival delay. Paris–Saint-Denis–Dzaoudzi on one ticket is assessed to Dzaoudzi.
Do not combine separately ticketed legs just because a booking platform displayed them as an itinerary. If the Paris ticket ends at Saint-Denis and the Mayotte coupon has another ticket number, the first contract normally ends in Réunion. The financial consequences of missing the self-connection require a separate analysis.
Confirm coverage before quoting a figure
EU261 applies to departures from EU territory regardless of operating carrier. It also applies to arrivals from third countries when an EU carrier operates the flight. Air Austral is an EU carrier, so its own third-country inbound services can meet that limb. A UU code on a partner-operated flight does not make Air Austral the operator.
Check “operated by” on the original coupon. EWA Air, Air France or another partner may change both the responsible carrier and, on an inbound journey, territorial coverage. Nationality, residence and the place where the ticket was paid for do not replace this test.
Three passenger calculations
Léa reaches Dzaoudzi four hours late after a non-extraordinary disruption on one Paris–Saint-Denis–Dzaoudzi booking. Her route is intra-EU and over 1,500 kilometres: the likely amount is EUR 400.
Jon travels Saint-Denis–Mauritius and arrives three hours and twenty minutes late for an ordinary operational reason. The route departs EU territory and is under 1,500 kilometres, so the likely band is EUR 250.
Samira flies on an Air Austral-operated service from a genuine third country to EU territory, over 3,500 kilometres, and arrives four hours late. Because Air Austral is an EU carrier, the inbound limb can apply and the likely band is EUR 600. Each conclusion remains subject to proof of cause and the other conditions.
Know when the amount can be reduced or refused
For long delays, the carrier may invoke extraordinary circumstances only with evidence linking the event to the flight and showing reasonable measures. Cyclone conditions, airport closure or air-traffic restrictions can qualify; a vague “operational” label does not decide the case.
After cancellation, notice at least 14 days before departure can remove fixed compensation. Closer notice may also avoid it where rerouting fits specified departure and arrival windows. In appropriate rerouting cases, compensation can be reduced by half when the replacement reaches the destination within the statutory time window. These are eligibility adjustments, not negotiations based on fare value.
Keep compensation separate from actual costs
The fixed sum addresses inconvenience. Refund or rerouting addresses the ticket and completion of the journey. Care covers reasonable meals, communications, accommodation and hotel transport while waiting. A package organiser may owe a price reduction or other remedy for package performance. Montreal baggage liability concerns proved baggage loss, delay or damage.
List each head separately and prevent double recovery. A EUR 400 fixed award does not reimburse a EUR 180 hotel receipt; the receipt should be claimed as care if the conditions are met.
Send Air Austral the itinerary, ticket numbers, operator line, scheduled and actual arrival times, cause information and a calculation showing the route category. Its post-travel claim route is distinct from its refund process, so say exactly which remedy is requested.
Questions about the compensation amount with Air Austral
Is every Air Austral long-haul disruption worth EUR 600?
No. Paris–Réunion is long-haul but intra-EU and normally falls in the EUR 400 band.
Does the amount depend on what I paid?
No. The statutory band depends on route classification and distance, not the fare.
Is compensation paid per family or per passenger?
It is assessed per eligible passenger, including a child occupying a paid seat; infant arrangements require their own ticket facts.
Can Air Austral halve the amount after rerouting?
Sometimes, if the replacement arrival falls within the regulation’s specified window. It is not an automatic discount.
Are meals deducted from EUR 250, EUR 400 or EUR 600?
No. Reasonable care expenses are a separate claim and should be supported with receipts.
Official sources