Air France claim deadline: which time limit applies?

This guide reflects the law and public guidance checked on 13 August 2026. The EU reform adopted in July 2026 includes a future nine-month passenger claim deadline, but it was not yet applicable on that date.

Identify the legal basis before the date

One disruption can create several clocks. A passenger might have an EU261 fixed claim, a Montreal Convention expense claim and a contractual refund dispute. Do not assume the longest period governs all three.

Why the departure airport is not the whole answer

The airport helps determine EU261 coverage and the competent enforcement body, but it does not automatically select the law governing every court action. Relevant factors can include the place of departure and arrival, carrier establishment, contract terms, passenger residence, ticket seller and court with jurisdiction.

For example, an Air France-operated New York–Paris flight can be covered by EU261 because Air France is an EU carrier. That coverage does not by itself prove that every possible court must apply French limitation law. A passenger should identify the intended forum and seek jurisdiction-specific advice where the period is disputed.

France and the five-year reference

French consumer and public guidance often refers to a general five-year civil limitation for personal actions. It can be relevant to an Air France EU261 claim brought under French law. It should not be advertised as an unconditional five-year promise for every ticket sold by Air France.

Questions to record include:

• Is a French court competent for the itinerary and defendant?
• Does French law govern the cause of action?
• Did a procedural step suspend or interrupt the period?
• Does a specialist international rule displace the general period?
• Is the claimant pursuing EU261, contract, tort or Montreal Convention damages?

Submitting a customer-service form is sensible but should not be assumed to preserve a court claim without checking the applicable law.

Canadian, British and international clocks

Canadian APPR guidance requires a passenger seeking compensation for inconvenience to file a written request with the airline within one year of the disruption. The airline’s obligations and CTA complaint process must then be followed. A passenger cannot receive APPR inconvenience compensation after already receiving payment for the same event under another country’s passenger-rights rules.

UK261 civil periods are not uniform shorthand for the entire United Kingdom. England and Wales are commonly associated with a six-year contractual limitation, while Scotland has a different prescriptive framework. The correct court and cause must be established.

The Montreal Convention generally provides a two-year period for court action concerning covered international passenger delay and baggage damage. The two years run according to the Convention’s rule from arrival, scheduled arrival or stopping of carriage. The period is extinguishing, so it deserves particular caution.

Baggage has notification deadlines too

Do not confuse the two-year court period with written complaint windows. For checked baggage:

• damage should be complained of in writing within seven days after receipt;
• delay should be complained of within 21 days after the bag is delivered;
• Air France asks passengers to report missing baggage promptly and provides an online or airport process;
• a bag still missing after 21 days can be treated as lost in Air France’s public process.

A PIR records the airport irregularity but may not replace the later written damages claim. Preserve both.

Mediation and authority waiting periods

Médiation Tourisme et Voyage requires a prior written complaint and publishes eligibility steps based on a negative answer or 60 days without response. DGAC’s updated 2026 guidance also says a regulatory report is unnecessary before a complaint to the carrier and at least two months for its response.

Those waiting conditions do not necessarily extend a court limitation. Build backwards from the earliest plausible deadline. If waiting for mediation would place the court claim at risk, obtain jurisdiction-specific advice rather than assuming the mediation file stops time.

Air France’s general conditions also describe a 28-day direct-claim opportunity before certain third-party EU261 handling, subject to applicable law. That is not a universal limitation period and should not be confused with the future EU nine-month rule.

The adopted EU reform

The reform approved in 2026 introduces a future nine-month period for passengers to submit claims and a framework requiring airline acknowledgement and a decision within 30 days. On 13 August 2026, those provisions were adopted but not yet applicable. Commencement depends on publication and the specified application period.

Therefore:

• do not reject an older current claim merely because nine months have passed;
• do not promise Air France must already answer within 30 days under the reform;
• do not wait nine months where a shorter baggage, contractual or international period may apply;
• date legal content and verify commencement again before relying on the future regime.

A safe deadline workflow

1. List every remedy: fixed compensation, ticket refund, care, baggage, downgrade and additional damage.
2. Identify the operating carrier and complete itinerary.
3. Select possible legal systems and courts.
4. Record the shortest plausible claim, complaint and court dates.
5. Submit a complete Air France claim immediately and keep proof.
6. Escalate before a disputed period becomes close.

Create calendar reminders well ahead of the date, not on the final day. Account for time needed to obtain authority from other passengers, translate evidence or serve proceedings.

Evidence of timely action

Keep the form copy, acknowledgement, case reference, tracking screenshots, written follow-ups and proof of mediator or court filing. For postal documents, use a traceable method and retain the content sent, not only the mailing receipt.

If Air France says the claim is late, ask which legal basis, governing law, forum and start date it used. Compare that answer with the actual remedy. A Montreal Convention period cannot automatically be applied to an EU261 fixed payment, and a national EU261 period cannot replace the seven-day damaged-baggage notice.

The Air France status guide helps preserve the customer-service chronology, while the France escalation guide distinguishes available institutions.

See the Air France compensation overview.

FAQ

Do I always have five years to claim from Air France?

No. Five years can be relevant where French law governs a qualifying civil action, but route, forum, legal basis and specialist rules can produce a different result.

Is the Air France baggage deadline two years?

Two years generally concerns Montreal Convention court action. Written notice is much earlier: usually seven days for damage and 21 days for delayed baggage after delivery.

Does tracking a pending Air France case stop limitation?

Not automatically. Customer-service status and preservation of a court right are different questions. Check the applicable law before relying on an open case.

Is the new nine-month EU deadline already applicable?

No. It was part of the adopted 2026 reform but was not in application on 13 August 2026. Current rules still govern until commencement.

How quickly must I claim under Canadian APPR?

CTA guidance states that a written compensation request must be filed with the airline within one year of the delay or cancellation.

Official sources

• Air France general conditions of carriage
• Air France carrier-liability notice
• Canadian CTA delay and cancellation guidance
• Médiation Tourisme et Voyage eligibility
• Council notice on the adopted future EU reform