Airport flight compensation: Europe, the United States and Canada

Quick answer: the airport name alone does not decide whether compensation is due. Start with the departure country, the airline that actually operated or intended to operate the affected flight, the booking boundary and the arrival delay at the ticketed final destination. A flight leaving the EU, EEA or Switzerland is normally inside the European passenger-rights framework regardless of airline nationality. A flight leaving the United States or Canada for Europe needs a qualifying European operator for EU261, or a qualifying UK operator or EU operator for UK261, before the European fixed-sum rules can apply.

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Enter your route, date and type of disruption. We will check whether your case qualifies for a claim under EU 261/2004 or UK261.

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Choose the situation that applies to your flight:

This directory covers 93 airports selected for substantial international traffic, direct European connectivity or a recurring airport-specific problem. It is a route-finding tool, not a promise that every disruption earns money. Open the airport page, verify the operating carrier on the e-ticket and preserve the evidence before choosing a claim route.

Choose the legal test before the airport guide

Where the disrupted flight startsOperatorFirst framework to test
EU airportAny airlineEU261
Norway or IcelandAny airlineEEA application of EU261
SwitzerlandAny airlineSwiss application of the European rules
United KingdomAny airlineUK261
United States or Canada to the EU/EEA/SwitzerlandEU, EEA or Swiss airlineEU261 can apply
United States or Canada to the United KingdomUK or EU airlineUK261 can apply
United States or Canada to EuropeUS, Canadian or another non-European airlineEuropean fixed compensation normally does not apply merely because Europe is the destination
Türkiye, Serbia or Albania to the EUQualifying European airlineEU261 can apply; local passenger rules also require a separate check

The operating airline is the company that performed or intended to perform the flight. It may differ from the airline whose code appears first, the loyalty programme, the travel agent or the card statement. That distinction is especially important at North American gateways where the same itinerary can be sold under several partner flight numbers.

Europe: airports with their own operational answer

The European list includes EU hubs, EEA and Swiss airports, UK gateways and selected non-EU airports. An airport in geographical Europe is not automatically an EU airport. Istanbul, Antalya, Belgrade and Tirana therefore need a direction-and-operator test that differs from Paris, Amsterdam or Warsaw.

United States: departures that may reach EU261 or UK261

These US pages focus on direct European services operated by European airlines and on the codeshare distinction that can decide coverage. A US-operated flight does not gain EU261 protection simply because an EU airline sold it or because it lands in Europe. US Department of Transportation refund rules remain relevant when an airline cancels or significantly changes a flight to, from or within the United States.

Canada: combine the operator test with APPR

Canadian departures can sit at the intersection of the Canadian Air Passenger Protection Regulations and European rules. Test each framework independently, avoid claiming duplicate payment for the same inconvenience and keep the airline's classification of the event. A European-operated departure to Europe may enter EU261 or UK261, while an Air Canada-operated codeshare generally does not enter EU261 solely because it lands in the EU.

One reservation changes the arrival point that matters

On a protected through booking, a delayed first sector may cause a missed connection and make the arrival at the final ticketed destination the relevant clock. The same physical journey assembled from separate tickets usually produces separate contracts. A booking website displaying both flights on one screen does not by itself prove through carriage.

Save the full e-ticket receipt, not only a mobile boarding pass. Look for one ticket number sequence, a common reservation reference, baggage checked to the final destination and rebooking performed by the airline. None of those clues should be used alone, but together they make the booking structure easier to prove.

Airport changes also need their own record. London Heathrow and Gatwick, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Orly, Istanbul Airport and Sabiha Gökçen, or New York JFK and Newark are different airports. If the airline substitutes one for another, keep the written offer, ground-transfer instructions, receipts and actual final-arrival time.

Build the claim from facts the airline can verify

  1. Download the e-ticket and identify the operating carrier for the affected sector.
  2. Record scheduled and actual times, including aircraft-door opening at arrival where relevant.
  3. Keep cancellation, rerouting and cause messages in their original form.
  4. Photograph the airport departure board with the flight number and timestamp visible.
  5. Preserve replacement boarding passes, baggage records and itemised receipts.
  6. Separate fixed compensation from refund, rerouting, care costs and baggage loss.
  7. Complain first to the operating airline and retain the submission confirmation.

A vague request for “all compensation” invites a vague answer. State the legal framework being relied on, the passenger names, route direction, booking boundary, final arrival and each remedy separately. When the carrier invokes weather, air-traffic control or another extraordinary circumstance, ask for the event that affected this aircraft and the reasonable measures considered.

Four remedies that should not be collapsed into one number

Fixed compensation addresses qualifying delay, short-notice cancellation or involuntary denied boarding. Under the current EU system it is usually EUR 250, EUR 400 or EUR 600 according to distance and journey category. Current UK bands are GBP 220, GBP 350 or GBP 520, with long-haul delay affecting the applicable amount.

Refund or rerouting follows cancellation and, in defined cases, long delay. Choosing a refund can end the airline's duty to carry the passenger on the unused journey, so record the choice rather than accepting a voucher without understanding it.

Care covers reasonable meals, communication and, when an overnight wait becomes necessary, accommodation and airport transport. Care can remain due even when extraordinary circumstances remove fixed compensation.

Baggage loss and damage follow a different international framework and short notification periods. A property irregularity report helps prove the airport event but is not always the final written baggage claim.

Current law used in this directory

Every airport page is reviewed against the rules in use on 12 September 2026. The European Union adopted an amending text in July 2026, but the Council states that the revised framework applies only after publication and a later 12-month-and-20-day period. This directory therefore does not present future deadlines or procedures as rules already governing today's flight.

Airline networks and operators change faster than legislation. The airport pages describe durable network patterns and point to official airport sources; the e-ticket and day-of-travel operating record remain controlling for an individual case.

FAQ

Does EU261 cover every flight to Europe?

No. For a flight departing outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, coverage generally depends on the operating airline. A qualifying European operator can bring the inbound flight into scope; a third-country operator normally does not merely because the destination is European.

Does a codeshare flight use the marketing airline's nationality?

Not automatically. Passenger-rights analysis normally begins with the airline that actually operated or intended to operate the affected sector. Read the “operated by” line on the e-ticket and boarding pass.

Is a missed connection measured at the intermediate airport?

On one protected reservation, the relevant delay can be the arrival at the final ticketed destination. Separate tickets normally require separate assessments and can leave the onward loss with the traveller.

Can I claim care costs when weather caused the disruption?

Potentially yes. Extraordinary circumstances may defeat fixed compensation, but they do not automatically erase the duty to provide reasonable care while the passenger waits for rerouting.

Can EU261, UK261, APPR and US rights all pay for the same event?

More than one framework may need checking, but duplicate recovery for the same inconvenience is restricted. Separate documented losses or remedies should be identified rather than added together mechanically.

Which airport evidence is worth keeping?

Keep the e-ticket, original and replacement boarding passes, airline notices, departure-board photographs, final-arrival time, baggage documents and itemised receipts. Record an airport substitution or terminal transfer when it affected the reroute.

Official sources