easyJet 3-hour delay: how to calculate the compensation threshold
Reviewed on 10 August 2026. The current EC261 and UK261 compensation threshold is reached when an eligible easyJet flight arrives at least three hours late. The calculation does not stop at touchdown. Under the leading Court of Justice ruling, arrival generally occurs when at least one aircraft door opens and passengers are permitted to leave. A gate or stand delay can therefore turn a reported landing delay of two hours and 55 minutes into a compensable arrival above three hours.
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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:
Crossing the line is necessary but not sufficient. You must still establish coverage, the correct distance band and the operating cause. This page concentrates on time evidence; the broader easyJet delayed-flight guide covers the complete claim.
Which timestamp counts?
| Event | Does it normally end the compensation clock? |
|---|---|
| Wheels touch the runway | No |
| Aircraft reaches a remote stand | Not by itself |
| Seat-belt sign is switched off | Not necessarily |
| First door opens and disembarkation becomes possible | Usually yes |
| Passenger reaches baggage reclaim | No, this is later than legal arrival |
The Germanwings judgment in case C-452/13 explains why: passengers remain constrained inside the aircraft until a door opens, so they cannot resume normal activities at touchdown. The operational database used by easyJet may show several milestones. Ask which one supports the response if the airline rejects the claim on time alone.
Work from the original schedule
Compare actual legal arrival with the scheduled arrival printed in the booking confirmation current at the relevant time. A schedule change notified before travel may raise a cancellation or early-departure issue instead; it should not be silently mixed into an airport delay claim.
Example: the booking says 18:10 arrival. The aircraft lands at 21:04, parks at 21:08 and opens a door at 21:14. The legal delay is approximately three hours and four minutes, not two hours and 54 minutes. If a covered route and airline-responsible cause are present, the time test is met.
Another flight scheduled for 09:30 lands at 12:35 but opens at 12:27 because the landing timestamp came from an inconsistent public feed. That impossible sequence signals that at least one source is wrong. Preserve multiple records and ask for the airline's movement data rather than selecting the most favourable number without verification.
Strong evidence near three hours
Airport and airline feeds can update after the event. Take screenshots while the flight status is visible, but do not rely on a single consumer-tracking application. Useful evidence includes:
- the easyJet app or Flight Tracker showing arrival status;
- the destination airport's official arrivals record;
- a timestamped photograph or message sent immediately after the door opened;
- a written statement from another passenger identifying the flight and event;
- ground-transport or mobile-location records that corroborate the sequence;
- a request that easyJet disclose the door-opening or ACARS arrival event used in its decision.
A baggage receipt proves that you were at the destination but usually does not establish the door time precisely. A social-media post can help only if its timestamp and context are reliable. Preserve originals rather than edited screenshots.
Direct flights and separate bookings
easyJet's terms state that it is a point-to-point carrier and does not operate connecting or through tickets. Most passengers therefore calculate delay for the single booked easyJet flight. If a late easyJet service caused you to miss another flight on a separate reservation, the second ticket does not normally become the final destination of the first EC261 or UK261 contract.
You may still claim for the easyJet segment if its own arrival reached three hours and the other tests are met. Consequential loss under a different legal basis, travel insurance or package rights requires separate assessment. Read easyJet missed connections before demanding compensation based on the end of a self-transfer itinerary.
The three-hour line does not control every right
A passenger can receive care before arrival delay reaches three hours. The waiting-time trigger is linked to distance and begins from expected departure delay: broadly two hours for short flights, three hours for the middle group and four hours for other long journeys. Meals, communication, hotel and transfer rights are therefore not conditional on a compensable arrival.
The five-hour rule is different again. Once departure delay reaches at least five hours, a passenger can decide not to fly and seek reimbursement for the unused journey. Someone who chooses that option never arrives on the delayed service, so there is no later arrival-delay calculation for that travel. Fixed compensation may still need legal analysis, but refund and care consequences follow the choice made.
Cancellation and denied boarding also use their own tests. A cancelled flight is assessed through notice and rerouting times; involuntary denied boarding does not require the passenger to prove a three-hour arrival delay.
Distance and the three-to-four-hour reduction
After proving at least three hours, calculate the great-circle distance. Under UK261, a covered journey above 3,500 km arriving between three and four hours late generally attracts GBP 260, half of GBP 520. The full long-distance amount normally requires more than four hours.
EC261 also permits a 50% reduction in relevant long-distance rerouting or delay circumstances. Do not apply that reduction to every easyJet flight. Short and medium distance amounts are not cut merely because arrival is three hours and one minute late. Use exact airport pairs in the easyJet amount calculator.
Cause remains a separate defence
Time data cannot establish airline responsibility. Once you show a covered arrival above the threshold, easyJet may rely on extraordinary circumstances. It must prove a specific external event, a direct causal connection and reasonable measures.
Severe wind that closed the destination runway can be a strong defence. A routine component failure is ordinarily part of airline operations and usually is not. An ATC restriction affecting your allocated slot may qualify, while a vague reference to congestion without records deserves clarification. Even if the defence succeeds, it does not retrospectively remove care that should have been supplied during the wait.
Present the calculation clearly
In the official easyJet form, state the scheduled arrival, door-opening time and resulting delay in hours and minutes. Identify each source supporting that time. Add the route distance, legal regime, operating airline and requested amount. Do not bury the calculation beneath a long account of the airport experience.
If easyJet answers with a touchdown time, explain politely that C-452/13 uses door opening and ask it to reassess using the correct operational event. If it gives a door time below three hours, request the underlying record and compare it with your contemporaneous evidence.
For UK-connected complaints that remain unresolved, easyJet's current terms identify AviationADR as the independent route and set a 12-month period from its final response for referral. The forum and court deadline vary elsewhere, so act promptly even when the delay occurred years ago.
The EU measure adopted in July 2026 keeps compensation for delays above three hours. Its future procedural timetable has not started on 10 August 2026 because application follows Official Journal publication and the stated transition period.
FAQ
Is 2 hours and 59 minutes enough for easyJet compensation?
Not for a fixed delay award under the current three-hour rule. Check whether that figure represents touchdown rather than door opening, and consider care or other rights that use different thresholds.
What if the easyJet app and airport website disagree?
Save both records and ask easyJet for the operational door-opening timestamp. A discrepancy should be resolved with primary movement data and contemporaneous evidence, not an assumption that either public display is conclusive.
Does waiting on the aircraft after landing count?
Yes, until at least one door opens and passengers can leave, the legal arrival has generally not occurred. A stand allocation or stairs delay can therefore count toward the three hours.
Can I claim if I missed a separate flight because easyJet was two hours late?
The easyJet segment normally misses the fixed three-hour threshold, and a self-transfer does not usually extend its final destination. Insurance, package terms or proven consequential damages may still require separate consideration.
Has the EU changed the threshold to four hours in 2026?
No. The finally adopted EU reform retained compensation for delays of more than three hours. In any event, that amendment is not yet applicable on this page's review date.