Emirates compensation calculator: work out what you are owed

Step 1 — Is the flight in scope?

This filter removes more Emirates claims than any other, so run it first.

• Departed an EU/EEA airport → EU261, calculated in euros.
• Departed a UK airport → UK261, calculated in pounds.
• Departed anywhere else, including Dubai → outside both regimes, because the inbound branch of Article 3(1) only covers third-country departures when the operating carrier is an EU or UK airline, and Emirates is licensed in the UAE.

A Dubai–London flight delayed by ten hours calculates to zero under the regulation. Test your itinerary against which Emirates flights are covered before going further.

Step 2 — Measure the distance to your final destination

The distance is the great-circle distance between your departure airport and your final destination — the last airport on that single booking, not Dubai. Article 7(4) fixes the measurement this way, and Folkerts (C-11/11) confirms that a through-ticket is assessed end to end.

Approximate great-circle distances from Europe to Dubai:

The figures are approximate, but the conclusion is not sensitive to the rounding: every Emirates route from Europe to Dubai clears 3,500 km comfortably. The nearest to the line, Vienna and Rome, still sit several hundred kilometres above it. If you booked beyond Dubai — Bangkok, Singapore, Colombo, Male, Sydney, Johannesburg — the measured distance grows substantially and stays in the same band.

Step 3 — Apply the band

For an Emirates departure from Europe, read the bottom row. The EUR 600 guide works through the edge cases.

Note what the band does not depend on: the fare you paid, the cabin you sat in, whether the ticket was a Skywards redemption, and how long the flight took. Article 7 is a fixed sum tied to distance alone. A First Class passenger and an Economy passenger on the same flight calculate to the same number.

Step 4 — Check the arrival delay

Compensation for delay needs a 3-hour-plus arrival delay at the final destination, measured to doors-open (Sturgeon, C-402/07; Germanwings, C-452/13). Departure delay is not the measure. See how the 3-hour threshold works for borderline cases.

For cancellation, the calculation runs differently: the trigger is less than 14 days' notice, combined with a re-routing that misses the tolerances in Article 5(1)(c). For denied boarding, no waiting period applies at all — the entitlement arises on the refusal to carry.

Step 5 — Apply the reductions and multipliers

The 50% reduction (Article 7(2)). If Emirates re-routed you and you arrived less than four hours later than scheduled on a flight over 3,500 km, compensation may be halved — EUR 300 or GBP 260. Four hours or more, and the full sum stands. This applies only where re-routing was offered; simply waiting for the same delayed aircraft does not engage it.

Multiply by passengers. Compensation is per passenger, including children with their own seat and ticket. Four passengers on a delayed Madrid–Dubai flight calculate to EUR 2,400, not EUR 600.

Add care costs separately. Meals, hotel and transfers under Article 9 are reimbursed on receipts and are not part of the fixed sum. They are added, not absorbed.

Add a downgrade claim if relevant. Article 10(2) reimburses 75% of the price of a flight over 3,500 km on which you were downgraded, calculated on that sector under Mennens (C-255/15). That sits alongside any Article 7 payment.

Worked examples

Frankfurt–Dubai, arrived 4 hours 20 minutes late, two passengers. In scope (EU departure). Distance ~4,850 km → over 3,500 km. Delay over 3 hours. No re-routing reduction, since the delay exceeds four hours. EUR 600 × 2 = EUR 1,200, plus receipted meals.

Manchester–Dubai–Colombo, one ticket, arrived in Colombo 21 hours late, four passengers. In scope (UK departure). Measured to Colombo → far over 3,500 km. Delay well over 3 hours. GBP 520 × 4 = GBP 2,080, plus a hotel night and meals under Article 9.

Vienna–Dubai, cancelled 4 days ahead, rebooked arriving 90 minutes later. In scope. Notice under 7 days, but the replacement arrives less than 2 hours after the original arrival, which satisfies the Article 5(1)(c) tolerance. No compensation. The Article 8 choice between refund and re-routing remains.

Dubai–Rome, cancelled with no notice, three passengers. Not in scope — third-country departure on a non-EU carrier. No 261 compensation. Refund of the unused sector under contract, plus insurance and, for baggage, the Montreal Convention.

London Gatwick–Dubai, downgraded from Business to Economy, one passenger, sector fare GBP 2,400. Downgrade, not delay. Distance over 3,500 km → 75% band. GBP 1,800 reimbursement within seven days, independent of any delay compensation.

What the number does not include

The fixed sum is not damages. It does not compensate a missed cruise departure, a forfeited hotel booking, a lost day of work or a pre-paid excursion. Those are consequential losses, which belong to the Montreal Convention or to travel insurance, and they are proved with evidence rather than calculated from a table.

Nor does it cover baggage. Delayed, damaged or lost bags run under the Montreal Convention, capped at roughly 1,519 SDR per passenger since the ICAO revision took effect on 28 December 2024, with a 7-day deadline for damage and 21 days for delay.

You can cross-check a figure with the flight compensation calculator, then submit using the template in the Emirates claim form guide.

FAQ

Does a longer flight time increase the payment?

No. The bands are set by distance, not duration. A headwind that adds an hour to a Frankfurt–Dubai sector changes nothing.

My ticket cost GBP 380. Can I really claim GBP 520?

Yes. Article 7 is not capped by the fare. The fixed sum can exceed what you paid, and frequently does on discounted long-haul fares.

How is distance measured if I connect through Dubai on separate tickets?

Each ticket is measured on its own, because separate bookings are separate contracts. Only the flight you actually booked as a covered departure is calculated, and a missed self-connection does not extend it.

Do infants without a seat count?

An infant travelling on an adult's lap without their own ticketed seat generally does not generate a separate entitlement. A child with their own seat and ticket does.

Is the EUR 600 band changing in 2026?

No. Proposals to restructure the thresholds and amounts remain proposals and are not in force. EUR 250/400/600 and GBP 220/350/520 are the binding figures.

Related Emirates guides

• When Emirates owes the full EUR 600
• Emirates 3-hour delay compensation
• Emirates delayed flight compensation
• Emirates cancelled flight compensation
• How to claim compensation from Emirates
• Emirates compensation claim form
• Which Emirates flights are covered

Sources

• Regulation (EC) 261/2004, Article 7, EUR-Lex: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32004R0261
• The Air Passenger Rights and Air Travel Organisers' Licensing (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2019/278/made
• UK Civil Aviation Authority, delays and cancellations: https://www.caa.co.uk/passengers/resolving-travel-problems/delays-cancellations/
• European Commission, air passenger rights: https://transport.ec.europa.eu/transport-themes/passenger-rights/air_en
• Montreal Convention 1999 (ICAO): https://www.icao.int/secretariat/legal/List%20of%20Parties/Mtl99_EN.pdf

This guide reflects the legal position as of 2026 and is general information, not legal advice; the 2026 EU261 reform is a proposal and not yet in force. Distances are approximate great-circle figures given for orientation.