Finnair compensation calculator: EUR 250, 400 or 600
To calculate likely Finnair compensation, first confirm EU261 coverage and the operating carrier, then measure final-arrival delay and the direct distance between the first departure and final destination on the protected booking. The result is normally EUR 250, EUR 400 or EUR 600 per eligible passenger. A calculator cannot decide an unproved extraordinary-circumstances defence.
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 site's flight compensation calculator for an initial result, then verify each input with the original itinerary and actual arrival evidence.
Calculation sequence
| Step | Input | Decision produced |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | First departure, final arrival and operating airline | Whether EU261 can apply |
| 2 | One booking or separate tickets | Which destination controls |
| 3 | Scheduled versus actual final arrival | Whether the timing threshold is met |
| 4 | Great-circle journey distance | EUR 250, 400 or 600 band |
| 5 | Notice and replacement timings for cancellation | Whether fixed compensation survives |
| 6 | Specific disruption cause | Whether Finnair has an extraordinary defence |
Do not begin with the ticket price. A EUR 90 Economy fare and a EUR 2,000 Business fare can produce the same fixed amount when the route and delay are identical.
Step 1: establish territorial coverage
EU261 covers a Finnair flight departing from the EU/EEA. Because Finnair is an EU carrier, it can also cover a Finnair-operated flight arriving there from a non-EU state. This inbound rule is commercially important on Asia, North America and Middle East routes.
An AY code does not always mean Finnair operation. Norra operates many AY-numbered domestic and European services, and partner airlines can carry an AY marketing code. Read the operated-by field. When another carrier operates the disrupted sector, both coverage and the correct respondent may change.
UK journeys need UK261 calculations in pounds. Canadian journeys may also bring APPR into view, while US routes have DOT refund rules rather than a general US fixed-delay payment. Do not add overlapping fixed awards for the same inconvenience.
Step 2: choose the correct final destination
If connected sectors were issued as one reservation, use the last ticketed destination for final-arrival delay and usually for the distance band. Helsinki is not automatically the end merely because the Finnair long-haul flight lands there.
Example: Madrid-Helsinki-Seoul on one ticket arrives in Seoul five hours late after a missed connection. Calculate Madrid to Seoul by great-circle distance and assess the five-hour arrival loss. If Madrid-Helsinki and Helsinki-Seoul were bought as separate contracts, each requires its own analysis and the first carrier is not automatically liable for the second ticket.
Do not sum segment distances. EU261 distance measurement follows the direct distance between relevant endpoints, not the total path flown or a detour around closed airspace.
Step 3: calculate final arrival
Use scheduled arrival on the original confirmation. Actual arrival is normally when at least one aircraft door opens and passengers are permitted to disembark. Convert both to the same local time zone and date.
Fixed delay compensation usually starts at three hours. Cancellation and denied boarding have different triggering rules but use the same distance amounts. A cancellation notified 14 days early can have no fixed amount even though refund or rerouting remains due.
For long-distance rerouting, arrival between three and four hours late can permit a 50% reduction. Do not halve shorter-distance awards under that rule.
Step 4: select the EUR band
| Protected distance | Standard fixed amount |
|---|---|
| 0-1,500 km | EUR 250 |
| Intra-EU above 1,500 km | EUR 400 |
| Other journeys 1,500-3,500 km | EUR 400 |
| Other journeys above 3,500 km | EUR 600 |
The amount belongs to each eligible passenger. For three adults and a child with a paid seat on a qualifying EUR 600 journey, the headline fixed claim can be EUR 2,400. A lap infant carried free may require a different assessment because the regulation excludes free travel not available to the public.
Award tickets from a public programme can qualify. Compensation is still normally paid in money, while restoration of Avios and taxes is a separate ticket remedy.
Worked Finnair examples
Short domestic flight
A Finnair or Norra-operated Helsinki-Oulu journey arrives 3 hours 25 minutes late because of an ordinary operational issue. The direct distance is within 1,500 km, so the starting fixed amount is EUR 250 per eligible passenger.
European connection
Rome-Helsinki-Tallinn on one booking reaches Tallinn four hours late after a missed connection caused by the first Finnair sector. The direct Rome-Tallinn distance and intra-EU rule determine the band, normally EUR 400 rather than a sum for two flights.
Long-haul flight
Finnair-operated Tokyo-Helsinki arrives 4 hours 10 minutes late and no extraordinary defence is proved. The journey is over 3,500 km, producing EUR 600. At 3 hours 20 minutes, EUR 300 may be the applicable reduced amount.
Family plus expenses
A qualifying family of four receives a EUR 400 band: EUR 1,600 fixed compensation. They paid one EUR 180 hotel invoice and EUR 52 for reasonable meals. The expense request is EUR 232 once, not four times, and is added separately where care was not provided.
What the calculator must not add together
Fixed compensation, ticket reimbursement, care costs, downgrade reimbursement and baggage loss are separate categories. Add only remedies whose conditions are independently satisfied, and never multiply a shared receipt by passenger count.
Do not add EU261 and UK261 fixed sums for the same disruption. Canadian APPR also prevents duplicate inconvenience compensation already paid under another passenger-rights system. A claimant can assess alternatives, but recovery cannot exceed the overlapping injury through repeated fixed awards.
Montreal Convention claims require proven loss and causation. They do not use the EUR 250-600 table and have a two-year court-action limit.
Cause can change a non-zero result to zero
Distance and delay produce a provisional amount. Finnair can avoid fixed compensation if it proves extraordinary circumstances and that reasonable measures could not prevent the disruption. Severe weather, air traffic restrictions and security events can qualify. Routine technical or staffing problems usually do not.
Ask for the factual cause before accepting zero. A calculator should show eligibility as "potential" until the evidence is known. Refund and care rights can remain even where the fixed result is zero.
Evidence for the numbers
Save the full ticket, operated-by statement, schedules, replacement documents and actual door-opening evidence. For cancellation, preserve the notice timestamp. For denied boarding, obtain written confirmation that the refusal was involuntary and not caused by documents, safety or late arrival at the gate.
Present the calculation line by line:
Protected itinerary: Toronto-Helsinki-Warsaw on one booking, Finnair-operated inbound long-haul. Direct first-to-final distance: over 3,500 km. Scheduled final arrival: 11:15 CEST. Actual final arrival: 17:08 CEST. Delay: 5 hours 53 minutes. Requested fixed amount: EUR 600 per eligible passenger.
Use the Finnair claim-form guide to attach the calculation without mixing it with ticket or baggage forms.
Calculation rules checked on 15 August 2026. Currency conversions and future EU reform rules should be verified on the claim date.
FAQ
Is Finnair compensation based on ticket price?
No. EU261 fixed amounts depend mainly on protected journey distance and the qualifying disruption.
Do I add the distance of every sector?
No. Use the direct distance between the relevant first departure and final destination on the protected booking.
Can each family member claim EUR 600?
Yes, if each traveller is eligible. Shared expenses are reimbursed at their actual value, not multiplied.
Why can a long-haul result be EUR 300?
The regulation permits a 50% reduction when qualifying rerouting reaches a destination over 3,500 km less than four hours late.
Does a calculator prove Finnair was responsible?
No. It estimates the amount; the operating cause and extraordinary-circumstances evidence still require review.