Neos: EUR 250, 400 or 600 per passenger
The headline numbers are distance bands, not a price list for every disrupted Neos flight. A passenger reaches EUR 250, EUR 400 or EUR 600 only after establishing territorial coverage, the operating carrier, a qualifying delay, cancellation or denied boarding, and the absence of a successful extraordinary-circumstances defence. The package price, cabin fare and amount paid to an agency do not set the award.
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:
This page applies the law at 9 September 2026. Although an EU reform received final approval in July 2026, its application is deferred. Its future nine-month claim period is not the current rule and must not be treated as one.
Start with coverage before measuring kilometres
A Neos-operated departure from the EU can fall under EU261. A Neos flight from a third country into the EU can also qualify because Neos is an Italian EU carrier. Confirm NO and the “operated by” line: a non-EU partner operating an inbound flight can produce a different outcome even when the holiday paperwork displays Neos.
Split a return booking into directions. Rome–Havana and Havana–Rome have different starting points. Neos's EU status can cover its own inbound operation, but passenger nationality, residence or payment in euros does not affect the territorial test.
Match the route to the three statutory bands
The usual amounts are EUR 250 for flights of 1,500 km or less; EUR 400 for intra-EU flights over 1,500 km and other covered flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km; and EUR 600 for covered non-intra-EU flights over 3,500 km. Distance is generally measured by the great-circle method between the relevant airports, not by the miles actually flown after diversions.
The intra-EU rule matters. A lengthy journey between two EU points belongs in the EUR 400 category rather than EUR 600. Conversely, a covered Milan–Cancún operation exceeding 3,500 km can enter the EUR 600 band. The result is per qualifying passenger, including a child with a paid confirmed reservation; ticket terms for infants travelling free require separate examination.
Arrival and notice decide whether a band is reached
For delay, fixed compensation generally requires arrival at the protected final destination at least three hours late. Arrival normally relates to a door opening and permission to leave, not touchdown. On one ticket, a missed connection can make the last destination the relevant endpoint. Independent tickets ordinarily keep separate endpoints.
For cancellation, notice at least 14 days in advance generally removes fixed compensation. At shorter notice, an alternative within the statutory departure and arrival windows may also remove it. Refund or rerouting rights are separate and do not depend on qualifying for one of the three cash bands.
When the figure may be halved or refused
If rerouting brings the passenger to the destination within the regulation's prescribed time limits, the carrier may reduce fixed compensation by 50%. That can mean EUR 125, EUR 200 or EUR 300. The reduction is not justified merely because Neos offered another flight; compare actual final arrival with the relevant threshold.
Fixed compensation can be refused where Neos proves an extraordinary event and reasonable measures. A generic phrase such as “operational circumstances” is not a complete explanation. Ask what happened, how it affected the specific rotation and what practical alternatives were considered. Even when the defence succeeds, care and cancellation options can remain due.
Worked example: four travellers, three different totals
A family of four holds a Neos-operated Milan–Mauritius booking. Cancellation arrives the evening before travel and the replacement reaches Mauritius six hours late. Assuming no extraordinary-circumstances defence succeeds, the over-3,500 km band points to EUR 600 each: EUR 2,400 total.
They also pay EUR 86 for meals and share a EUR 174 hotel room after assistance is not supplied. Those actual expenses total EUR 260, not EUR 260 per passenger. Their unused airport parking and a lost resort night are not added to the statutory band automatically; any package or additional-damages claim needs its own defendant, proof and causation. If the reroute had arrived within the applicable reduction window, the fixed total could instead be EUR 1,200.
Fixed compensation answers lost-time and notice rules. Reimbursement repays unused carriage when chosen instead of rerouting. Care covers reasonable meals, accommodation, communications and airport-hotel transport during the wait. Montreal damages address proven baggage loss, delay or damage. These categories can coexist, but none should be presented as a single multiplied “compensation” figure.
Send Neos a calculation naming every passenger and basis. Preserve the original coupon, replacement itinerary, door-opening evidence, cancellation notice and receipts. When a tour operator sold the holiday, address package performance separately and prevent double recovery.
More Neos guides
Questions about Neos compensation amounts
Is every Neos long-haul disruption worth EUR 600?
No. EUR 600 is a distance band reached only after coverage and all liability conditions are established.
Is the award reduced because my package was cheap?
No. The statutory amount is not a percentage of the airfare or package price.
Can Neos pay half after rerouting?
Only when final arrival falls within the regulation's specified reduction windows; offering a replacement alone is insufficient.
Are care receipts multiplied by passenger count?
No. Individual awards are multiplied, but shared rooms, meals and taxis are claimed at their actual reasonable cost.
Does extraordinary weather remove my refund?
Not automatically. It may defeat fixed compensation, while cancellation reimbursement or rerouting and care remain distinct rights.