Qatar Airways compensation calculator: EUR 250, 400, 600 or GBP 520

Use the flight compensation calculator for initial triage, then verify every input against the original ticket.

Step 1: decide whether the route is covered

The QR code is not enough. Read “operated by” on each segment. A Doha-London flight operated by British Airways can have a different UK261 result from a Qatar Airways operation.

Step 2: measure the complete protected journey

On one reservation, use the first departure and final ticketed destination. A Madrid-Doha-Singapore booking is measured from Madrid to Singapore, not as two isolated distances. If a missed connection produces a nine-hour arrival delay in Singapore, that final delay controls the calculation.

Independent tickets normally remain independent. Madrid-Doha may be protected to Doha, but an unrelated Doha-Singapore booking is not automatically added. The Doha self-transfer guide explains the boundary.

Use a recognised great-circle distance tool. Do not add segment mileage unless the legal calculation for the particular itinerary calls for it; the direct distance between first origin and final destination is the usual reference.

Step 3: select the current band

UK261 uses three current sterling bands: GBP 220, GBP 350 and GBP 520. Do not convert euros at the exchange rate or claim both currencies for one disruption.

Most Qatar Airways journeys from Europe through Doha to India, Southeast Asia, Africa or Australia sit in the highest distance category. That does not guarantee the top payment. The event, timing and cause must still qualify.

Step 4: apply the disruption rules

Delay

Final arrival generally must be at least three hours late. On long travel over 3,500 km, arrival between three and four hours late can permit a 50% reduction. An EU261 calculation can therefore be EUR 300 instead of EUR 600. At four hours or more, the full band normally becomes the starting point.

Cancellation

Check notice and replacement timing. Fourteen days’ notice normally removes fixed compensation. With seven to fourteen days’ notice, the airline can avoid payment only inside the wider replacement window; with less than seven days, the window is narrower. Rerouting arrival can also allow a 50% reduction.

Denied boarding

An involuntary removal from a covered flight after timely check-in ordinarily uses the full distance band, subject to any reduction based on alternative arrival. A volunteer’s negotiated benefit is not calculated from this table.

Step 5: multiply per passenger

The fixed amount belongs to each qualifying traveller:

• four passengers at EUR 600: EUR 2,400 total;
• two passengers at reduced EUR 300: EUR 600 total;
• three passengers at GBP 520: GBP 1,560 total.

Children with fare-paying seats ordinarily count individually. An infant travelling without a separate fare needs a closer ticket and case-law review. One person may submit for the group with authority, but the calculation should identify each passenger.

Ticket price does not set the fixed band. A business-class ticket and a sale economy fare use the same statutory amount. A cabin downgrade instead uses 30%, 50% or 75% of the relevant segment price under separate rules.

Step 6: keep other remedies separate

The calculator does not value everything a passenger may recover.

A meal voucher is care, not part-payment of EUR 600. Avoid double recovery, but do not let Qatar Airways offset unrelated statutory duties without explanation.

Cause can reduce the fixed result to zero

Even a perfectly calculated route and delay can fail if Qatar Airways proves extraordinary circumstances and reasonable measures. Weather, ATC restrictions, airport closure or a sudden security event can qualify. Routine technical or staffing explanations require different scrutiny.

The burden is not satisfied by a short label. Ask for the event, affected time, causal link and mitigation. If an external event ended but the airline’s recovery took many more hours, request a chronology.

Care and cancellation choices can remain even when the fixed number is zero. The weather and airspace guide separates those outcomes.

Worked calculations

Paris-Doha-Kathmandu, one booking, 6:10 late: Qatar Airways operates from the EU and the complete journey exceeds 3,500 km. EUR 600 per passenger is the initial figure if the cause was within airline responsibility.

Rome-Doha, 3:35 late: coverage and distance are satisfied, but the long-distance reduction can produce EUR 300 rather than EUR 600.

London-Doha-Perth cancelled on the day: UK origin and long distance point to GBP 520 per traveller when substitute arrival is outside the reduction window and no extraordinary defence succeeds.

Bangkok-Doha-Amsterdam, 12 hours late: Qatar Airways operates a journey beginning outside the EU. The EU261 result is normally zero despite distance and delay. Proven loss may be considered under the Montreal Convention.

Evidence behind the numbers

Attach the original e-ticket with first origin and final destination, each operated-by line, scheduled arrival, actual door-opening time, cancellation notice and replacement itinerary. Show the distance source and a line-by-line passenger total.

Keep expense receipts outside the fixed-compensation table. State the claimed currency that corresponds to the legal regime. The claim form guide explains how to submit the calculation through Feedback & Concerns.

FAQ

Is every Qatar Airways flight through Doha worth EUR 600?

No. The journey must start in covered territory, have the required disruption and lack a successful extraordinary-circumstances defence.

When is a Qatar Airways long delay worth only EUR 300?

On covered travel over 3,500 km, a final arrival between three and four hours late can permit a 50% reduction.

Is compensation based on ticket price?

No. Fixed delay, cancellation and denied-boarding amounts use statutory distance bands, not the fare paid.

Do children receive a separate amount?

Fare-paying children ordinarily have individual claims. An infant without a separate fare requires closer analysis.

Can I add hotel receipts to the fixed amount?

Yes as a separate care-expense request when reasonable and documented. Do not present the receipts as part of the statutory distance band.

Sources

• Qatar Airways: EU air passenger rights
• Qatar Airways: UK air passenger rights
• European Commission: compensation bands and rerouting
• UK Civil Aviation Authority: compensation eligibility
• EUR-Lex: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, Article 7