Wizz Air 3 hour delay compensation

The three-hour rule, in plain terms

Regulation (EC) 261/2004 does not mention a fixed sum for delay on its face. The Court of Justice filled that gap in Sturgeon (C-402/07): passengers who reach their final destination three hours or more late are treated the same as passengers whose flight was cancelled, and so become entitled to the fixed compensation in Article 7. For flights departing the UK, the same rules carry over into UK law as UK261, enforced by the Civil Aviation Authority.

The trigger is therefore a result, not a cause. You do not need to prove why the flight ran late to cross the threshold — you only need to have arrived three hours or more behind schedule. The airline can then avoid paying only if it proves the delay was caused by extraordinary circumstances (more on that below).

Arrival at the final destination is what counts (Folkerts)

The single most misunderstood point is where the three hours are measured. It is measured at your final destination, using scheduled versus actual arrival.

In Folkerts (C-11/11) a passenger left only a little late but missed a connection and reached the final destination far behind schedule. The Court held that compensation is due based on the delay at the final destination, even where the first leg was on time or only briefly delayed. So if you booked a single Wizz Air itinerary with a connection — for example a Luton flight that transfers through Budapest to your onward city on one booking — it is arrival at the last stop that decides your claim, not the intermediate airport.

Actual arrival is taken as the moment the aircraft reaches its stand and the doors are opened so passengers can leave — not the moment the wheels touch the runway, and not when the plane joins the taxiway. That distinction can be the difference between 2 hours 55 minutes and 3 hours 5 minutes, so it is worth noting the real time you were able to step off.

Worked examples across the distance bands

The amount depends only on the great-circle distance of the flight. Here is how it plays out on routes Wizz Air actually flies. Departure airport decides the regime: an EU/EEA departure gives euros; a UK departure gives pounds.

• Up to 1,500 km — EUR 250 / GBP 220. London Luton to Katowice (around 1,330 km) or Luton to Warsaw Chopin (around 1,450 km). Land 3h 20m late and, on the outbound from the UK, that is GBP 220; on the return from Poland it is EUR 250.
• 1,500-3,500 km, plus all intra-EU flights over 1,500 km — EUR 400 / GBP 350. London Gatwick to Bucharest (around 2,100 km) sits in band two, so GBP 350 on that UK departure. Budapest to Tenerife is roughly 3,900 km, but because it is entirely within the EU it is still capped at the EUR 400 band, not EUR 600.
• Over 3,500 km between an EU airport and a non-EU airport — EUR 600. Budapest to Abu Dhabi (around 4,600 km), operated within the Wizz Air group, sits in the top band. From a UK airport the top band is GBP 520.

If you want the exact figure for your own route and delay, our flight compensation calculator applies the distance bands for you. For the underlying rules on how the two regimes differ, see UK261 vs EU261: which applies to your Wizz flight.

One important caution on amounts. Article 7(2) lets the airline halve the compensation — for instance EUR 600 down to EUR 300 — but only where it re-routed you and you still arrived within a defined window of the original schedule. EUR 300 is never a standalone statutory amount; it exists only as that 50% reduction. Treat any offer of "EUR 300" with that in mind.

Why a big departure delay can still mean no compensation

Passengers often assume a long wait at the gate automatically triggers a payout. It does not. Because the clock is read at arrival, a flight can leave two or three hours late, make up time in the air or benefit from generous scheduled block time, and still land under three hours behind. In that case no fixed compensation is due under the three-hour rule.

Two things soften this. First, your right to care under Article 9 — meals and refreshments, and a hotel if you are kept overnight — kicks in during the wait itself, at 2, 3 or 4 hours depending on distance, regardless of the eventual arrival time. Second, if you incurred genuine out-of-pocket costs because of the disruption, those may be recoverable as damages, which is a separate matter from the Article 7 fixed sum. Keep the receipts either way.

Conversely, a modest departure delay that snowballs — a missed slot, a diversion, a knock-on connection — can push arrival past three hours and put you back in scope. Always judge it by the arrival, not the departure board.

When Wizz Air can refuse: extraordinary circumstances

Article 5(3) removes the compensation (but never the care) if the airline proves an extraordinary circumstance caused the delay. The burden is on Wizz Air, not on you.

A routine technical fault is not extraordinary — Wallentin-Hermann (C-549/07) and van der Lans (C-257/14) are clear on that. A strike by the airline's own crew is also not extraordinary, so compensation still stands (Airhelp v SAS, C-28/20). Genuinely severe weather and independent air-traffic-control restrictions usually do count as extraordinary. If Wizz Air points to "operational reasons" without evidence, that is not enough.

Note also that Wizz Air operates through several entities — Wizz Air Hungary, Wizz Air Malta, Wizz Air UK and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi. The operating carrier on your specific flight is the one that owes you (Wirth, C-532/17); check your booking to see which one flew you.

Delay, refund and Wizz credit are not the same thing

If a delay tips into a cancellation, or you are simply offered your money back, remember that an Article 8 refund must be paid in money to your original payment method within seven days unless you actively choose a voucher. A WIZZ credit — often dangled at 120% — can never be forced on you, and accepting auto-rebooking to an awkward flight does not wipe out your right to a refund or to compensation. The UK CAA took enforcement action in 2023, with Wizz Air giving undertakings to improve how it pays refunds and EU261 claims and to clear backlogs; that is useful background if a claim stalls. See refund vs WIZZ credit and our guides to delayed and cancelled Wizz flights, or start at the Wizz Air compensation hub.

FAQ

Is the three hours measured from departure or arrival?

Arrival. You compare scheduled and actual arrival at your final destination, taken from when the doors open. A late departure that still lands under three hours behind does not qualify.

My flight left three hours late but landed on time. Can I claim?

Not for the fixed Article 7 sum, because arrival was not delayed. You may still be entitled to care during the wait, and to reimbursement of any extra costs you actually incurred.

Does a connection I missed on one Wizz booking count?

Yes. Under Folkerts, arrival delay at the final destination is what matters, even if the first leg was on time — provided it was a single booking.

How much is a three-hour Wizz delay worth?

EUR 250/400/600 by distance for EU departures, or GBP 220/350/520 for UK departures. Only the distance and departure country decide the band.

Can Wizz Air pay me in vouchers instead?

Not without your agreement. Both the compensation and any Article 8 refund are money entitlements; a WIZZ credit is optional, never mandatory.

Sources

• Regulation (EC) 261/2004, full text: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32004R0261
• UK Civil Aviation Authority, delays and cancellations: https://www.caa.co.uk/passengers/resolving-travel-problems/delays-cancellations/
• European Commission, air passenger rights: https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-rights/air/index_en.htm
• Court of Justice of the EU case law (Sturgeon C-402/07; Folkerts C-11/11): https://curia.europa.eu/

This is general information current as of 2026 and not legal advice; the 2026 EU261 reform is a proposal and not yet in force, so the thresholds and amounts above reflect the law as it currently stands.