Air travel: delayed flight
Verified 06 February 2026 - Public Service / (Prime Minister)
Your flight is delayed (or has been delayed) and you want to know if you can be compensated ? 2 types from offsetting exist: compensation lump sum provided for by European rules in the event of significant delay and compensation individualized for the harm undergone, which is possible in some cases. Is it up to you to request it or is it paid automatically? We explain your rights and your procedures.
Criterion | Lump-sum compensation: European rule | Individualized compensation: Montreal Convention |
|---|---|---|
Company concerned | All airlines of l' and those operating from the UE | All airlines of countries that have signed the convention |
Flight concerned | Flights departing from the UE and flights arriving in the UE operated by a European airline | All international flights in countries that have signed the convention and domestic flights in the UE |
Person concerned | All passengers with a confirmed reservation and present at boarding | All passengers, regardless of company or destination |
Condition of application | Delay of at least 2 hours or more on arrival for a flight of at least 1,500 km | Any delay that has caused harm to the passenger |
Assistance | Meals, refreshments, accommodation if necessary, transport to the airport | No automatic assistance, but possibility of reimbursement if damage is proven |
Compensation | Flat rate:
| Amount varies according to the damage proven (expenses incurred, loss of appointment, hotel night,...)) |
Procedure to be carried out | Complaint to the airline (form, mail) | Justify the damage (invoices, certificates) and make a claim with the company |
Remedies in case of dispute | Since February 6, 2026, mandatory mediation before any legal action, regardless of the date of the flight, unless a claim has already been made before August 5, 2025 or if the theft dates back more than 4 years before February 5, 2026. In case of failure, legal action by assignment. | Since February 6, 2026, if the action is brought before a french court, prior mediation is mandatory unless a claim has already been made before August 5, 2025 or if the theft dates back more than 4 years. Then you can take legal action by assignment. If the competent court is in a other country, you may bring your claim before the court designated by international rules (e.g. the place of residence of the company, its principal place of business, the place of conclusion of the contract or the place of destination of the flight). |
Can the 2 compensation payments be cumulated? | Yes, but only if additional damage is demonstrated (e.g. costs not covered by the lump sum compensation) | Yes, provided that a separate damage from the lump sum compensation is justified (such as a specific financial loss or additional costs related to the delay) |
Lump-sum compensation
A passenger with a valid ticket and a confirmed reservation is entitled to compensation in the event of a flight delay.
He must have attended check-in at the time required by the company.
You can receive assistance, and in some cases compensation, if your flight meets certain conditions.
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Departure from France
The flight is concerned, regardless of the company.
Compensation applies even in the event of a stopover or transfer.
Flights between the metropolis and Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Réunion, Mayotte or the French part of the island of Saint Martin are concerned.
The company owes you assistance if the flight delay is significant.
This delay must be at least:
- 2 hours for a flight of 1,500 km or less
- 3 hours for a flight of more than 1,500 km in l'' (UE) or for a flight between 1,500 and 3,500 off-UE km
- 4 hours for a flight of more than 3,500 km off UE.
Arrival in France
Departure from a country in Iceland, Norway or Switzerland
If you come from a European country (Norway, Iceland or Switzerland), the flight is concerned, regardless of the company.
Assistance applies even in the event of a stopover or transfer.
Flights between the metropolis and Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Réunion, Mayotte or the French part of the island of Saint Martin are concerned.
The company owes you assistance if the flight delay is significant.
This delay must be at least:
- 2 hours for a flight of 1,500 km or less
- 3 hours for a flight of more than 1,500 km in l'' (UE) or for a flight between 1,500 and 3,500 off-UE km
- 4 hours for a flight of more than 3,500 km off UE.
Departure from another country
Flight with a European airline to an airport in Iceland, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland
The flight is concerned if you fill in the 2 conditions following:
- You are traveling with a l'
- Your flight is to an airport located in the, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland.
Assistance applies even in the event of a stopover or transfer to another country.
Example :
If you take off from the United Kingdom, you are covered by the compensation on the double condition of using a European carrier and landing in a member country of the.
The company owes you assistance if the flight delay is significant.
This delay must be at least:
- 2 hours for a flight of 1,500 km or less
- 3 hours for a flight of more than 1,500 km in l'' (UE) or for a flight between 1,500 and 3,500 off-UE km
- 4 hours for a flight of more than 3,500 km off UE.
The obligation lies with the airline operating the flight.
This is the case if she sold you your ticket directly.
This is also the case if you bought it from an intermediary (travel agency for example).
FYI
Specific rules apply if you're on a tour package (also called package holiday).
If you are entitled to assistance, the company must take charge for free pending the next flight the following services:
- Refreshments
- Restoration
- 2 communications (phone calls, SMS, emails)
- Hotel and transfer fees between the hotel and the airport if the departure cannot take place before the next day.
Please note
If care is not provided, the company will reimburse you for the costs that you have advanced. Keep all receipts to justify them.
If your flight arrives with 3 hours or more late compared to the scheduled arrival time, you can be compensated.
The allowance shall be one of the following amounts:
- €250 for a flight of 1,500 km or less
- €400 for a flight of more than 1,500 km in l'' (UE)
- €400 for a flight between 1,500 and 3,500 off-UE km
- €600 for a flight of more than 3,500 km off UE.
Compensation can be reduced in case of reroutingunder certain conditions.
However, you are not entitled to compensation in the following cases:
- You're giving up your trip
- You missed a connecting flight due to security delays
- You did not respect the boarding time of the flight.
Warning
Compensation is not due if the delay is due to a exceptional circumstance (health crisis, weather conditions, air traffic controllers strike for example). However, you can be compensated in the event of a strike by company personnel.
You can make yourself refund your ticket only if you fill in the 2 conditions following:
- The delay is at least 5 hours
- You're giving up your trip.
If the delay of 5 hours concerns your connection, you can get the refund of the return flight to your departure point.
To be compensated, address the carrier a written claim for compensation. It is advisable to send it in RAR: titleContent.
One letter template is available:
Ask your airline for compensation in the event of a significant flight delay
FYI
You have 5 years to claim your compensation.
Compensation must be paid by bank transfer, check or cash.
You can request in writing to benefit from it in the form of travel vouchers or other services.
If the airline refuses to compensate you or does not respond to your claim within 2 months, you must follow the following steps:
1Contact the tourism and travel mediator
Since February 6, 2026, any claim for compensation relating to a delay, cancelation or denied boarding shall, if judicial review is contemplated, go through a prior mediation with the tourism and travel mediator :
Seize the mediator Tourism and Travel
Mediation aims to find an amicable solution with the airline.
Warning
Mediation is not not required in the following cases
- You have already made a claim before August 5, 2025
- The claim relates to a flight dating back more than 4 years before February 5, 2026
- The claim was made between 6 August 2025 and 5 February 2026 (transitional period).
2Bringing the matter before the court
If the mediation does not succeed, you can enter the court to obtain compensation.
Who shall I contact
The referral to the court is made only by assignment.
Only one assignment may concern all members of the same family.
Reminder
Without prior mediation (where mandatory), the judicial request will be inadmissible.
3Possibility to report the dispute to the Civil Aviation Directorate (DGAC)
In addition to mediation and legal action, you can also make a reporting to the DGAC.
You can report a denial of compensation or non-compliant practices of the airline.
Report to the DGAC a dispute following denied boarding, a delay or a flight cancelation
This report does not replace mediation.
FYI
You must attach a copy of your supporting documents.
Yes, if you have suffered specific financial losses (hotel, missed connection, expenses incurred,...), you can request additional compensation through the Montreal Convention, in addition to the lump sum compensation.
Example :
You arrive 4 hours late and miss a connecting flight, which requires you to spend a night in a hotel and buy a new ticket. You can:
- Perceive €600 (European flat-rate compensation for long-haul flights)
- Be reimbursed for hotel fees and the new ticket (via the Montreal Convention), with supporting documents).
Individualized compensation
Yes, in addition to the European rules that provide compensation for flight delays, there is another possibility of compensation for international flights, whether they leave or arrive from France. This possibility may also apply to domestic flights within Europe.
Compensation can be claimed even if the delay is less than 3 hours. It also concerns damage to passengers' luggage or health.
It allows passengers to claim compensation if a flight delay causes them a proven financial harm (example: loss of a non-refundable reservation, additional costs incurred by the delay).
However, this compensation is not automatic. The passenger must prove its damage.
The airline must compensate the passenger unless it proves that the delay is due to exceptional circumstances (e.g. climatic reasons) or that it has taken all necessary measures to avoid the delay.
A passenger with a valid ticket and a confirmed reservation is entitled to compensation in the event of a flight delay.
He must have attended check-in at the time required by the company.
The airlines that have to comply with these rules are the ones that have just countries that have signed an international agreement on this subject. This also includes European airlines, which are subject to it for their international flights. In addition, a European regulation extends these provisions to flights within the EU.
Contrary to the European regulation, no minimum delay is required.
You can be compensated if you prove that the delay caused you a actual harm (financial loss, expenses,...). incurred
The airline has no automatic obligation to provide assistance.
However, if you incur expenses (meals, accommodation, transportation), you can request a refund as long as you justify your costs.
The amount of compensation depends on the harm you have suffered and must be proven (invoices, certificates,...).)
There is no fixed ceiling, but the agreement provides for a maximum limit of about €7,800for a delay that has caused material harm.
It is important to gather all the necessary evidence: your ticket, your boarding pass, and all the supporting documents for additional expenses (hotel bills, catering, transport, cancelation of reservation,...).)
You must submit a written complaint to the airline stating the date and number of the flight, the duration of the delay and the damage suffered, attaching the supporting documents.
FYI
You have 2 years from arrival at destination or the day the plane should have arrived or the stopping of transport, to claim your compensation.
If you do not get a response or if your request is refused within 2 months, you can try mediation, contact the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) or go to a competent court.
If the airline has signed Charter of Mediation, you can refer the matter to the mediator Tourism and Travel Signatories of the Charter Mediation Tourism and Travelin the following cases
- Refusal to compensate you
- No response within 2 months.
You can check if the company has signed the charter and referred the matter to the mediator:
Seize the mediator Tourism and Travel
Warning
Since February 6, 2026, if your action is brought before a french court, mediation is mandatory unless a claim has already been made before august 5, 2025, or the flight is more than 4 years old, or your claim falls within the transitional period from august 6, 2025 to february 5, 2026. If the competent court is located abroad, mediation is not required, and the action shall be conducted in accordance with the rules of the court concerned.
If the company refuses to compensate you, or if you find that this compensation is insufficient, you can refer the matter to the court.
Who shall I contact
You can also make a reporting from the Civil Aviation Directorate (DGAC):
Report to the DGAC a dispute following denied boarding, a delay or a flight cancelation
FYI
You must attach a copy of your supporting documents.
The compensation provided for by the Montreal Convention does not nullify that of the European regulation.
However, the total amount received must not lead to double compensation for the same damage.
If you receive the European lump sum compensation, you can claim additional compensation under the Montreal Convention, but only if you justify a separate damage (additional actual costs).
Example :
You arrive 4 hours late on a New York-Paris flight. You can claim a European lump sum compensation of €600. If this delay has caused you a financial loss (hotel reservation, missed appointment resulting in loss of income,...), you can also get compensation through the Montreal Convention.
Who can help me?
Find who can answer your questions in your region
To make a report following a denial of compensation or a lack of information from an airline
By post
Civil Aviation Directorate
50 Henry Farman Street
75720 Paris Cedex 15
By phone
01 58 09 43 21
For information on compensation and assistance under European regulations and the Montreal Convention
Are you having a problem following a purchase? Do you have a question about a point of law before buying or ordering?
You can get an answer from an agent of the DGCCRF: titleContent by calling the 0809,540,550.
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