From the regulations · checked 2026-10-20
Is your late flight owed compensation?
Pick the airports, the airline and what happened. The checker measures the great-circle distance, names every rule that covers the trip, and shows what each one sets, from €250 to €600 under EU261 and nothing at all for a US delay.
Result
LHR → JFK: 5,540 km great circle.
Applies because the flight departs from the UK (Article 3(1)(a)), whatever the airline. 4 h 30 min late on a 5,540 km flight (over 3,500 km): £520 per passenger.
Applies because the flight arrives in the United States (14 CFR 260.2, "covered flight"). No federal cash for a delay, and under 6 hours (international) it is not a significant change for a refund. The airline's own dashboard commitments may still apply.
Distances use the airports' published coordinates. Only the 36 airports on this site are listed; the distance guide shows how to measure any other pair.
- 1Cash starts at 3 h late
- 2EU261 top band €600
- 3Canada, 9 h+ $1,000
- 4US delay cash None by law
The four rule sets at a glance
| Rule | Covers | Cash for a delay starts | Amounts | Claim within |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EU261 | Flights leaving the EU; into the EU on an EU airline | 3 hours late | €250–€600 | National law |
| UK261 | Flights leaving the UK; into the UK on a UK or EU airline | 3 hours late | £220–£520 | 6 years (England and Wales) |
| APPR | Flights to, from and within Canada | 3 hours late | $125–$1,000 | 1 year |
| US DOT | Flights to, from and within the US | Never: refund only | Refund; bumping up to $2,150 | No set deadline |
The amounts are fixed sums per passenger, not a share of the fare: a €250 EU261 payment is the same on a cheap ticket as on a full-fare one. Distance decides the EU and UK band and is measured as a great circle between the departure airport and the final destination (Article 7(4)). Canada's amounts go by hours late and by airline size instead, and the US pays nothing for a delay itself: what US law gives is a refund once a delay reaches 3 hours on a domestic itinerary or 6 on an international one, and you choose not to fly.
How the checker decides
Which rules apply depends on where the flight leaves from and who operates it. EU261 covers every departure from an EU airport, plus flights into the EU on an EU-licensed airline. UK261 is the same text in UK law, with the UK in place of the EU, and it also covers UK and EU airlines flying into the UK. Canada's rules cover any flight to, from or within Canada. The US rules cover scheduled flights to, from or within the US. One trip can sit under two of them — London to Toronto on a UK airline is covered by UK261 and by Canada's rules — and the checker shows each, with a note on why you are paid once.
How much comes from the rule's own table. Under EU261 and UK261 a delay counts at the final destination, and compensation starts at 3 hours late (the Court of Justice's Sturgeon ruling). On flights over 3,500 km between the EU and elsewhere, 3 to 4 hours late pays the reduced €300 (£260 under UK261). A cancellation pays unless you were told at least 14 days ahead or re-routed within the regulation's windows, and the airline can halve it if the replacement lands within 2, 3 or 4 hours of the original time, depending on distance. Under Canada's rules the money goes up at 3, 6 and 9 hours late.
The cause matters. None of the rules pays for events outside the airline's control — weather, air traffic control restrictions, security — though meals, a hotel and a seat on the next flight are still owed under the EU, UK and Canadian rules. A technical fault is the airline's own problem unless it comes from outside its normal operations (CJEU, Joined Cases C-402/07 and C-432/07 Sturgeon (19 Nov 2009)).
Browse
By rule
By route
LHR–JFK · LHR–LAX · LHR–YYZ · LHR–DXB · LHR–BOS · LHR–DUB · LHR–CDG · LHR–FRA · LHR–AMS · LGW–BCN · MAN–AGP · MAN–TFS · EDI–AMS · LGW–FAO · LHR–ATH · LHR–HEL · LHR–EDI · LHR–GLA · CDG–NCE · MAD–BCN · FRA–MUC · AMS–BCN · BER–PMI · FCO–ATH · HEL–TFS · LIS–HEL · DUB–FAO · MAD–TFS · CDG–ATH · CDG–JFK · FRA–JFK · AMS–JFK · MAD–MIA · FCO–JFK · DUB–BOS · LIS–EWR · CDG–YUL · MUC–YYZ · AMS–DXB · CDG–CUN · AMS–SFO · YYZ–YVR · YUL–YYZ · YYZ–JFK · YVR–LAX · YYZ–CUN · YYC–YVR · JFK–LAX · ORD–ATL · BOS–MIA · SFO–ORD · JFK–CUN · LAX–CUN
US airlines' own promises
Alaska Airlines · Allegiant Air · American Airlines · Delta Air Lines · Frontier Airlines · JetBlue Airways · Southwest Airlines · United Airlines — and the claim pages of 19 European and Canadian airlines.
Guides
- Claim Flight Compensation Yourself or Use a Claim Company?
- Extraordinary Circumstances: When Airlines Don't Pay
- How Far Back Can You Claim Flight Delay Compensation?
- How Flight Distance Is Measured for EU261 and UK261
- US Flight Delay Rights: Refunds, Not Compensation
Sources: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (EUR-Lex), UK Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, Article 7 (legislation.gov.uk), Air Passenger Protection Regulations, SOR/2019-150 (Justice Laws), 14 CFR 260.2 (eCFR). Checked 2026-10-20. This is general information, not legal advice.