Delay Payout

Airports / LAX

Los Angeles International Airport · Los Angeles, United States · 11 routes on this site

Los Angeles LAX delay compensation

Every flight leaving Los Angeles International Airport is covered by US DOT, whatever the airline — which for a delay means a refund right, not cash. On this site it connects to 11 destinations in 9 countries, from 1,741 km to 9,616 km.

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  1. 1LAX routes here 11
  2. 2Countries reached 9
  3. 3Longest 9,616 km
  4. 4Shortest 1,741 km
Rules on a departure
US DOT
Destinations here
11
Longest route
MUC · 9,616 km
On time, June 2026
74.5%
MUC · long-haul9,616 kmMAD · long-haul9,385 kmFRA · long-haul9,322 kmCDG · long-haul9,103 kmAMS · long-haul8,956 kmLHR · long-haul8,760 kmDUB · long-haul8,318 kmJFK · long-haul3,974 kmYYZ · medium-haul3,494 kmCUN · medium-haul3,407 kmYVR · medium-haul1,741 km
Great-circle distance from LAX to each destination on this site. Bars to scale from zero.

Which rules cover a flight at LAX

Leaving LAX. US DOT applies to every departure on this site's routes from here, whichever airline is operating. EU261, UK261 reach some of them as well, depending on where the flight is going or who operates it.

Arriving at LAX. Coming the other way the rules do not line up with the airport, so this is by route: US DOT covers every one of the 11 inbound flights here, whatever the airline; EU261 covers 6 of the 11, whatever the airline; APPR covers 2 of the 11, whatever the airline; UK261 covers 1 of the 11, whatever the airline; nothing else reaches an arrival here.

The trap on an inbound flight is that EU261 and UK261 follow the airline when the flight is arriving from outside, while they follow the airport on the way out — so a return leg can be uncovered when the outbound one was covered, or covered for a reason that has nothing to do with LAX. A claim is judged on the flight you were actually on. Each route page below sets out both directions.

What that pays, by distance from LAX

Under the EU and UK rules the amount is set by the great-circle distance to the final destination, not by the fare. From LAX the routes here fall into 2 bands: 8 over 3,500 km, 3 1,500 to 3,500 km. Compensation starts once you arrive 3 hours late at the final destination. On a flight over 3,500 km, the first hour band is reduced: €300 under EU261 and £260 under UK261 for 3 to 4 hours late, the full amount from 4 hours. US law pays nothing for the delay itself; what it 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 travel.

Flight out of LAX toDistanceBandWhat covers that flight, and what it pays
Munich MUC9,616 kmOver 3,500 kmUS DOT Refund only; EU261 €300 then €600 (only on an EU airline); UK261 £260 then £520 (only on a UK airline)
Madrid MAD9,385 kmOver 3,500 kmUS DOT Refund only; EU261 €300 then €600 (only on an EU airline); UK261 £260 then £520 (only on a UK airline)
Frankfurt FRA9,322 kmOver 3,500 kmUS DOT Refund only; EU261 €300 then €600 (only on an EU airline); UK261 £260 then £520 (only on a UK airline)
Paris CDG9,103 kmOver 3,500 kmUS DOT Refund only; EU261 €300 then €600 (only on an EU airline); UK261 £260 then £520 (only on a UK airline)
Amsterdam AMS8,956 kmOver 3,500 kmUS DOT Refund only; EU261 €300 then €600 (only on an EU airline); UK261 £260 then £520 (only on a UK airline)
London LHR8,760 kmOver 3,500 kmUS DOT Refund only; UK261 £260 then £520 (only on an EU airline or a UK airline)
Dublin DUB8,318 kmOver 3,500 kmUS DOT Refund only; EU261 €300 then €600 (only on an EU airline); UK261 £260 then £520 (only on a UK airline)
New York JFK3,974 kmOver 3,500 kmUS DOT Refund only
Toronto YYZ3,494 km1,500 to 3,500 kmAPPR $400–$1,000; US DOT Refund only
Cancún CUN3,407 km1,500 to 3,500 kmUS DOT Refund only
Vancouver YVR1,741 km1,500 to 3,500 kmAPPR $400–$1,000; US DOT Refund only

Amounts are per passenger for a delay the airline is responsible for, read off the rule's own table at this distance. Where two are shown, the first is for arriving 3 to 4 hours late and the second from 4 hours — the reduction the EU and UK rules apply over 3,500 km. This column is the flight out of LAX; the return can be covered by something else, and each route page sets out both directions.

How LAX runs

The US Department of Transportation publishes on-time rates for the 30 largest US airports in its Air Travel Consumer Report. At Los Angeles International Airport, 74.5% of departures and 74.9% of arrivals were on time in June 2026. The DOT counts a flight as on time when it runs within 15 minutes of schedule.

A poor on-time rate does not by itself create a claim here: US law sets no compensation for a delay, whatever the airport's record. It matters for the refund right and for the airline's own published commitments, which are on the airline pages.

If the airline says no

A US complaint goes to the Department of Transportation rather than to a compensation body, because there is no delay compensation under US law to enforce. What the DOT does enforce is the refund right and the denied-boarding payments, set out on the US DOT page. Whichever body it is, it is the second step: write to the operating airline first, keep the reply, and claim for free — the fee comparison shows what a claim company would take out of the same payment.

Related

Sources: coordinates from Wikipedia: Los Angeles International Airport (infobox coordinates), checked 2026-10-20; US DOT Air Travel Consumer Report, August 2026 (June 2026 data), Tables 3 and 4; amounts and thresholds from Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, its UK version, SOR/2019-150 and 14 CFR Part 260, checked 2026-10-20. General information, not legal advice.