Routes / DEN–YYC
1,445 km great circle · Up to 1,500 km
Denver DEN to Calgary YYC delay compensation
Denver International Airport to Calgary International Airport is 1,445 km by great circle, United States to Canada. Distance does not change Canada's amounts: $400 to $1,000 with a large airline, by hours late.
- 1Denver DEN
- 2Calgary YYC
- 3Great circle 1,445 km
- 4APPR, 3–6 h $400
Which rules cover DEN–YYC
Denver → Calgary
Whatever the airline, this direction is covered by APPR (the flight arrives in Canada (Canada Transportation Act s. 86.11(1))) and US DOT (the flight departs from the United States (14 CFR 260.2, "covered flight")). If the airline refuses, the complaint goes to the Canadian Transportation Agency for APPR or the US DOT for the refund.
Calgary → Denver
Whatever the airline, this direction is covered by APPR (the flight departs from Canada (Canada Transportation Act s. 86.11(1))) and US DOT (the flight arrives in the United States (14 CFR 260.2, "covered flight")). If the airline refuses, the complaint goes to the Canadian Transportation Agency for APPR or the US DOT for the refund.
What you could be owed by hours late
Arrival delay at YYC (or DEN on the return), for a delay caused by the airline, per passenger, where each rule applies:
| Hours late | APPR large | APPR small | US DOT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours | $0 | $0 | Nothing |
| 3 h 30 min | $400 | $125 | Nothing |
| 4 h 30 min | $400 | $125 | Nothing |
| 6 h 30 min | $700 | $250 | Refund if you decline |
| 9 h 30 min | $1,000 | $500 | Refund if you decline |
Canada's amounts rise with the delay instead, at 6 and 9 hours. The US column is the refund right only: an international itinerary needs 6+ hours.
How Denver DEN runs
In June 2026, 72.4% of reporting airlines' flights arriving at Denver International Airport and 68.5% of those departing were on time (within 15 minutes), against 72.9% and 70.7% across the 30 largest US airports, according to the US DOT's Air Travel Consumer Report. Arrivals here ran below that average. The figures cover all reported flights at the airport, mostly domestic, not this route alone.
The distance and the band
EU261 and UK261 measure distance "by the great circle route method" between the departure airport and the final destination. From the published coordinates of Denver International Airport (39.860027, -104.673792) and Calgary International Airport (51.118822, -114.009933) that is 1,445 km. That is only 55 km below the 1,500 km line between two bands, so this route sits close to a boundary: it is the distance between the two airports that counts, not the longer path the aircraft actually flew. Among the 84 routes on this site in the up to 1,500 km band, it is number 7 by length.
Other routes from Denver International Airport (KDEN) on this site: London (7,497 km), Frankfurt (8,089 km).
Other routes from Calgary International Airport (CYYC) on this site: Vancouver (687 km), Toronto (2,689 km), London (7,014 km).
If DEN–YYC is only one leg of your booking, measure to the final destination instead: a connection that makes you late at the end is compensated over the whole journey's distance.
Help at the airport while you wait
Canada's rules add standards of treatment — food, drink and, overnight, a hotel — when the delay is within the airline's control, including safety-related delays (ss. 11–12). US law sets no meal or hotel duty; the large US airlines' published commitments do, and they are on the airline pages. Keep receipts for anything you buy: it is claimed back separately from any compensation.
Claiming on this route
Claim from the operating airline directly — it costs nothing.
APPR: If the airline refuses or does not answer, file a complaint with the Canadian Transportation Agency.
US DOT: If it refuses, file a complaint with the US Department of Transportation's Aviation Consumer Protection office.
Claim pages of airlines based in United States or Canada (whether they fly this exact route varies by season):
- Air Canada: Flight delays, cancellations and disruptions (Air Canada)
- WestJet: Flight delay and cancellation claims (WestJet)
- Porter Airlines: Flight Delay Compensation (Porter)
- Air Transat: Claim for flight disruption (Air Transat)
- Flair Airlines: Compensation requests (Flair)
US airlines' dashboard commitments: Alaska Airlines · Allegiant Air · American Airlines · Delta Air Lines · Frontier Airlines · JetBlue Airways · Southwest Airlines · United Airlines.
Airport coordinates: OurAirports airport page (KDEN); OurAirports country file (CA). US airport on-time rates: US DOT Air Travel Consumer Report, August 2026 (June 2026 data), Tables 3 and 4. Rules: Air Passenger Protection Regulations, SOR/2019-150 (Justice Laws); 14 CFR 260.2 (eCFR). Checked 2026-10-21. General information, not legal advice.