Use the template below when your flight may be covered by EU261 or UK261. A passenger who reaches the final destination at least three hours late may be entitled to fixed compensation of €250, €400, or €600 per person if the delay was not caused by an extraordinary circumstance.

EU261 and UK261 don't apply to every flight. For a U.S. traveler, eligibility depends mainly on the route and the airline that operated the flight, not citizenship. An ordinary domestic U.S. delay usually isn't an EU261 or UK261 claim.

Quick answer

A useful claim should state:

• The operating airline, flight number, travel date, and complete route
• The booking reference and every affected passenger
• The scheduled and actual arrival times at the final destination
• The arrival delay and applicable distance category
• A request for compensation under EU261 or UK261 Article 7
• The documents supporting your timeline, such as the booking confirmation and boarding passes

Don't present €600 as automatic. The amount depends on the covered route, the arrival delay, whether the airline rerouted you, and the reason for the disruption.

Before sending the claim, verify four details: the operating carrier, the rule that covers the route, the arrival time at the final destination, and the stated cause of the delay.

Which rule applies to your flight?

The departure airport and operating carrier determine whether EU261 or UK261 applies.

A codeshare may display one airline's brand even though another carrier operates the aircraft. Send a compensation claim to the carrier that actually operated the delayed flight.

Examples:

• A Qatar Airways flight from Paris to Doha can fall under EU261 because it departed the EU.
• A Qatar Airways flight from London to Doha can fall under UK261 because it departed the UK.
• A Qatar Airways flight from Doha to London generally isn't covered by EU261 or UK261 merely because it arrived in Europe or the UK.
• A U.S. traveler on a New York-to-Paris flight may be covered if the operating carrier is an EU airline. A Paris-to-New York flight generally falls under EU261 because it departed the EU, regardless of the airline.

Review the route and exceptions in Your Europe's air passenger rights guidance before filing.

How much compensation can you claim?

The standard EU261 amounts are calculated per passenger:

The possible 50% reduction relates to qualifying rerouting. A four-hour delay by itself doesn't automatically reduce a €600 claim.

UK261 has a broadly similar distance structure but uses fixed pound amounts. Use the UK261 amount stated by the airline or relevant UK claim process instead of converting the EU figures yourself.

Fixed compensation is based on the covered route and arrival delay, not on the ticket price.

When is a delayed flight eligible?

You have a stronger EU261 or UK261 claim when these conditions fit:

1. The flight is covered by the applicable rule. The departure airport and operating carrier matter.
2. You had a confirmed reservation and followed the airline's check-in requirements.
3. You reached the final destination at least three hours after the scheduled arrival time. The relevant delay is normally measured at the end of the journey, not only when the aircraft left.
4. The delay wasn't caused by an extraordinary circumstance.
5. You haven't accepted a settlement that resolves the claim. Read the terms of any voucher, payment, or release before accepting it.

For a connection booked as one journey, use the delay at the final destination on that reservation. A missed connection can therefore support a claim even when the first flight's delay was shorter than three hours. Separate tickets are usually assessed as separate journeys, so an independently booked onward flight may not be included.

The airline may also owe you care during a long wait even when fixed compensation isn't payable. Care and fixed compensation are separate rights.

What counts as an extraordinary circumstance?

The cause of the delay matters. Severe weather, air traffic-control restrictions, and some strikes by airport or air-traffic-control staff may be outside the airline's control. The specific event and its effect on your flight still matter, so don't assume that every disruption described as a strike or weather problem qualifies.

Routine airline operations aren't automatically extraordinary. The official EU passenger-rights FAQ says that a technical defect caused by a failure to correctly maintain an aircraft cannot be treated as an extraordinary circumstance.

If the airline gives a generic reason such as "operational reasons" or "bad weather," ask it to identify:

• The specific event
• How the event affected your flight
• Whether it affected the aircraft, airport, airspace, or crew
• What reasonable steps the airline took to avoid or reduce the delay

A flight-tracker screenshot can support your timeline, but it doesn't by itself determine whether the legal exception applies.

Flight delay complaint email template

Replace the bracketed text and remove anything that doesn't apply. Send the claim to the airline that operated the delayed flight, preferably through its official compensation or customer-service form.

Subject: EU261/UK261 compensation claim - [Flight] - [Date] - [Booking reference]

Dear [Operating airline] Claims Team,

I am requesting fixed compensation under [EU261 or UK261] Article 7 for the delayed journey described below.

Operating airline: [Airline]
Flight number: [Flight number]
Date of travel: [DD Month YYYY]
Booking reference: [Reference]
Passenger or passengers: [Full names]
Route: [Origin] to [Final destination]
Scheduled arrival at final destination: [Date and local time]
Actual arrival at final destination: [Date and local time]
Arrival delay: [Hours and minutes]
Distance category: [Applicable category]
Amount requested: [Currency and amount] per passenger
Total requested: [Currency and total amount]

I had a confirmed reservation and complied with the applicable check-in requirements. The journey reached its final destination at least three hours after the scheduled arrival time. Based on the route and the information available to me, I request the compensation stated above.

If you consider that an extraordinary circumstance applies, please identify the specific event, explain how it affected this flight, and explain the measures taken to avoid or reduce the delay.

Please confirm receipt of this claim and provide secure instructions for payment or any further information you require. I have attached the booking confirmation, boarding passes, and available delay records.

This request for fixed compensation is separate from any request for reimbursement of reasonable food, hotel, or transport expenses.

Kind regards,

[Full name]
[Postal address, if required]
[Email address]
[Telephone number]

Don't include a full card number, account password, or bank details in an ordinary email. If the airline needs payment information, provide it through a verified claim portal or the airline's secure instructions.

Add reasonable care expenses to the claim

EU261 and UK261 fixed compensation is different from reimbursement for necessary care. Depending on the route and waiting time, the airline may need to offer food, drinks, communications, and, when an overnight stay is necessary, hotel accommodation and transport.

The assistance thresholds commonly begin at:

• Two hours for flights up to 1,500 km
• Three hours for flights over 1,500 km within the EU and other flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km
• Four hours for longer flights

If the airline didn't provide reasonable care, add this paragraph and attach itemized receipts:

I also request reimbursement of the following reasonable expenses incurred because the required care was not provided:

Date and expense: [Meal, hotel, or transport]
Amount: [Currency and amount]
Reason: [Brief explanation]

Receipts are attached. Please reimburse these expenses separately from the fixed compensation claim.

Keep purchases modest and connected to the delay. A receipt alone doesn't guarantee reimbursement if the expense was unnecessary or disproportionate.

If the departure delay reaches at least five hours and you decide not to travel, you may be able to choose reimbursement instead of taking the flight. That refund choice is separate from fixed delay compensation and can affect what you claim afterward.

Before you send the email

Use this checklist:

1. Find the operating carrier. Check the boarding pass, itinerary, or flight-status record rather than relying only on the logo of the company that sold the ticket.
2. Confirm the final arrival time. Use the airline's message, an airport record, or another reliable record. For a single-booking connection, record the arrival at the final destination.
3. Check the jurisdiction. Confirm whether the flight departed the EU or UK, or whether an inbound flight was operated by an EU or UK carrier.
4. Work out the distance band. If you're unsure, state the complete route and ask the airline to confirm its calculation.
5. List each passenger. Include the requested amount for each person. If you're claiming for another adult, check whether the airline requires written authority.
6. Collect evidence. Save the booking confirmation, boarding passes, rebooking notices, airline emails, delay alerts, photographs of airport notices, and receipts for reasonable expenses.
7. Use an official channel. Open the airline's website directly, then save the claim reference or confirmation screen.
8. Keep a copy. Store the claim, attachments, delivery record, and every response in one folder.

A 14-day or 28-day response period isn't a universal EU261 or UK261 payment deadline. You can request a response by a reasonable date, but don't describe that date as a guaranteed statutory deadline.

How to challenge a denial

If the airline denies the claim, reply in the same case thread and keep the response factual:

Subject: Reconsideration requested - [Claim reference] - [Flight and date]

Dear [Airline],

Thank you for your response. I ask you to reconsider the denial of my EU261/UK261 claim.

Please identify the specific extraordinary circumstance relied on, explain how it affected flight [number] on [date], and provide the basis for concluding that reasonable measures could not have avoided or reduced the delay.

The records available to me show an arrival delay of [time] at the final destination. I therefore maintain my request for [amount] per passenger.

Please send your final position and retain this message under claim reference [reference].

Kind regards,

[Name]

A general reference to "weather" doesn't explain whether the weather affected your flight or whether the airline was dealing with an earlier disruption. Ask for those details. If the issue was a routine maintenance failure, you can refer to the position in Your Europe's delay FAQ, but avoid claiming that every technical problem has the same legal outcome.

Escalation if the airline doesn't pay

Start with the operating airline. If it rejects the claim or doesn't provide a meaningful response:

• Find the relevant national enforcement body through the Your Europe passenger-rights information.
• Follow the complaint or alternative-dispute-resolution route identified by the airline for a UK261 claim.
• If you live in an EU or EEA country and the dispute is cross-border, check whether the European Consumer Centres Network flight-rights service can assist.
• Remember that an enforcement authority may examine regulatory compliance without recovering civil compensation for you. A court or approved dispute-resolution process may be needed to obtain payment.
• Check the limitation period that applies to your claim. Deadlines differ by country, so don't assume that a two-year or six-year period applies everywhere.

If the airline offers a voucher, compare its value and conditions with the cash compensation you're claiming. Don't accept wording that says the payment is full and final unless you understand what rights you're giving up.

Claims that need a different email

Cancellation

A cancellation may involve a choice between reimbursement and rerouting, plus possible compensation. The result depends on when you were told, the alternative flight offered, and the reason for the cancellation. Use a cancellation-specific claim instead of describing a cancellation as an ordinary delay.

Missed connection

Mention the booking reference and final destination. State clearly that the flights were on one reservation if that is true. Don't combine separate tickets into one claim without explaining how the tickets were issued.

Baggage delay

Baggage expenses follow a separate process. Use the airline's baggage claim route and attach the property irregularity report and receipts. The EU261 delay email above isn't a substitute for that claim.

Frequently asked questions

Is the three-hour test based on departure or arrival?

For fixed delay compensation, the key test is generally arrival at the final destination. A flight that left three hours late may not qualify if it made up enough time to arrive less than three hours late.

Can I claim if the delay was caused by bad weather?

Usually, an extraordinary weather event can remove the right to fixed compensation. You may still have rights to care, rerouting, or reimbursement under the applicable passenger-rights rules. Ask the airline for the specific cause rather than relying on a generic explanation.

Does my nationality affect eligibility?

No. The route and operating carrier usually matter more than nationality. A U.S. citizen can make an EU261 or UK261 claim when the itinerary meets the relevant coverage rules.

Does a Qatar Airways delay always qualify for €600?

No. A Qatar Airways flight departing the EU can fall under EU261, and one departing the UK can fall under UK261. A Qatar-operated flight from outside the EU or UK generally isn't covered solely because it lands there. The distance category, arrival delay, rerouting, and cause still determine whether compensation is payable and how much.

How long should I wait for an airline response?

There isn't one universal 14-day or 28-day response rule for every EU261 or UK261 claim. Follow up using your case number, then use the applicable enforcement, ADR, consumer-assistance, or court route if the airline refuses to resolve the matter.

Run the route, operating-carrier, final-arrival, and cause checks before submitting the template through the airline's official claim channel.