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✈️ Travel and air passenger rights

In case of delay, cancellation or overbooking, air passengers can receive 250, 400 or 600 euros. Reform comes in 2027 at the earliest.

Air passenger rights Flight delay Compensation Cancellation Regulation 261/2004 250 euros 600 euros Reform

In brief

If your flight is badly delayed or cancelled, you can claim compensation. The amount depends on the route: 250, 400 or 600 euros.

  • The basis is EU Regulation 261/2004.
  • You need your booking confirmation and the flight details.
  • Write to the airline first.

An EU reform is under way but does not apply yet. Until then, the existing law applies.

Step by step

  1. Collect proofBooking, boarding pass, actual arrival time, messages from the airline.
  2. Write to the airlineDemand compensation in writing, set a deadline.
  3. Use arbitrationIf rejected: consider the arbitration body for air travel (Schlichtungsstelle für den Luftverkehr) or the universal arbitration body.
  4. Get adviceVerbraucherzentrale.

Deadlines

3 hours
Arrival delay as threshold for compensation (currently and after the reform)Regulation (EC) 261/2004; vzbv on the reform
€250 / €400 / €600
Compensation payment depending on distanceRegulation (EC) 261/2004
expected only in 2027
Entry into force of the reform; publication in the Official Journal was still pending in July 2026EP approval 7 July 2026 (646:12)
Watch out – common mistakes
  • No entitlement in case of extraordinary circumstances (not examined in detail).
  • Reform: the 9-month claim deadline and the airline's 30-day response come only from an Austrian secondary source and are unverified; not yet in force.
  • Limitation in Germany: generally 3 years (§§ 195, 199 BGB, settled BGH case law on Regulation 261/2004).
  • Package holidays (§§ 651a ff. BGB) follow different rules; not covered here.
In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals

Current law

Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 provides for compensation claims in cases of denied boarding, cancellation and long delay. According to information on the current reform plans, the amounts of 250, 400 and 600 euros and the three-hour threshold remain. The full text of the regulation was not retrieved separately; please check details such as exceptions and distance classes on EUR-Lex.

Reform 2026

The European Parliament approved the reform on 7 July 2026 (646:12). According to secondary reports, published in the Official Journal as Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 (2 October 2026), expected to apply from 23 October 2027; citation and details not yet checked against the Official Journal. Until then, Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 applies unchanged. Confirmed by the vzbv: threshold of 3 hours' delay, electronic information within 96 hours. The 9-month claim deadline and the airline's response within 30 days are known only from an Austrian secondary source and are unverified. As long as it has not been published, the existing law applies.

Who is responsible
  • Airline
  • Arbitration body (air travel) / universal arbitration body
  • Verbraucherzentrale
Further reading
Consumer arbitration and court optionsAdvice and contact points

Quick questions

Worum geht es bei „Travel and air passenger rights“?
In case of delay, cancellation or overbooking, air passengers can receive 250, 400 or 600 euros. Reform comes in 2027 at the earliest.
Which deadlines and figures matter?
  • 3 hours: Arrival delay as threshold for compensation (currently and after the reform) (Regulation (EC) 261/2004; vzbv on the reform)
  • €250 / €400 / €600: Compensation payment depending on distance (Regulation (EC) 261/2004)
  • expected only in 2027: Entry into force of the reform; publication in the Official Journal was still pending in July 2026 (EP approval 7 July 2026 (646:12))
What should I do first?
  • Collect proof: Booking, boarding pass, actual arrival time, messages from the airline.
  • Write to the airline: Demand compensation in writing, set a deadline.
  • Use arbitration: If rejected: consider the arbitration body for air travel (Schlichtungsstelle für den Luftverkehr) or the universal arbitration body.
What do I need to watch out for?
  • No entitlement in case of extraordinary circumstances (not examined in detail).
  • Reform: the 9-month claim deadline and the airline's 30-day response come only from an Austrian secondary source and are unverified; not yet in force.
  • Limitation in Germany: generally 3 years (§§ 195, 199 BGB, settled BGH case law on Regulation 261/2004).
Evidence
  • Bundeskanzleramt Österreich, EU-Fluggastrechte werden vereinfacht, präzisiert und gestärkt, retrieved 20 September 2026
  • EUR-Lex, Verordnung (EG) Nr. 261/2004 (search result), retrieved 20 September 2026
  • EUR-Lex, P10_TA(2026)0009 Fluggastrechte (search result), retrieved 20 September 2026
As of

September 2026 · Sources and method

A question about your situation that this page does not answer? Write to us or use the contact form – we will tell you which office is responsible and what to bring. Free of charge, without individual legal advice.