Passenger Rights Overview

Delays below 2 hours usually have to be accepted. A compensation claim or formal assistance rights normally do not arise yet. After about 1 hour, however, it can still make sense to ask the airline for goodwill support.

From 120 minutes, the airline generally has to look after you, for example with snacks, drinks, and communication options. Depending on the situation, this may be provided directly or via vouchers.

From 3 hours arrival delay, flat compensation of 250 to 600 euros may apply. You do not need to prove a concrete financial loss. The loss of time itself may already be enough.

From more than 5 hours delay, you can usually choose between ticket reimbursement, free rebooking to a later time, or onward travel by the next suitable means of transport such as train, bus, or taxi.

After a cancellation, you can generally choose between re-routing to your destination or full ticket reimbursement. Which option is better depends on whether you still want to complete the journey.

You can generally also request a later replacement flight at a time that suits you, provided seats are available. The airline should not simply charge extra for that.

If the cancellation was communicated less than 14 days before departure, flat compensation between 250 and 600 euros may also be in scope. Reasonable replacement transport can still affect the result.

If the airline does not react in time to a demanded rebooking, you can usually set a reasonable deadline. If it expires, you may often arrange replacement yourself and claim extra cost as self-help expenditure.

If you voluntarily surrender your seat in exchange for a voucher, cash, or an upgrade, statutory EU compensation will usually no longer apply. For the full claim, it matters that transport was denied against your will.

You can generally either demand prompt replacement transport or withdraw from the flight and request reimbursement of the ticket price. Compensation may still exist in parallel.

Compensation does not depend on the ticket price, but on flight distance. Depending on the route, 250, 400, or 600 euros may be due. If a very prompt and reasonable replacement is offered, the amount may still be reduced.

During the waiting time, drinks, meals, communication options, and if needed hotel and transfer may become relevant. Ask for written confirmation of the reason and keep records of expenses, vouchers, and communication.

The feeder flight and the onward flight should have been reserved in a single booking flow. In that case, the journey is more likely to be treated as one connected trip. With separate tickets, this link often does not exist.

For multi-segment trips, the key metric is usually the arrival delay at final destination. If you arrive there 3 or more hours late, compensation between 250 and 600 euros may come into scope.

If you miss the onward flight because the feeder flight was delayed, the airline usually has to offer replacement transport to your final destination. This can be another flight, but also another suitable onward-transport option.

After sufficient waiting time, meals and communication options may become due. If the onward flight is moved to the next day, the airline will usually have to provide hotel accommodation and transfer.

If the airline informs you more than 14 days before planned departure, EU flat compensation is usually not available. You do not have to accept a voucher and may often instead demand a refund of the ticket price if you do not want to accept the change.

In this period, compensation usually does not apply if the replacement flight departs no more than 2 hours earlier and reaches the final destination no more than 4 hours later. If the new flight deviates more than that, 250 to 600 euros may come into scope.

If you are informed only 7 days or less before departure, the replacement flight should generally leave no more than 1 hour earlier and arrive at final destination no more than 2 hours later. If those thresholds are exceeded, compensation is often possible.

If the rebooking causes extra costs, for example for transfer, hotel, or a switch to a different airport, keep all receipts. If you are moved to another airport, the airline will usually have to cover the additional transport costs.

If the suitcase does not arrive or arrives damaged, you should have a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) created at the airport immediately. The baggage tag from check-in and photos of the condition of the baggage are especially important.

If baggage arrives late, reasonable expenses for replacement clothing and hygiene items may be recoverable. The key issue is what was truly necessary in the specific travel situation. At your home location, such claims usually do not exist. Keep all receipts.

If a suitcase is damaged, the airline may generally be liable. Compensation is often based on current value; if repair is possible, the airline may also choose repair. Damage to fragile contents can be problematic if they were unsuitable for checked baggage or poorly packed.

If the baggage does not reappear within 21 days, it is usually treated as lost. The focus then shifts to the current value of the suitcase and contents, plus any further provable loss.

For routes up to 1,500 km, the airline generally has to reimburse 30 % of the fare of the affected segment if you are moved to a lower class.

For medium-distance routes, the statutory percentage is usually 50 % of the relevant segment fare.

For long-haul routes, reimbursement can reach 75 %. This is often economically significant where business or premium tickets are affected.

If a ticket contains multiple segments, reimbursement is usually calculated only for the specific segment affected by the downgrade. The airline should generally pay within 7 days.