Air France passenger rights: delays, cancellations, compensation

Of the last 5310 Air France flights in our data, 76.65% were on time. When a flight isn't, one thing works in passengers' favour: Air France is an EU airline, so almost all of its flights are covered by EC 261, the EU's passenger rights regulation, including those flying into the EU from elsewhere. This page explains your rights, including compensation, if your flight is delayed, cancelled or overbooked, or a late arrival makes you miss a connection, and what you can do if a valid claim is turned down.

How many Air France flights were delayed today?

• Our data indicates that there were 24 Air France flights delayed by more than 3 hours over a 24-hour period.

• 0.31% of domestic flights and 0.50% of international flights were delayed more than 3 hours.

• Passengers who arrive at their destination more than 3 hours late may be entitled to compensation. Check here.

• To find out more about Air France punctuality

Compensation for delayed Air France flight

Even though airlines like Air France strive to keep to their scheduled times, flights can still arrive late. Fortunately, as a traveller, you are protected by airline passenger rights when Air France flights are delayed.

Since Air France is based in the EU, almost all of its flights are protected by EC 261, one of the most comprehensive laws protecting air passenger rights worldwide.

EC Regulation 261 grants passengers the right to seek compensation when they have experienced delayed, cancelled, or overbooked flights that are not their fault.

There are some extraordinary circumstances that may exempt airlines from paying compensation, such as bad weather or problems at the airport. However, if the delay is caused by technical problems or a strike by airline staff, you are likely to be owed compensation under Regulation (EC) No. 261/2004.

In addition, you generally have up to 3 years to file an Air France flight delay compensation claim. All you need to do is enter your flight details and our easy-to-use flight delay compensation calculator will tell you if you are entitled to monetary compensation and our team of experts will be on hand to help you get it.

The 3-hour rule for Air France delays

The baseline for Air France delay compensation under EC 261 is simple: you may be entitled to compensation if you arrive at your final destination 3 hours late or more. What counts is the arrival time, not the departure time, and it is measured against the scheduled arrival at the last airport on your booking, not at the airport where the delay happened.

Below 3 hours there is no compensation under EC 261. You may still be entitled to assistance at the airport, such as meals and refreshments, from 2 hours onwards, and to a refund if the delay exceeds 5 hours and you decide not to travel. For a full breakdown of what you are entitled to after 1, 2, 3 and 5 hours, see our guide to Air France compensation for delayed and cancelled flights.

How many Air France flights were cancelled today?

• Recent data show that 34 Air France flights were cancelled within 24 hours.

• 0.69% of domestic flights and 0.63% of international flights were cancelled.

• Has your flight been cancelled with less than 14 days’ notice? Under EU Regulation EC 261, you may be entitled to up to €600 in compensation from the airline. Check if you’re eligible.

• To learn more about the punctuality of Air France.

Air France flight cancellation compensation

In the event of an Air France flight cancellation, European laws on air passenger rights are clear: Air France must offer you alternative transportation to get to your destination or, if you prefer, a refund.

In addition, if you received a notice regarding cancellation less than 14 days before departure, you may also be able to claim compensation up to €600 per person according to the EC 261 law.

In general, when Air France cancels flights, it will attempt to rebook passengers directly onto another flight at no additional cost. You can request other changes if the alternative flight that is offered does not work for you or if you no longer want to take that trip.

If Air France can book you a new flight that lands at a similar time to your original flight, it is not required to pay any compensation. This is correct, because you will arrive at your destination with minimal disruption to your plans. However, in many cases, passengers whose flights are cancelled at the last minute have the right to file a claim against Air France for compensation.

All this applies unless the flight cancellation was caused by an event beyond the control of Air France, such as bad weather conditions or an accident at the airport. These events are referred to as extraordinary circumstances.

Find out more about your right to compensation for a cancelled flight here.

The EC 261 Regulation grants passengers the right to claim compensation when they have experienced delayed, cancelled or overbooked flights, through no fault of their own. Passengers can also claim previous flights. Often you can still claim flights from the past 3 years.

Which Air France flights are covered by EC Regulation 261?

EC 261 covers flights departing from the EU, as well as flights arriving in the EU when operated by an EU-based airline, as shown in detail in the table below:

EC 261 also applies to flights departing from Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.

If your Air France flight is covered by EC 261, the next question is how much compensation you could be entitled to if your flight was disrupted.

The amount of compensation available under EC 261 depends largely on the distance of the flight, but also on the type of flight – for example, whether it is within the EU or involves travel between the EU and a non-EU country. You can find all the details in the table below:

The compensation amounts in the table are shown in euros, as specified in EC Regulation 261.

The amount of compensation is not linked to the price you paid for your ticket. So, if your flight from Paris to Barcelona was delayed, cancelled or overbooked, you could be entitled to €250 in compensation under EC 261, whether you paid €100 or €500 for your ticket.

The exact compensation you may be entitled to can depend on the circumstances of your individual claim. AirHelp makes it easy to check whether you could be entitled to compensation using our calculator below:

Air France's global hub is Paris-Charles de Gaulle, where it offers connections to nearly 170 destinations. If a delay on your first Air France flight makes you miss your connection, you may still be entitled to compensation, because EC 261 looks at your journey as a whole: what counts is how late you arrive at your final destination, not how late the first flight was.

For the full picture, including what happens when the connection is on a non-EU airline, see our guide to missed connection compensation.

If you are denied boarding because your Air France flight is overbooked, EC 261 entitles you to the same compensation as for a long delay (up to €600 under EC 261 law, depending on the distance), plus rerouting or a refund and assistance while you wait. The one important exception is if you volunteered to give up your seat, for example in exchange for a voucher: in that case, you waive your right to compensation.

Our guide to Air France overbooking compensation explains your rights step by step, and how to reduce the chances of being bumped.

What happens after you file a compensation claim

Filing a claim with an airline should be straightforward, in theory. You submit your details and documents online, then wait for a response. But in our experience it’s often more complicated than that. 

When AirHelp analysed the claims it filed with airlines in 2025 under EC 261 and other relevant air passenger regulations, we found valid claims were initially rejected in 58% of cases!

As an air passenger rights specialist, AirHelp carefully assesses every claim before sending it to the airline to ensure its validity. Even so, the airline may have additional information that means no compensation is actually owed. AirHelp checks every response from the airline too, and this analysis reveals the extent of the problem: airlines accepted less than half of all valid claims in their first response. In fact, 58% of valid claims were either rejected despite being valid or received no response at all.

That figure is an average across all the airlines in our data and is not specific to Air France: our AirHelp Score shows that airlines vary considerably in how they handle claims. The trend, though, is clear, and rising, up from 52% in 2024.

Why are valid claims rejected?

Airlines can refuse compensation when extraordinary circumstances apply, but they sometimes cite them when the evidence does not support it. Among the claims wrongly rejected or ignored:

• 31% received no response at all.

• 25% blamed bad weather, with no record of adverse conditions on the route.

• 11% cited air traffic control restrictions, where there were none.

• 10% failed to give a reason.

Other claims were refused over technical problems or under the airline's own terms and conditions, even though compensation is set by law rather than by an airline's terms.

Where AirHelp is a good option for consumers

Your documents can prove that a flight was delayed, but they usually cannot prove why.

That's where AirHelp's expertise and access to external data make a difference. When an airline rejects a claim, we can check the reason it gave against sources such as:

• Weather records for the airport at the relevant time.

• Air traffic data for the relevant airspace.

• The aircraft's movements earlier that day, to assess whether a knock-on delay could have been avoided.

We also check which passenger rights rules apply. Depending on the route and airline, a claim may fall under EC261, UK law, Brazilian, Turkish or Saudi Arabian regulations, or the Montreal Convention. Each sets its own thresholds, deadlines and standards of proof.

So when an airline says no, that's not necessarily the end of the story. We follow up when an airline doesn't reply, and where a valid claim is still refused we can take it to court. You pay only if we recover your compensation. Here's how to claim Air France compensation, step by step.

Flight statistics: delays and cancellations of Air France

Punctuality of Air France (24 hours):

Total flights: 5310
On-time flights: 4070
Punctuality rate: about 76.65% of all flights were on time
Long delays (greater than 3 hours): 24
Flight cancellations: 34

The number of flights shown is an estimate based on internal and third-party databases.

Track your Air France flight in real time

The figures on this page show how Air France performed over the last 24 hours. If you want to follow a specific flight as it happens, our Air France flight tracker guide explains how to set up live alerts on your phone with the AirHelp app: delays, cancellations and gate changes as they happen, a live map of your aircraft, and an automatic notification if your flight qualifies for compensation. The app also keeps a record of your past flights, which can come in useful if you need to claim later.

When it comes to baggage problems, passengers are in many cases protected by the Montreal Convention, which provides protection in cases of lost, damaged or delayed baggage.

If you experienced a baggage problem during an Air France flight, the Montreal Convention provides that you may:

• Claim reimbursement for reasonable expenses you incurred for essential items because your baggage was delayed.

• If your baggage was lost, claim compensation for the loss, in addition to reimbursement for expenses incurred because of the delay. Baggage is generally not considered lost immediately, as it can take several days before it is declared lost.

• If your baggage was damaged, claim compensation for the reasonable costs of repairing or replacing it.

For more details, visit our guide to Air France lost, delayed and damaged baggage compensation.

Created in 1933 from the merger of several French airlines, Air France has its registered office in Tremblay-en-France and its global hub at Paris-Charles de Gaulle, from where it also connects mainland France with the French overseas departments, including Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion. Air France is one of the founding members of SkyTeam, the alliance it set up in 2000 with Aeroméxico, Delta Air Lines and Korean Air. For practical questions about flying with the airline, from carry-on baggage and check-in to food and Wi-Fi on board, see our Air France travel guide and FAQs.

Air France is part of the Air France-KLM Group, together with KLM and Transavia. To get in touch with Air France itself, our guide on how to contact Air France lists the airline's official channels.