Flight disrupted? Check what you’re owed with our flight compensation calculator

Flight disruptions can transform a routine travel itinerary into a frustrating and costly situation, particularly when travellers are left waiting at airports for hours. Under European law, you may be entitled to compensation when your flight is delayed, cancelled or you are denied boarding. A flight compensation calculator will help you find out how much you could claim.

Understanding how EC 261 compensation is calculated will help you enforce your passenger rights effectively. AirHelp’s flight compensation calculator lets you check your eligibility within minutes, find out how much compensation you may be entitled to and pursue your claim.

A flight compensation calculator helps you estimate your potential payout. It takes into account the following information:

• Route and distance: calculates the distance between your origin and final destination to determine your compensation.

• Disruption severity: evaluates whether your flight was delayed by 3 hours or more at final arrival, cancelled at short notice or affected by involuntary denied boarding (e.g. due to overbooking).

• Flight data: a key part of the calculator is having access to historical data. At AirHelp we verify claim eligibility by cross-referencing flight arrival times with weather, airport and strike reports.

Is my flight eligible for compensation?

Under EC 261 regulations, eligibility for monetary compensation depends on specific legal criteria regarding your flight route, airline and the exact nature of the disruption. Your right to compensation applies across most European routes, including:

• All flights departing from an airport located within an EU member state.

• All flights arriving at an EU airport when operated by a licensed European airline.

• Connecting flights booked under a single reservation where a delay or cancellation on an earlier leg leads to a missed connection and an arrival at your final destination 3 hours or more late.

Here are the main features of the tool:

• Instant eligibility check: our flight compensation calculator will tell you within minutes if your flight may qualify.

• Hassle-free claiming: our intuitive online tool does the heavy lifting, making it easy to enforce your legal rights under EC 261.

• Complete coverage: from flight delays and cancellations to overbookings and missed connections, we handle it all with speed and reliability.

• Expert legal backing: turned down before? We pursue valid claims with determination and, where necessary, can take legal action against the airline.

• Zero financial risk: with our "No Win, No Fee" promise, you pay nothing unless we secure your compensation.

How much compensation am I entitled to?

While out-of-pocket expenses like meals, hotel accommodation and transport are reimbursed based on actual costs, fixed monetary compensation is calculated according to flight distance. EC 261 sets out the following compensation amounts:

• Short-distance flights (1,500 km or less): up to €250 per passenger under EC 261.

• Medium-distance flights (over 1,500 km and up to 3,500 km, or intra-EU flights over 1,500 km): up to €400 per passenger under EC 261.

• Long-distance flights (over 3,500 km, except intra-EU flights): up to €600 per passenger under EC 261.

If your flight is suddenly disrupted, taking these key steps immediately will help protect your compensation rights and strengthen your subsequent claim:

1. Ask for the Specific Reason: request the exact cause of the disruption from gate agents.

2. Keep Your Travel Documents: retain all original boarding passes, receipts and baggage tags.

3. Gather Evidence: photograph departure and arrival boards displaying your disruption and save all text messages or emails sent by the airline.

4. Think Twice Before Accepting Credits or Miles: airlines can offer flight credits or miles instead of cash compensation only with your signed agreement, so accepting them may mean giving up your right to cash compensation under EC 261.

Whatever the cause of the disruption, you also have a right to care: the airline must offer food and drinks and means of communication while you wait, as well as hotel accommodation with transport if your replacement flight departs the following day. For delays, this applies once your flight is delayed by 2, 3 or 4 hours or more, depending on the flight distance.

Assistance at the airport does not replace your right to cash compensation. If your disruption was caused by factors within the airline’s operational control and meets EC 261 thresholds, you may be entitled to up to €600 per passenger in compensation under EC 261, as well as reimbursement of necessary and reasonable out-of-pocket expenses.

We understand that many air passengers do not have the time, experience or inclination to fight with airlines in order to claim the compensation they may be entitled to. Once you’ve used our flight compensation calculator, we’ll manage the following steps:

• We’ll tell you quickly if we think you’re eligible for compensation.

• We’ll submit your claim on your behalf.

• We’ll handle all communication with the airline.

There's no risk, we only charge a fee when we're successful in getting your compensation.

Go a step further with AirHelp+

Protecting your journey with AirHelp+ can be done in a few simple steps:

1. Register Your Trip: add your flight details via the AirHelp mobile app or online dashboard at least 48 hours before your scheduled departure.

2. Automated Tracking: our global flight tracking system monitors your status in real time. We’ll tell you when you qualify for payouts, compensation, or a lounge pass.

3. Sit back and relax : we’ll send your AirHelp+ payout quickly and take care of your compensation claim with the airline..

With AirHelp+ you won’t pay service fees on the compensation you receive.