EC 261/2004 · EU air passenger rights

Was your flight delayed or cancelled?

You may be owed up to €600 in compensation — plus reimbursement for new tickets if you had to make your own way. Check for free in 30 seconds, no card, no sign-up. You only pay if you get paid.

Flights from the last 2–5 years — the deadline depends on the airline's country
20% fee — only from the compensation you receive

up to €600Compensation for delays of 3+ hours (depending on flight distance)

3+ yearsHow much time you may have to file a claim (depends on the country)

No court neededMost cases are resolved at the claim or enforcement-body stage

27 EU countriesYour flight is covered even if you didn't fly with your home airline

How it works

Four steps, and only two of them are on you — both take minutes.

1
Check your flight for free

Enter your flight number and departure date. We cross-check the flight data against airline and airport records: actual arrival time, the reason for the delay or cancellation, and how much notice you were given.

Takes ~30 seconds · no sign-up, no card
2
Sign the authorization online

If you have a case, you leave your contact and booking details, then sign the power of attorney with an electronic signature. It gives us the right to negotiate and file the claim on your behalf.

Takes ~2 minutes · signature legally valid in the EU
3
We handle your case

We prepare the claim citing EC 261/2004, send it to the airline, and respond to refusals and document requests. If the airline refuses without justification, we file a complaint with the national enforcement body. Court recovery is not included in the service.

Usually a few weeks to a few months · we keep you updated by email
4
You get paid

The airline transfers the compensation directly to you. Once you've received it, we issue a separate invoice for our fee — 20% of the amount received. We cover all the case-handling and correspondence costs.

No payout, no fee. No upfront payments

20% fee on success

Transparent pricing, no surprises

We work on a "no win — no fee" basis: the airline pays the compensation directly to you, and we invoice our 20% fee separately once the money is already in your account. For example, on a €400 payout the fee invoice would be €80; on €600, it would be €120. If the airline refuses and we can't recover anything, you pay nothing — not for the flight check, not for preparing the claim.

How much could you be owed?

Compensation under EC 261/2004 doesn't depend on the ticket price — it depends on the flight distance and how late you arrived at your final destination. Enter the details and we'll show you an estimated amount.

Flight distance Arrival delay was between 3 and 4 hours (for long-haul flights over 3,500 km the amount is halved under Art. 7(2))

From 3 hours of arrival delay — the minimum threshold for compensation

2–5 years filing deadline, depends on the country

Ticket price doesn't affect the compensation amount

Paid by the airline — in full, to your account €400

Our fee invoice (20%), separate €80

Plus reimbursement for tickets you had to buy yourself
Plus hotel, meals and transfers while you waited
Compensation is calculated per passenger on the booking

This is an estimated amount under EC 261/2004. The final amount is determined after checking the circumstances of your flight and isn't guaranteed if extraordinary circumstances apply.

Frequently asked questions

A quick rundown of what people usually ask before getting started.

How reliable is this?

We work on a "no win — no fee" basis: the 20% fee is only taken from the compensation actually received. The contract and terms are available before you sign, with no upfront payments. You can check your case status at any time.

What if the airline refuses?

You pay nothing. The risk of a refusal is entirely on us: we cover the cost of preparing the claim and corresponding with the airline and the enforcement body.

What do I lose if it doesn't work out?

€0. Checking the flight, preparing the claim and negotiating with the airline cost you nothing upfront, and won't cost you anything later if there's no payout.

How long does it take?

Usually a few weeks to a few months — it depends on whether the airline cooperates and whether we need to go to the enforcement body.

How far back can I claim?

Usually flights from the last 2 to 5 years — the exact deadline depends on the country where the airline is registered or where the flight departed from. In some jurisdictions it's even longer. If you're unsure, just check — it's free.

Will I get my money back for new tickets?

If a cancellation or long delay forced you to buy tickets yourself, that cost may be reimbursable — separately from the EC 261/2004 compensation. The same goes for necessary hotel, meal and transfer costs. Keep your receipts and boarding passes.

When is compensation not owed?

EC 261/2004 has an exception for "extraordinary circumstances": extreme weather, strikes not caused by the airline, security risks, air traffic control decisions. In these cases the payout may not be owed — we check each case individually.

How much am I entitled to?

Under EC 261/2004: €250 for flights up to 1,500 km, €400 for 1,500–3,500 km, €600 for flights over 3,500 km. If the arrival delay is under 4 hours on long-haul flights, the amount may be halved. The final amount is set after checking your flight's circumstances.

Do I need to sign a power of attorney?

Yes — it gives us the right to represent your interests with the airline and the national enforcement body. It's signed online with an electronic signature in a couple of minutes, separately from your consent to data processing.

What if I've already contacted the airline?

That's fine — we can step in at any stage, including after a refusal. A refusal from the airline doesn't mean the case is lost: a large share of these claims are recovered after going to the enforcement body.

What documents will I need?

Usually your booking reference and a boarding pass or ticket are enough. If the flight was a while ago and you no longer have the documents, we may be able to recover some data from flight records — we'll guide you through it.

What happens to my personal data?

Your data is processed under the GDPR, used only to handle your case, and never sold to third parties. You can request access to it or its deletion at any time.

See all questions →

Customer stories

Illustrative examples of typical situations — they show how the regulation works, not a guaranteed outcome for your case.

4h delay Munich → Barcelona

The flight was delayed because the incoming aircraft arrived late. The airline first cited "technical reasons" and refused. We requested the actual arrival-time data and the aircraft's flight history, after which the refusal was withdrawn.

€400 per passenger 6 weeks

Flight cancellation Valencia → Rome

The cancellation was announced a day before departure, with an alternative flight offered only two days later. The passenger bought tickets with another airline at their own expense. On top of the compensation, we recovered the ticket-price difference.

€250 + €180 in tickets 4 weeks

Overbooking Madrid → Bogotá

Denied boarding at check-in — not enough seats. At the counter they offered a €250 voucher and a waiver to sign giving up any claim. The passenger signed nothing, came to us instead, and we recovered the full amount under the regulation.

€600 per passenger 8 weeks

Connecting flight Alicante → Amsterdam → Oslo

A 1.5-hour delay on the first leg caused a missed connection and a 7-hour-late arrival in Oslo. The airline insisted the first flight's delay was "minor" — but the regulation looks at the delay to the final destination.

€400 per passenger 9 weeks

Family of 4 Barcelona → London

An overnight flight cancellation; the passengers paid for their own hotel. Compensation is calculated per passenger on the booking, so the family's total came to four times the amount, plus the hotel and meals were reimbursed.

€1,000 + €240 in expenses 11 weeks

Flight from two years ago Málaga → Düsseldorf

The passenger was sure the deadline had long passed and checked "just in case". They no longer had the boarding passes — we recovered the flight data from the booking reference and departure records.

€400 per passenger 7 weeks

Not every case ends in a payout: if extraordinary circumstances apply, compensation may not be owed. In those cases you pay nothing.

Situations we help with

Flight delay Flight cancellation Denied boarding Missed connection Reimbursement for new tickets

On top of EC 261/2004 compensation, you can also recover forced expenses: tickets you had to buy to replace a cancelled flight, hotel, meals and transfers during the wait. Keep your receipts and boarding passes — we'll help you claim this part too.

Your data is protected

We process personal data in line with the GDPR and only ask for the minimum genuinely needed at each step.

Minimum data at every step

The free flight check needs only your flight number and departure date — no personal data. Your name, email and booking details are requested only once you decide to file a claim. Passport details, only if the power of attorney requires them.

Separate consent for each action

Consent to process your personal data and the power of attorney to represent your interests are given separately. You can withdraw your consent and stop work on your case at any time.

Encryption and limited access

Data is transmitted over a secure connection and stored encrypted. Only staff directly handling your case can access it. Payment details are processed through our payment provider and are never stored by us in plain form.

We never sell your data

Data is shared only with those essential to running your case — legal partners and payment providers — and only under data processing agreements (DPAs). No sharing with advertisers or data brokers.

Stored only as long as needed

We keep data for as long as your case is active and for the statutory limitation periods, after which we delete or anonymize it.

Your GDPR rights

You can request access to your data, correction, deletion or portability — email us at help@claimjam.com. See the privacy policy for details.