If you are reading this at the airport, phone in hand, staring at a departure board that says "delayed" or "cancelled," this guide is for you. The steps you take in the next few hours can make a real difference to your claim. Here is your action plan, in order of priority.
Step 1: Document everything immediately
Before you do anything else, start collecting evidence. Pull out your phone and take timestamped photos of the departure board showing your flight and its status. Screenshot any notifications from the airline app. If there are gate announcements, note the time and what was said. This evidence is valuable if you later need to prove the length of your delay.
- Photograph the departure board showing your flight status
- Screenshot airline app notifications and delay alerts
- Note the time and content of any gate announcements
- Keep your boarding pass (paper or digital)
- Save your booking confirmation email
Step 2: Ask the airline for the reason
Approach airline ground staff and ask specifically why your flight is disrupted. Do not accept vague answers like "operational reasons." Push for the actual cause: technical fault, crew issue, weather, air traffic control. The reason matters because it determines whether you are entitled to compensation. If possible, get the explanation in writing or ask for the airline's written notice of disruption.
Check other flights
Look at the departure board. Are other flights to similar destinations departing on time? If your flight is cancelled due to "weather" but other flights are operating normally, the weather excuse may not hold up.
Step 3: Know your right to care
While you wait, the airline must provide meals, refreshments, and communications proportionate to the delay. For delays of 2+ hours (short-haul) or 3–4+ hours (medium and long-haul), you are entitled to food and drink. If the delay extends overnight, the airline must arrange hotel accommodation and transport.
If the airline is not proactively offering care, ask for it at the service desk. If they refuse or the desk is unmanned, arrange reasonable meals and accommodation yourself and keep every receipt. You can claim these costs back separately.
Step 4: Understand your options
If your flight is cancelled, you have a legal right to choose between:
Your options
What the airline must offer
- Full refund of your ticket price (must be paid within 7 days)
- Rebooking on the next available flight to your destination
- Rebooking on a later flight at a date convenient to you
This is your choice, not the airline's. Do not let them push you into an option that does not work for you. And remember: these options are in addition to compensation, not instead of it.
Step 5: If you are delayed, note your arrival time
If your flight eventually departs late rather than being cancelled, your right to compensation depends on when you actually arrive. The legal threshold is 3 hours late at your final destination. "Arrival" means when the aircraft doors open, not when the wheels touch the runway.
When you land, note the exact time the doors open. Take a screenshot of a flight tracker like Flightradar24 showing your flight's actual arrival, and screenshot the airline app's status page. If the delay is close to 3 hours, these records can make the difference.
Step 6: Start your compensation claim
You do not need to wait until you get home. You can start your claim right now. EC261 entitles you to fixed compensation of €250 to €600 per person, depending on your flight distance, regardless of how much you paid for your ticket.
What NOT to do
- Do not accept vouchers instead of cash — you have the right to monetary compensation
- Do not sign any waiver or release form without reading it carefully
- Do not accept the airline's first explanation at face value — verify independently
- Do not throw away receipts for meals, transport, or accommodation
- Do not assume you have no rights — most disrupted passengers are entitled to something
After you leave the airport
Once your journey is complete, gather all your evidence in one place: photos, screenshots, receipts, boarding passes. If the airline offered an explanation at the airport, check whether it aligns with what actually counts as extraordinary circumstances. Many excuses airlines give at the gate — technical problems, crew issues — do not actually exempt them from paying compensation.
The time limits for claiming range from 1 to 6 years depending on the country, but the sooner you act, the stronger your position. Evidence is freshest and airline records are most accessible when you claim promptly.