Paris Charles de Gaulle flight compensation
Check my flightAbout two minutes · no flight number needed
Quick answer
Every flight departing Paris Charles de Gaulle is covered by Regulation 261/2004 on any airline; inbound flights from outside the EU are covered on EU airlines such as Air France. Paris–New York pays €600, Paris–Athens €400, Paris–London or Paris–Amsterdam €250. French ATC strikes are the most common "extraordinary circumstances" defence at CDG; the DGAC enforces the rules and the MTV mediator handles Air France disputes.
Rules for flights departing Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
Every flight departing from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport is covered by EU Regulation 261/2004, regardless of the airline.
Flights into Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport from outside the EU/EEA are covered only when operated by an EU/EEA-licensed airline.
Location: CDG / LFPG · 49.0090, 2.5541 · France
Care and re-routing when leaving Paris
Delayed at the gate: meals, refreshments and two calls or e-mails from 2 h of delay on flights up to 1,500 km, 3 h up to 3,500 km (and on every intra-EU flight over 1,500 km), 4 h beyond — plus a hotel and transport when the departure moves to the next day. Owed whatever the cause.
Cancelled or denied boarding: the choice between a refund of the unused ticket within 7 days and re-routing to your destination at the earliest opportunity or on a later date of your choosing, with care while you wait.
Delayed 5 h or more: you may give up the journey and take a full refund of the unused ticket, with a return flight to your departure point if the trip has lost its purpose.
Charles de Gaulle is exposed to French air-traffic-control industrial action, which on strike days is applied as a mandatory flight-reduction plan imposed on the airlines. That is a genuine extraordinary circumstance, but only for the flights actually caught by the plan.
Enforcement body
Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile (DGAC)
Approved mediator for most French airlines: Médiation Tourisme et Voyage (MTV), https://www.mtv.travel
Example routes from Paris
- New York (JFK) · 5,834 km€600
- Amsterdam (AMS) · 399 km€250
- London (LHR) · 348 km€250
- Athens (ATH) · 2,108 km€400
- Réunion (RUN) · 9,370 km€400
- Dubai (DXB) · 5,239 km€600
- Madrid (MAD) · 1,062 km€250
- Rome (FCO) · 1,101 km€250
Can I claim compensation for a flight from Paris?
EU261 applies to every airline on this route: €250–€600 per passenger for an arrival delay of 3 hours or more, a cancellation announced under 14 days ahead, or denied boarding, unless the airline proves an extraordinary circumstance. Refund, re-routing and care are due whatever the cause.
Does this apply to your flight?
Flying from Paris?
A few short questions — no flight number needed yet. You get a preliminary result on the facts you give; the full check confirms it from the itinerary.
Already known from this page
- From Paris (CDG)
What happened to your flight?
CDG-specific issues
French air-traffic-control strikes are frequent and are generally treated as extraordinary circumstances — but the airline must prove the strike affected your flight (the DGAC’s requested cancellation percentages are public, so an airline that cancelled more than required, or cancelled your flight for other reasons under cover of the strike, remains liable). Air France’s own crew strikes are internal and not extraordinary.
CDG is a hub: on a single Air France or SkyTeam booking, a late feeder flight into CDG that causes a missed long-haul connection is assessed at the final destination (Folkerts), and the compensation band uses the straight-line distance from your first departure airport to the final destination.
Airlines at CDG
Air France (and HOP), easyJet Europe, Vueling, Transavia France, Lufthansa, KLM, British Airways, Delta, United, Emirates, Qatar Airways. Only EU-licensed airlines are covered on inbound flights from outside the EU.
Escalation for CDG flights
- Claim from the airline in writing.
- For Air France, HOP and Transavia France: the Médiation Tourisme et Voyage (free mediation) after the airline’s refusal or 60 days of silence.
- DGAC for complaints about any airline departing France (enforcement, not compensation).
- Tribunal judiciaire small-claims procedure within 5 years.
Sources
- Court of Justice of the European UnionCase C-11/11 Air France v Folkerts — compensation for connecting flights depends on the delay at the final destination
- Court of Justice of the European UnionJoined Cases C-402/07 and C-432/07 Sturgeon v Condor and Böck v Air France — passengers of flights delayed by three hours or more may claim compensation
- European Commission — DG MOVEAir passenger rights (including list of National Enforcement Bodies)
- European Parliament and CouncilRegulation (EC) No 261/2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights
Last legally reviewed: 12 September 2026 · Content updated: 12 September 2026
Check a flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle.
Enter the flight; the check applies the regime for departures from Paris Charles de Gaulle and the distance to your destination.