Country guides
Which rules apply, who enforces them, how to escalate and how long you have to claim — by country of departure.
11 results
- ATFlight compensation in AustriaAll flights departing Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck and Graz are covered by Regulation 261/2004 on any airline; inbound flights on EU airlines (Austrian Airlines, easyJet Europe — which is Austrian-licensed) are covered too. The apf is both enforcement body and free conciliation service; the limitation period is 3 years.
- BEFlight compensation in BelgiumAll flights departing Brussels Airport, Brussels South Charleroi, Liège, Antwerp and Ostend are covered by Regulation 261/2004 on any airline; flights arriving from outside Europe are covered on EU/EEA airlines only. The Directorate-General Civil Aviation of the FPS Mobility and Transport assesses complaints and can have airlines sanctioned, but does not pay compensation; there is no sectoral ADR scheme, so disputed claims go to the justice de paix. Belgian law gives you two years from the flight to sue (Article X.49 of the Code of Economic Law) — and the FPS file can take months, so claim early.
- FRFlight compensation in FranceAll flights departing French airports — including the overseas departments — are covered by Regulation 261/2004, on any airline. The DGAC is the enforcement body, the Médiation Tourisme et Voyage handles disputes with Air France, HOP, Transavia and most French carriers free of charge, and you have 5 years to bring a court claim.
- DEFlight compensation in GermanyAll flights departing German airports are covered by Regulation 261/2004, on any airline. The Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA) enforces the rules; the Schlichtungsstelle Reise & Verkehr (formerly söp) resolves disputes with Lufthansa, Eurowings, Condor, TUI fly and most airlines operating in Germany free of charge; and the limitation period is 3 years from the end of the year in which the flight took place.
- IEFlight compensation in IrelandAll flights departing Dublin, Cork, Shannon and Knock are covered by Regulation 261/2004 on any airline, and inbound flights on EU airlines (Ryanair, Aer Lingus) are covered too. The Irish Aviation Authority is the enforcement body and assesses individual complaints; claims can be brought in the Small Claims Court within 6 years.
- ITFlight compensation in ItalyAll flights departing Italian airports are covered by Regulation 261/2004 on any airline; flights arriving from outside Europe are covered on EU/EEA airlines only. ENAC is the enforcement body and can fine airlines but does not award compensation; disputed claims go to the Giudice di Pace, competent up to €10,000, where no lawyer is required below €1,100. Italian courts generally apply a two-year limitation period and ENAC warns that some airlines refuse complaints older than six months, so claim early — and during Italian strikes every scheduled departure in the 07:00–10:00 and 18:00–21:00 bands must operate, which limits the "strike" defence.
- PLFlight compensation in PolandAll flights departing Warsaw, Kraków, Gdańsk, Wrocław, Katowice and other Polish airports are covered by Regulation 261/2004 on any airline; inbound flights on EU airlines (LOT, Ryanair, Wizz Air, Buzz) are covered too. The Passenger Rights Ombudsman at ULC runs a free ADR procedure, and the Polish Supreme Court has set the limitation period at one year.
- ESFlight compensation in SpainAll flights departing Spanish airports — including the Canary and Balearic Islands — are covered by Regulation 261/2004 on any airline; flights arriving from outside Europe are covered on EU/EEA airlines only. Spain is unusual: its enforcement body, AESA, is also an accredited dispute-resolution entity whose decisions on compensation claims bind the airline, free of charge and online. Claim from the airline first, wait a month, then file with AESA; the limitation period for a court claim is 5 years.
- CHFlight compensation in SwitzerlandSwitzerland is not an EU member state, but Regulation 261/2004 applies to it through the 1999 EU–Swiss Air Transport Agreement: every flight departing Zurich, Geneva, Bern or Lugano is covered on any airline, and flights arriving from outside Europe are covered on Swiss or EU/EEA airlines (SWISS, Edelweiss, Lufthansa — not United or Emirates). FOCA is the enforcement body and there is no binding ADR scheme; disputed claims go to the civil courts, which generally apply a two-year limitation period. Cancellation and denied-boarding compensation applies exactly as in the EU; long-delay compensation is applied in practice but ultimately depends on the courts.
- NLFlight compensation in the NetherlandsAll flights departing Amsterdam Schiphol, Eindhoven and Rotterdam are covered by Regulation 261/2004 on any airline. The ILT enforces the rules; there is no aviation dispute-resolution scheme for standalone flights, so a refused claim goes to the kantonrechter; and the Dutch limitation period is only 2 years.
- GBFlight compensation in the United KingdomAll flights departing UK airports are covered by UK261 (£220, £350 or £520), and flights into the UK are covered on UK and EU airlines. The Civil Aviation Authority oversees the rules; approved ADR schemes — AviationADR and CEDR — issue decisions that bind the airlines that belong to them. You have 6 years to sue in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 5 in Scotland.
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