Montreal Convention vs EU261: which one covers your loss
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Réponse rapide
They answer different questions. EU261 pays fixed compensation (€250–€600) for the inconvenience of a long delay, a short-notice cancellation or denied boarding, with no proof of loss, on flights within its territorial scope. The Montreal Convention makes the airline liable for **proven** damage caused by delay, and for lost, damaged or delayed baggage, on almost every international flight worldwide, with a two-year limitation period. The same loss is not paid twice, but the two regimes can apply side by side.
Quelle indemnisation de vol pourrais-je recevoir ?
250 €–600 € par passager, selon la distance du vol, pour un retard à l'arrivée de 3 heures ou plus, une annulation annoncée moins de 14 jours avant ou un refus d'embarquement sur un vol couvert par le règlement 261.
Cela s'applique-t-il à votre vol ?
Cela s'applique-t-il à votre vol ?
Quelques questions courtes — pas encore besoin du numéro de vol. Vous obtenez un résultat préliminaire sur les faits indiqués ; la vérification complète le confirme à partir de l'itinéraire.
Qu'est-il arrivé à votre vol ?
What EU261 does not cover
EU261 has no provision for baggage, for consequential losses (the hotel night you lost, the meeting you missed, the cruise that sailed) or for flights outside its scope — for example a US airline flying you from New York to Paris. For those, the Montreal Convention is the route.
What the Montreal Convention covers
- Delay (Article 19): the airline is liable for damage caused by delay unless it proves it took all reasonable measures. Liability is capped (a limit expressed in Special Drawing Rights, revised periodically) and requires proof of the loss.
- Baggage (Article 17): lost, damaged or delayed checked baggage, up to a per-passenger limit, with strict written-complaint deadlines (7 days for damage, 21 days for delay).
- Scope: international carriage between states party to the Convention — practically the whole world.
- Limitation: two years from the date of arrival or the date the aircraft should have arrived.
How they combine
Article 12 of EU261 states that the Regulation applies “without prejudice to a passenger’s rights to further compensation” and that EU261 compensation may be deducted from such further compensation. So: fixed EU261 amount from the Regulation, proven additional loss under Montreal, with the airline entitled to set one off against the other for the same damage.
Where to bring a Montreal claim
Against the carrier in the country of its domicile or principal place of business, where the ticket was bought through its establishment, or at the place of destination. Small-claims courts handle most of them.
Limitation periods differ
EU261 claims follow national limitation periods (1 to 6 years). Montreal claims must be brought within two years, and some countries apply that two-year period to EU261 claims as well (Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands in practice) — check the country page for your departure airport.
Sources
- European CommissionInterpretative Guidelines on Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (2016/C 214/04)
- 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
- European Union — Your EuropeAir passenger rights
Dernière revue juridique : 12 septembre 2026 · Contenu mis à jour : 12 septembre 2026
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