Flight delayed 2 hours: what you are owed (and what you are not)
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Quick answer
No fixed compensation is due for a 2-hour delay: the €250–€600 (£220–£520) amounts start at 3 hours of arrival delay. From 2 hours on flights up to 1,500 km (3 hours up to 3,500 km, 4 hours beyond) the airline must provide meals, refreshments and two calls or e-mails, and a hotel if the wait runs overnight. Keep receipts and evidence — a 2-hour departure delay often becomes a 3-hour arrival delay.
How much compensation could I receive for a delayed flight?
€250–€600 per passenger, by distance, when you arrive at your final destination 3 hours or more after the scheduled time on a flight covered by Regulation 261 — unless the airline proves an extraordinary circumstance. Below 3 hours: care, not compensation.
Does this apply to your flight?
Was your flight delayed?
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
- Delayed
How late did you arrive at your final destination?
Count the delay when the doors opened at your final destination, not the departure delay.
| Distance | EU / CH (Reg. 261/2004) | UK261 |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | €250 | £220 |
| 1,500 – 3,500 km | €400 | £350 |
| Over 3,500 km, both airports in EU/EEA | €400 | — |
| Over 3,500 km | €600 | £520 |
Why 2 hours is a threshold at all
Regulation 261/2004 has two clocks. Compensation (Article 7) runs from 3 hours of arrival delay, a figure the Court of Justice read into the Regulation in Sturgeon. Care (Articles 6 and 9) runs earlier and depends on distance: 2 hours for flights up to 1,500 km, 3 hours between 1,500 and 3,500 km, 4 hours beyond. So a 2-hour delay on Paris–Rome already obliges the airline to look after you, while the same delay on Paris–Tokyo does not yet.
What care means in practice
- Meals and refreshments “in reasonable relation to the waiting time” — usually a voucher; if none is offered, buy something reasonable and keep the receipt.
- Two telephone calls, e-mails or messages free of charge.
- A hotel and transport to and from it when the delayed departure moves to the next day.
Care is owed whatever the cause of the delay — weather, strikes and air-traffic control included. The Court confirmed in McDonagh that there is no time or money limit on it.
Expenses the airline did not cover
If the airline left you to fend for yourself, you can claim back reasonable costs: meals, a modest hotel, transport, and the calls you had to make. Claim them in writing with receipts, separately from any compensation. Luxury choices will be cut down to what was reasonable.
When 2 hours becomes 3
Departure delays grow. If the aircraft finally arrives 3 hours or more after the scheduled arrival, the compensation clock is met — so from the first announcement, note the scheduled and actual times, photograph the board and keep every airline message. The arrival time that counts is the moment a door opens (Germanwings v Henning); the 3-hour delay page shows how the threshold plays out on real routes.
The 5-hour refund option
If the delay reaches 5 hours you may choose not to fly and obtain a full refund of the unused ticket within 7 days, plus a return flight to your point of departure if the trip has lost its purpose mid-journey.
Sources
- Court of Justice of the European UnionCase C-12/11 McDonagh v Ryanair — the duty to provide care (meals, accommodation) applies without temporal or monetary limit, even in extraordinary circumstances
- 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 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
Last legally reviewed: 12 September 2026 · Content updated: 12 September 2026
Was your flight 3 hours late at arrival?
Enter the flight and the arrival delay; the check tells you whether the 3-hour rule is met and the amount by distance.