New York to Amsterdam flight compensation
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Quick answer
New York to Amsterdam is about 5,848 km, so compensation is €600 per passenger under Regulation (EC) 261/2004 (EU261) for delays of three hours or more, short-notice cancellations and denied boarding — but only on EU/UK/Swiss-licensed airlines such as KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, because the flight departs outside Europe. Delays of three to four hours pay half. The airline can only refuse by proving extraordinary circumstances; the return direction has its own rules.
Great-circle distance
5,848 km
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) → Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS)
Compensation band: Over 3,500 km
Fixed compensation
€600
€600 per passenger
Applicable rules: EU Regulation 261/2004 (Flights into Amsterdam Airport Schiphol from outside the EU/EEA are covered only when operated by an EU/EEA-licensed airline.)
Example
A passenger arriving 3+ hours late at Amsterdam on a covered flight could claim €600 per passenger.
If the flight is cancelled less than 14 days before departure without a close alternative, the same €600 applies.
On this long-haul route the airline may halve the amount if the arrival delay is under 4 hours.
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlinescovered on this direction· EU/EEA licence
- Delta Air Linesnot covered on this direction· third-country licence
Departing from John F. Kennedy International Airport
New York JFK is outside the European regimes on departure unless the operating carrier is European. Joint-venture flight numbers make this easy to get wrong: what counts is the airline whose aircraft and crew you flew with, printed on the boarding pass.
Direction matters
- New York → Amsterdam
- EU Regulation 261/2004 (Flights into Amsterdam Airport Schiphol from outside the EU/EEA are covered only when operated by an EU/EEA-licensed airline.) · €600 · covered airlines only
- Amsterdam → New York
- EU Regulation 261/2004 · €600 · any airline
What changes on the return leg
| Airlines covered | covered airlines only | any airline |
|---|
Delay, cancellation or missed connection on this direction
- Delayed
- €600 per passenger is due when at least one door opens at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol three hours or more after the scheduled arrival; the departure delay at John F. Kennedy International Airport does not count. From 4 hours of delay the airline owes meals and communication whatever the cause, and from 5 hours you may abandon the trip for a refund. For an arrival delay between three and four hours the amount is halved to €300.
- Cancelled
- The same €600 per passenger is due when the airline told you less than 14 days before departure and did not re-route you within the legal windows (at most 2 hours early and under 4 hours late with 7–14 days’ notice; 1 hour and 2 hours under 7 days). A refund or re-routing, and care while you wait, are due in every case.
- Missed connection
- If Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is not your final destination and both flights were on one booking, the delay is measured where the journey ends and the amount on the distance from John F. Kennedy International Airport to that final airport (Folkerts, C-11/11) — even when the onward flight is outside Europe. On separate tickets each flight stands alone, and a missed onward flight is not the first airline’s liability.
Escalation for this direction
Enforcement body: Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) (Netherlands)
Court claims: 2 years (Artikel 8:1835 Burgerlijk Wetboek (two years for claims arising from air carriage)). Court claims are brought before the Kantonrechter.
Direct answer
- Short answer
- Yes on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines: a flight from New York to Amsterdam delayed 3+ hours, cancelled at short notice or overbooked can be worth €600 per passenger — because those airlines are European-licensed.
- Amount
- €600€600 per passenger · 5,848 km
- Why
- The distance is 5,848 km (Over 3,500 km) and the flight falls under EU Regulation 261/2004 (Flights into Amsterdam Airport Schiphol from outside the EU/EEA are covered only when operated by an EU/EEA-licensed airline.); the fixed amount depends only on the distance band.
- What can change it
- The airline proves extraordinary circumstances (weather, ATC, security) that it could not avoid.
- Arrival delay under 3 hours at the final destination.
- Cancellation announced 14+ days ahead, or re-routing within the legal windows.
- Delay between 3 and 4 hours on this long-haul route halves the amount.
- The flight was operated by a non-European airline (check the boarding pass).
- Check your flight
- Check compensation for this route
- Official source
- Regulation (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 Parliament and CouncilLast checked against the source on 23 September 2026
What happens if my New York → Amsterdam flight is delayed or cancelled?
This direction departs outside Europe, so EU261 applies only when the operating airline holds a European licence: then €600 per passenger for an arrival delay of 3 hours or more, a cancellation announced under 14 days ahead, or denied boarding.
Does this apply to your flight?
Checking a New York → Amsterdam flight?
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
- New York (JFK) → Amsterdam (AMS)
What happened to your flight?
Which rules apply on this direction
Flights from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) depart outside Europe. Regulation (EC) 261/2004 (EU261) still applies on arrival at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) — but only when the operating airline is licensed in the EU/EEA. The distance is 5,848 km (over 3,500 km), so a covered flight pays €600 per passenger.
On a covered airline, care starts earlier than compensation on this long-distance flight: after 4 hours of delay at John F. Kennedy International Airport the airline owes meals and communication, and after 5 hours you may abandon the trip and demand a refund of the unused ticket.
Check the boarding pass: only the KLM-operated flight from New York is covered by EU261, whatever number Delta sold it under.
Airlines on the route and whether they are covered
-
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL, EU/EEA licence): covered on this direction (EU/EEA licence, arriving in the Netherlands).
-
Delta Air Lines (DL, third-country licence): not covered on this direction (third-country licence on a flight from outside Europe).
Departing from John F. Kennedy International Airport
New York JFK is outside the European regimes on departure unless the operating carrier is European. Joint-venture flight numbers make this easy to get wrong: what counts is the airline whose aircraft and crew you flew with, printed on the boarding pass.
Airport guides: Amsterdam Airport Schiphol — the causes airlines cite at each end, the enforcement body, and the other routes with their own page.
Return direction
The return, Amsterdam → New York, departs the Netherlands, so it falls under Regulation (EC) 261/2004 (EU261) on every airline: €600 per passenger.
Where to escalate
Claim from the airline first. If it refuses or does not answer, the competent enforcement body for this direction is Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) (Netherlands). No aviation ADR scheme for standalone flights (the Geschillencommissie Luchtvaart no longer exists; Reizen excludes standalone flights). After the airline: the ILT complaint form (flights under one year old) and the kantonrechter.
Court claims in the Netherlands are subject to a limitation period of 2 years (Artikel 8:1835 Burgerlijk Wetboek (two years for claims arising from air carriage)).
A court claim goes to the Kantonrechter. Claims up to €25,000 without a lawyer.
About this route
Amsterdam–New York is a joint KLM/Delta operation with several daily flights, and tickets are routinely sold under one partner’s number and flown by the other. The operating carrier decides the return: a Delta-operated flight from New York is not covered even when sold under a KLM number, while a KLM-operated flight is. Schiphol capacity restrictions imposed by the airport are the main extraordinary-circumstances defence on the outbound.
Frequently asked questions
Is a delayed or cancelled flight from New York to Amsterdam covered by EU Regulation 261/2004?
Only on some airlines: the flight arrives in a covered country from outside it, so EU Regulation 261/2004 applies when the operating carrier is licensed there. Of the airlines that fly this route, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is covered. Delta Air Lines is not, in this direction. The operating carrier on the boarding pass decides it, not the airline you booked with.
How much compensation for a delayed or cancelled New York to Amsterdam flight?
€600 per passenger for a 5,848 km flight, if the disruption qualifies and no extraordinary circumstance is proven. On an arrival delay between three and four hours the amount is halved to €300. It is the same for every fare and does not depend on the ticket price; a re-routing that gets you there within the Article 7(2) time limits can halve it.
What if the airline rejects my claim for a New York to Amsterdam flight?
Reply once in writing asking for the facts behind the refusal, then escalate outside the airline. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines: no ADR scheme on file for this country — complain to the enforcement body instead. The enforcement body is Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT). Court claims must be brought within the limitation period of the Netherlands: 2 years.
Do the same rules apply on the way back, from Amsterdam to New York?
Not entirely. On the return flight the regime is the same, and every airline is covered. Each direction is judged on its own departure.
Sources
- Court of Justice of the European UnionCase C-559/16 Bossen v Brussels Airlines — the distance is the great-circle distance between the first departure and 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 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: 14 September 2026 · Content updated: 14 September 2026
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