New York to Paris flight compensation
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Quick answer
New York to Paris is covered by EU261 only when the operating airline is EU-licensed — Air France, for example. On those flights compensation is €600 per passenger for arrival delays of 4 hours or more (€300 for 3–4 hours). Flights on Delta, American or United into Paris are outside the Regulation, although US rules and the Montreal Convention may still give you rights to provable losses.
Great-circle distance
5,834 km
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) → Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG)
Compensation band: Over 3,500 km
Fixed compensation
€600
€600 per passenger
Applicable rules: EU Regulation 261/2004 (Flights into Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport from outside the EU/EEA are covered only when operated by an EU/EEA-licensed airline.)
Example
A passenger arriving 3+ hours late at Paris 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.
- Air Francecovered on this direction· EU/EEA licence· Médiation Tourisme et Voyage (MTV)
- Delta Air Linesnot covered on this direction· third-country licence
- American Airlinesnot covered on this direction· third-country licence
- United Airlinesnot 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 → Paris
- EU Regulation 261/2004 (Flights into Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport from outside the EU/EEA are covered only when operated by an EU/EEA-licensed airline.) · €600 · covered airlines only
- Paris → 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 Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport 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 Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport 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: Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile (DGAC) (France)
Dispute-resolution scheme: Médiation Tourisme et Voyage (MTV) · non-binding
Court claims: 5 years (Article 2224 Code civil (five-year general limitation)). Court claims are brought before the Tribunal judiciaire — procédure simplifiée / European Small Claims Procedure.
Direct answer
- Short answer
- Yes on Air France: a flight from New York to Paris 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 · 5,834 km
- Why
- The distance is 5,834 km (Over 3,500 km) and the flight falls under EU Regulation 261/2004 (Flights into Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport 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 → Paris 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 → Paris 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) → Paris (CDG)
What happened to your flight?
Why the airline decides everything here
The flight departs a third country (the US) and arrives in the EU, so Article 3(1)(b) applies: the Regulation covers the flight only if the operating carrier is an EU airline. A Delta-operated flight sold with an Air France flight number is not covered — the operating carrier is what counts. Check your boarding pass: “operated by”.
Amounts
Air France (and other EU carriers): €600 from 4 hours of arrival delay, €300 between 3 and 4 hours. The distance band uses the great-circle distance JFK–CDG (≈ 5,830 km).
If your flight was on a US carrier
US regulations do not provide fixed compensation for delays. For involuntary denied boarding on flights departing the US, US DOT rules require compensation of up to 400% of the one-way fare (capped). For losses caused by delay you may claim provable damages under the Montreal Convention from the airline.
Frequently asked questions
Is a delayed or cancelled flight from New York to Paris 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, Air France is covered. Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines are 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 Paris flight?
€600 per passenger for a 5,834 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 Paris flight?
Reply once in writing asking for the facts behind the refusal, then escalate outside the airline. ADR schemes for this route: Air France → Médiation Tourisme et Voyage (MTV) — free for passengers. The enforcement body is Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile (DGAC). Court claims must be brought within the limitation period of France: 5 years.
Do the same rules apply on the way back, from Paris 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 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
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