Paris to New York flight compensation
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Quick answer
Paris to New York is a long-haul route of about 5,830 km, so EU261 compensation is €600 per passenger for arrival delays of 4 hours or more, reduced to €300 when the delay is between 3 and 4 hours. The flight departs the EU, so every airline is covered — including Delta, American and United. The return leg is covered only on Air France and other EU carriers.
Great-circle distance
5,834 km
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) → John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
Compensation band: Over 3,500 km
Fixed compensation
€600
€600 per passenger
Applicable rules: EU Regulation 261/2004
Example
A passenger arriving 3+ hours late at New York 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 Linescovered on this direction· third-country licence
- American Airlinescovered on this direction· third-country licence
- United Airlinescovered on this direction· third-country licence
Departing from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
Charles de Gaulle is exposed to French air-traffic-control industrial action, which on strike days is applied as a mandatory flight-reduction plan imposed on the airlines. That is a genuine extraordinary circumstance, but only for the flights actually caught by the plan.
CDG is Air France's hub and most long-haul passengers connect there on one booking, so a late feeder that loses the connection is assessed at the final destination over the full distance.
Direction matters
- Paris → New York
- EU Regulation 261/2004 · €600 · any airline
- New York → Paris
- EU Regulation 261/2004 (covered airlines only) · €600
What changes on the return leg
| Airlines covered | any airline | covered airlines only |
|---|
Delay, cancellation or missed connection on this direction
- Delayed
- €600 per passenger is due when at least one door opens at John F. Kennedy International Airport three hours or more after the scheduled arrival; the departure delay at Paris Charles de Gaulle 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 John F. Kennedy International 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 Paris Charles de Gaulle 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 — a flight from Paris to New York delayed 3+ hours, cancelled at short notice or overbooked can be worth €600 per passenger, on any airline.
- 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; 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.
- 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 Paris → New York flight is delayed or cancelled?
EU261 applies to every airline on this route: €600 per passenger for an arrival delay of 3 hours or more, a cancellation announced under 14 days ahead, or denied boarding, unless the airline proves an extraordinary circumstance. Refund, re-routing and care are due whatever the cause.
Does this apply to your flight?
Checking a Paris → New York flight?
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Already known from this page
- Paris (CDG) → New York (JFK)
What happened to your flight?
The route
Air France, Delta, American, United, La Compagnie and Norse operate between CDG and JFK/Newark. Departing Paris, all are covered by Regulation 261/2004. Coming back from New York, only the EU-licensed airlines (Air France, Norse if operated by its EU entity) are covered; Delta, American and United flights into Paris fall outside the Regulation.
The 3–4 hour band
Long-haul claims live or die on the exact arrival time. Arrive 3 h 45 late → €300; 4 h 05 late → €600. Check the door-opening time on a flight tracker and keep a screenshot.
Typical causes and defences
North-Atlantic flights are delayed by slot restrictions at JFK, weather on the US East Coast and aircraft rotation. Weather and US ATC restrictions are extraordinary where proven; a late inbound aircraft from New York the previous evening is compensable unless that flight’s delay was itself extraordinary.
Escalation
Air France: MTV mediation, then DGAC, then the tribunal judiciaire within 5 years. US carriers departing Paris: DGAC complaint, then court.
Frequently asked questions
Is a delayed or cancelled flight from Paris to New York covered by EU Regulation 261/2004?
Yes, on any airline: the flight departs from France, so EU Regulation 261/2004 applies whatever the carrier's nationality. Whether compensation is due then depends on the disruption — an arrival delay of three hours or more, a cancellation announced less than 14 days ahead, or denied boarding — and on the cause.
How much compensation for a delayed or cancelled Paris to New York 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 Paris to New York 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. Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines: no ADR scheme on file for this country — complain to the enforcement body instead. 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 New York to Paris?
Not entirely. On the return flight the regime is the same, and only airlines licensed in the arrival country are 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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