FLIGHT PROBLEMS · EU PASSENGER RIGHTS
EU261 reform 2027: what changes for flight delay compensation, and from when
The new EU air passenger rules apply from October 23, 2027, and they keep compensation for arriving more than 3 hours late, at EUR 250, 400 or 600. The reform is Regulation (EU) 2026/2202, published on October 2, 2026. The biggest changes: a 50% cut on long flights that arrive 3 to 4 hours late, a right to book your own replacement flight if the airline offers nothing within 3 hours, a 2-hour limit for sitting on the tarmac, a free personal item in the cabin, and a written strike rule. Checked against the text on EUR-Lex on October 31, 2026.
Ad / affiliate disclosure: this page has one AirHelp link (near the end); I may earn a commission if you use it, at no extra cost to you. Claiming directly from the airline is free and is explained first. Prepared with AI assistance and checked against the published text of Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 on EUR-Lex on October 31, 2026. General information, not legal advice.
The 30-second answer
When: flights from October 23, 2027. Anything before that date is still Regulation 261/2004, unchanged.
Threshold: still a delay at arrival of more than 3 hours. Reports of a new 4-, 5- or 6-hour threshold describe earlier drafts, not the final law.
Amounts: still EUR 250, 400 or 600 by distance, but the airline may pay EUR 300 instead of 600 when a long journey arrives no more than 4 hours late.
What changes, rule by rule
| Topic | Today (Regulation 261/2004) | From October 23, 2027 (Regulation 2026/2202) |
|---|---|---|
| Delay that triggers compensation | Arrival more than 3 hours late (EU Court case law) | "A delay at arrival exceeding three hours", now written into the regulation |
| Amounts | EUR 250 / 400 / 600 by distance | EUR 250 / 400 / 600 by distance (new Article 7(1)) |
| Long journeys, 3 to 4 hours late | 50% cut written only for reroutings arriving within 4 hours | 50% cut (EUR 300) allowed for a delay or a later rerouting arriving no more than 4 hours late (Article 7(2)) |
| Rerouted onto an earlier flight after a cancellation | No specific cut | Compensation cut 50% if moved forward by less than 2 hours, 25% if less than 3 hours, when you take that flight (Article 7(3)) |
| Cancellation with 14+ days notice | No compensation | No compensation (Article 5(5)) |
| Airline strikes | Own-staff strikes are not extraordinary (EU Court, C-28/20) | Own-staff strikes count as extraordinary only if the demands can be met by public authorities alone (Annex I, list of extraordinary circumstances) |
| Booking your own replacement flight | Not set out in the regulation | Allowed if the airline offers no comparable rerouting within 3 hours; costs up to 400% of the ticket refunded within 14 days (Article 8) |
| Hotel nights in extraordinary circumstances | No limit in the text | Airline may limit to 3 nights (Article 9) |
| Stuck on the tarmac | No EU261 rule | Updates, heating or cooling, toilets, free drinking water; at 2 hours the plane goes to the gate or another place to let you off, safety permitting (Article 6a) |
| Cabin bags | Not covered by EU261 | Free personal item (up to 40 x 30 x 15 cm, or fits under the seat); hand baggage subject to cabin space; fares with a hand bag shown by default (Article 11a) |
| Telling you about your rights | Written notice at the airport | Within 96 hours of your journey ending, the airline must send you electronically your right to compensation and how to claim (Article 7(4)) |
| Complaints | National enforcement bodies; no EU response deadline | Airlines and booking sites must run a complaint system: complain within 12 months of the flight (or 3 months after your claim), receipt within 7 working days, reply within 1 month, final reply under 2 months (Article 15a) |
Article numbers refer to Regulation 261/2004 as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/2202. Read on EUR-Lex on October 31, 2026. The "today" column summarizes the current regulation and the EU Court rulings cited; it is a summary, not the full rule.
What it means for your claim, by situation
| Your situation | Before Oct 23, 2027 | From Oct 23, 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Paris to Rome, 3.5 hours late, technical fault | EUR 250 | EUR 250 |
| Frankfurt to New York, 3.5 hours late, technical fault | EUR 600, or EUR 300 if the airline treats it as a rerouting arriving within 4 hours | EUR 300 (50% cut allowed) |
| Frankfurt to New York, 5 hours late, technical fault | EUR 600 | EUR 600 |
| Own pilots strike over pay, flight cancelled at 2 days notice | Compensation due (C-28/20) | Compensation due (pay demands are not ones only public authorities can meet) |
| Air traffic control strike | Usually no compensation; care still owed | Usually no compensation; care still owed |
| Cancelled, airline offers nothing for hours | Ask for rerouting, keep receipts; reimbursement depends on the airline and national enforcement | After 3 hours with no comparable offer, book yourself, tell the airline, claim up to 400% of the ticket |
Distances: EUR 250 for 1,500 km or less; EUR 400 for EU journeys over 1,500 km and other journeys of 1,500 to 3,500 km; EUR 600 for the rest. Distance is from the first departure airport to the final destination.
What to do now
- Delay before October 23, 2027? Claim under today's rules. Start with the airline's own form or our free EU261 claim letter. Our flight delay compensation guide has the full rules.
- Check your time limit. Old claims can still be filed for years in some countries. See claim time limits by country.
- Strike cancellation? Ask the airline in writing who was on strike. Own staff means compensation today and, for normal pay disputes, after 2027 too.
- Booking travel for late 2027 onward? Save the airline's email or app message about your rights. From October 23, 2027 the airline has to send it within 96 hours, and it starts your complaint clock.
- Ignore "4-hour" or "6-hour" claims on claims-company blogs. The published law says three hours.
Checklist
- Flight date before or after October 23, 2027 noted (decides which rules apply)
- Actual arrival time at the final destination saved (screenshot)
- Delay or cancellation reason in writing; who was on strike, if anyone
- Distance band checked (EUR 250 / 400 / 600)
- Receipts for meals, hotel, taxis and any replacement ticket kept
- Claim filed with the airline; date noted
Prefer someone else to handle it?
Claiming directly costs nothing. If the airline rejects a claim you think is valid, or stops answering, and you would rather not go to the national enforcement body or court yourself, a claims service is the paid alternative:
Check a flight delay with AirHelp →
Affiliate link. AirHelp checks eligibility for free and takes a share of the compensation only if it wins. It cannot get money for weather or air traffic control delays.
Common questions
When do the new EU flight compensation rules start?
On October 23, 2027. Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 was signed on September 16, 2026, published in the Official Journal on October 2, 2026, and its Article 3 says it applies from October 23, 2027. Flights before that date stay under Regulation 261/2004 as it stands today.
Does the EU reform raise the delay threshold to 4 or 5 hours?
No. The final text keeps compensation for a delay at arrival exceeding three hours, and keeps the EUR 250, 400 and 600 amounts. Earlier drafts proposed longer thresholds, which is why some websites still quote 4, 5 or 6 hours.
Will long-haul compensation be cut in half under the new rules?
Only for arrivals no more than 4 hours late. For journeys over the EUR 600 band, the new Article 7(2) lets the airline pay 50% (EUR 300) when you arrive more than 3 but no more than 4 hours late, either on the delayed flight or on a later rerouting. At more than 4 hours late the full EUR 600 is due.
Are airline staff strikes extraordinary circumstances under the new rules?
Mostly not. The new list says a strike at the operating airline counts as extraordinary only when it comes from demands that only public authorities can satisfy. A normal pay strike by the airline's own pilots or cabin crew still means compensation. Strikes at airports, air traffic control or ground handlers the airline does not choose usually do count.
Can I book my own replacement flight if the airline does nothing?
From October 23, 2027, yes, under conditions. If you told the airline you want to continue your trip and it has not offered a comparable rerouting within three hours, you may arrange your own, tell the airline, and claim back necessary and reasonable costs up to 400% of your ticket price, paid within 14 calendar days of your request.
Do I need to change anything for a delay that happens before October 2027?
No. Claim under the current rules: more than 3 hours late at your final destination, EUR 250, 400 or 600, and the airline's own claim form first. Our EU261 claim letter works for those claims.
How we checked this
On October 31, 2026 we read the published text of Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 on EUR-Lex (Official Journal L series, October 2, 2026): Article 3 (applies from October 23, 2027), the new Articles 5, 6, 6a, 7, 8, 9, 11a and 15a, and the list of extraordinary circumstances in Annex I. The legislative history (signed September 16, 2026) is on the European Parliament's Legislative Observatory (read October 30, 2026). Today's rules: the EU's Your Europe air passenger rights page and EU Court case C-28/20 (Airhelp v SAS, March 23, 2021) on own-staff strikes. This is general information, not legal advice.