Claim it yourself.
Keep 100% of it.
Claims companies take 20–35% of your money. This guide shows you how to claim directly from the airline — for free — across the EU, UK, US and Middle East.
Booking confirmation, boarding pass, and any delay or cancellation message. Photograph the departure board showing the delay. Keep receipts for meals and hotels.
Use the eligibility checker to confirm your route is covered and how much you can claim. Note whether the cause was within the airline's control.
Send a clear, dated demand letter to the airline's customer relations. Copy a template below, fill the brackets, and attach your proof. Give them a 14-day deadline.
No reply or a 'no'? Take it to the regulator for that region (see each section). Many airlines pay up once a regulator is involved.
If the regulator can't force payment, small claims court is cheap and passenger-friendly for clear-cut cases. Bring your evidence and the regulation reference.
Your flight departs any EU airport (any airline), OR arrives in the EU on an EU-based airline.
- Arrival delay of 3+ hours
- Cancellation with less than 14 days' notice
- Denied boarding (overbooking)
No compensation for 'extraordinary circumstances' — severe weather, air-traffic control, security alerts, political instability. Technical faults and the airline's own staff strikes usually are not considered extraordinary, although the circumstances of each disruption matter.
On any long delay the airline must give you meals, drinks, two phone calls or emails, and a hotel plus transfer if you're stranded overnight — regardless of the cause.
If the airline refuses, escalate to the National Enforcement Body of the country where the disruption happened, or use an ADR scheme. Then small claims court.
Run your flight through the free checker first — it tells you the exact amount in 60 seconds.
For a general overview of how official EU and UK sources describe flight delays and cancellations, see Flight Delays and Cancellations: A General Overview.
ClaimYourTrip provides general information to help you claim directly, and is not a law firm or claims-management company. We are not affiliated with any airline. Rules summarized here are current as of June 2026 but can change — always check the relevant regulator. This is not legal advice.