DelayPayer

Flight Compensation Checker

Was your flight delayed, cancelled, or overbooked? Enter your airports and how late you arrived, and this free checker tells you in seconds which law applies, whether you qualify, roughly how much you could be owed, and exactly what to do next. It runs entirely in your browser — we never ask for your passport, booking, or payment.

Try an example:

3-letter IATA code from your boarding pass.

Your final destination, not a connection.

What went wrong?

Arrival delay is what counts — not how late you took off.

Only matters for flights arriving INTO the EU/UK from outside.

Enter your route above to check your compensation.

How to use it

  1. 1 Enter your departure and arrival airports as 3-letter IATA codes (e.g. LHR, JFK).
  2. 2 Pick what went wrong — delay, cancellation, overbooking, or baggage.
  3. 3 Tell us how late you reached your destination and, if you know it, the cause.
  4. 4 Read your verdict, the amount, and your next steps — then claim it yourself or hand it to a firm.

Why this matters

Airlines rarely volunteer that you're owed money, and the rules are split across four different regimes (EU261, UK261, US DOT, Canada APPR) that pay wildly different things — Europe pays cash for delays, the U.S. pays none. This checker reads your situation against the regulation that actually governs your flight and gives you a straight answer with the real amount, so you know whether it's worth claiming before you spend an hour on hold. The compensation amount under EU/UK law is set by the great-circle distance of your flight, which we calculate offline from a bundled airport database — no flight-tracking API needed.

Frequently asked questions

How much compensation am I owed for a delayed flight?

Under EU261 it's €250 for flights up to 1,500 km, €400 for 1,500–3,500 km, and €600 for longer flights (halved to €300 if a long-haul arrives 3–4 hours late). UK261 mirrors this at £220 / £350 / £520. Canada's APPR pays CA$400 / CA$700 / CA$1,000 by how late you arrive. The United States pays no cash compensation for delays at all. Enter your route to see your exact figure.

Does this checker work without my booking or personal details?

Yes. It only needs your airports, what went wrong, and how late you were — all of which run in your browser. We never ask for your name, passport, booking reference, or payment, and we don't store what you type. That's deliberate: we judge eligibility and explain your rights; we don't file claims or collect personal data.

What's an “extraordinary circumstance” and how does it affect my claim?

EU/UK law lets airlines avoid the fixed compensation if the disruption was a genuine “extraordinary circumstance” outside their control — severe weather, air-traffic-control restrictions, security alerts, or certain hidden manufacturing faults. Crucially, the airline must prove it, and ordinary technical faults or a strike by the airline's own staff do NOT count. If you're unsure of the cause, it's usually worth claiming and making the airline justify any refusal.

Is the United States really different?

Yes — this is the single most misunderstood point. The U.S. has no EU-style cash payout for delays, and the proposed federal cash-compensation rule was withdrawn. Instead, U.S. DOT rules give you an automatic cash refund if your flight is significantly changed or cancelled and you choose not to fly, plus refunds of fees for services you didn't receive. The checker handles U.S. flights with this separate logic so you're not misled.

How long do I have to claim?

Time limits vary by country — often anywhere from 1 to 6 years for EU claims, depending on where you'd file. Canada's APPR and the airline's own processes have their own deadlines, and baggage claims under the Montreal Convention are much shorter (7 days for damage, 21 for delay). Don't sit on a claim; start it while you still have your boarding pass and notifications.

Keep going

Flight Compensation Calculator See the exact statutory payout by jurisdiction and distance band. Flight Distance Calculator Great-circle km/miles between airports — sets your EU261 band. Flight Claim Letter Generator Build a correctly-worded claim letter you send to the airline. Claim It Yourself vs Using a Firm Honest DIY-vs-firm comparison so you keep the most money.