Flight Distance Calculator
Enter two airports and get the great-circle distance in kilometres and miles — the precise figure that decides whether a delayed EU or UK flight is worth €250, €400, or €600. It's calculated entirely in your browser from bundled airport coordinates; no API, no waiting.
Great-circle distance
— km
How to use it
- 1 Enter the departure airport's IATA code (the 3 letters on your boarding pass).
- 2 Enter the arrival airport's IATA code.
- 3 Read the great-circle distance in km and miles.
- 4 See which EU261 / UK261 distance band — and amount — it falls into.
Why this matters
EU261 and UK261 don't pay by how far you flew on the airline's route map — they pay by the great-circle distance between your origin and final destination, the shortest path over the curve of the Earth. That single number decides your band: up to 1,500 km, 1,500–3,500 km, or over 3,500 km. Knowing it before you claim means you ask for the right amount. We compute it with the haversine formula from a bundled airport database, so it works instantly and offline.
Frequently asked questions
What is great-circle distance?
It's the shortest distance between two points on the surface of a sphere — here, the straight-line path between two airports over the curve of the Earth. It's almost always shorter than the actual route an aircraft flies, and it's the exact measure EU261/UK261 uses to set compensation.
Which distance band is my flight in?
Up to 1,500 km is the lowest band (€250 / £220). 1,500–3,500 km is the middle band (€400 / £350). Over 3,500 km is the top band (€600 / £520, possibly halved for a 3–4 hour long-haul delay). Enter your airports above to see exactly where you land.
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