Air France delayed or cancelled flight: claim your compensation
If your Air France flight arrived 3 hours or more late, was cancelled at short notice, or you were denied boarding, EU Regulation 261/2004 may entitle you to €250 to €600 per passenger — whatever you paid for the ticket.
Last updated: September 29, 2026
Airkarma handles claims under EU Regulation 261/2004: flights departing from the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland, and flights into those countries on a European airline. Flights departing from the United Kingdom fall under UK261, which we do not handle yet.
How much you can claim
- €250
- Flights up to 1,500 km
- €400
- Flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km, and every flight over 1,500 km within the EU
- €600
- Flights over 3,500 km, except flights within the EU
Per passenger, including children with their own seat. If the airline re-routed you and you arrived no more than 2, 3 or 4 hours late, depending on the distance, it may halve the amount (Article 7(2)).
No win, no fee: if we recover your compensation, we keep 25% incl. VAT. If we don't, you pay nothing.
When EU261 covers a Air France flight
EU261 covers every Air France flight departing from an airport in the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland. Because Air France is a European airline, it also covers its flights into those countries from anywhere in the world.
Your rights by situation
Delayed flight
If you reached your final destination 3 hours or more after the scheduled arrival time, you are entitled to compensation as if the flight had been cancelled, as the Court of Justice of the EU confirmed in 2009 (Sturgeon). What counts is when you arrive — when the aircraft doors open — not when you took off.
Cancelled flight
If Air France cancelled your flight and told you less than 14 days before departure, compensation is due unless it offered you another flight leaving and arriving close to your original times (Article 5). Whatever the notice, you can choose between a refund and a replacement flight.
Denied boarding
If you were refused boarding against your will — usually because the flight was overbooked — although you had a confirmed booking and checked in on time, compensation is due straight away (Article 4).
Care while you wait
Whatever caused the disruption, while you wait Air France must provide meals and refreshments and, if you have to stay overnight, a hotel and transport to it (Article 9).
What to know about claiming from Air France
- Air France holds a French operating licence, so it is a European airline, and its hub is Paris-Charles de Gaulle. EU261 covers its flights departing from the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland, and its flights into those countries from anywhere in the world.
- Regional flights sold under Air France (AF) flight numbers may be operated by Air France Hop, Air France's regional airline, which is also licensed in France. EU261 applies in the same way, and compensation is owed by the airline that operated the flight.
- Air France left Paris-Orly on 28 March 2026 and now flies from Paris only from Charles de Gaulle. The routes from Orly to Nice, Marseille and Toulouse are now flown by Transavia France, a separate airline: a claim for one of those flights goes to Transavia France.
- Flights between mainland France and Réunion, Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana or Mayotte count as flights within the EU, because those territories are part of it. However long the flight, the compensation is therefore capped at €400, not €600. Flights to French Polynesia or New Caledonia, which are not part of the EU, follow the normal long-haul amounts.
- On Air France's other long-haul flights over 3,500 km, the compensation is €600, both leaving the EU and, because Air France is a European airline, flying into Paris. Arriving 3 to 4 hours late on those flights gives half, €300; arriving 4 hours or more late gives the full €600.
- An Air France ticket may include flights operated by partners such as KLM or Delta. EU261 depends on the airline that operated each flight: a KLM flight is covered like an Air France one, but a flight from the United States into Paris operated by Delta is not.
When compensation is unlikely
Compensation is usually not due when:
- the flight arrived less than 3 hours late;
- you were told about the cancellation at least 14 days before departure;
- the disruption was caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken — for example severe weather, air traffic control restrictions, a security risk, or a strike by staff who do not work for the airline;
- the flight is not covered by EU261 (see above).
A technical fault, or a strike by Air France's own staff, is generally not an extraordinary circumstance, so compensation is usually still due.
If Air France refuses to pay
If Air France rejects your claim or does not reply, you can complain to the national enforcement body of the country your flight departed from.
Every EU country has one, as do Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.
Or let us handle it: we take your claim to Air France, and to the enforcement body or to court if needed.
Frequently asked questions
Does EU261 cover my Air France flight?
EU261 covers every Air France flight departing from an airport in the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland. Because Air France is a European airline, it also covers its flights into those countries from anywhere in the world.
How much compensation can I get from Air France?
€250 for flights up to 1,500 km, €400 for flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km and for every flight over 1,500 km within the EU, and €600 for longer flights — per passenger, whatever the ticket cost.
What does it cost to claim with Airkarma?
Nothing up front. If we recover your compensation, we keep 25% incl. VAT. If we don't, you pay nothing.
How much can I claim for a delayed Air France flight to Réunion, Martinique or Guadeloupe?
Up to €400 per passenger, not €600: these territories are part of the EU, so the flights count as flights within the EU, whose compensation is capped at €400 however long they are. You need to have arrived 3 hours or more late, for a reason within the airline's control.
I booked an Orly to Nice flight with Air France, but Transavia France operated it. Who owes the compensation?
The airline that operated the flight, named as "operated by" on your booking or boarding pass: here, Transavia France. It is a European airline, so the same rules and amounts apply.
My Air France ticket included a flight operated by Delta. Am I covered?
It depends on where that flight departed from. A flight departing from the EU is covered whichever airline operates it. A flight into the EU is covered only if a European airline operated it, so a flight from the United States into Paris operated by Delta is not covered, even on an Air France ticket.
Airkarma is an independent claims service and is not affiliated with Air France.