easyJet cancelled or delayed flight: your compensation
If your easyJet 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 easyJet flight
Whether EU261 covers an easyJet flight depends on which of easyJet's three airlines operated it. Every easyJet flight departing from the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland is covered. A flight into those countries is covered only if easyJet Europe or easyJet Switzerland operated it; if easyJet UK operated it, EU261 does not apply to that flight, and the United Kingdom's own rules (UK261) do instead.
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 easyJet 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 easyJet 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 easyJet
- easyJet flies as three airlines: easyJet UK, licensed in the United Kingdom; easyJet Europe, licensed in Austria; and easyJet Switzerland, licensed in Switzerland, which flies from Geneva and Basel. Your booking or boarding pass names the airline that operated your flight; a flight number starting with EC is easyJet Europe, and one starting with U2 is easyJet UK.
- This matters most for flights from the United Kingdom. On a London to Paris flight, for example, EU261 covers you if easyJet Europe operated it, and not if easyJet UK did. The return flight from Paris is covered whichever easyJet airline operated it.
- Most easyJet flights stay within Europe, where the compensation is €250 for flights up to 1,500 km and €400 for longer flights within the EU, including long routes such as those to the Canary Islands. €600 applies only to flights over 3,500 km leaving the EU, which are rare on easyJet's network.
- easyJet takes compensation claims through its own online form, and expenses such as meals, a hotel or transport through a separate expense claim form. Keep your receipts: expenses are repaid in addition to any compensation.
- easyJet's terms (clause 19.6.1) ask passengers to submit claims directly and allow it 28 days to respond before engaging a third party. The Court of Appeal of England and Wales held in 2022 that a claim submitted through easyJet's portal by someone acting for the passenger, such as a claims company, still counts as submitted directly (Dore v easyJet). Under EU law, a clause that stops you transferring your claim cannot be enforced (Court of Justice of the EU, Eventmedia, C-11/23, 2024).
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 easyJet's own staff, is generally not an extraordinary circumstance, so compensation is usually still due.
If easyJet refuses to pay
If easyJet 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 easyJet, and to the enforcement body or to court if needed.
Frequently asked questions
Does EU261 cover my easyJet flight?
Whether EU261 covers an easyJet flight depends on which of easyJet's three airlines operated it. Every easyJet flight departing from the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland is covered. A flight into those countries is covered only if easyJet Europe or easyJet Switzerland operated it; if easyJet UK operated it, EU261 does not apply to that flight, and the United Kingdom's own rules (UK261) do instead.
How much compensation can I get from easyJet?
€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.
My easyJet flight from the United Kingdom to the EU was delayed. Am I covered?
It depends on which easyJet airline operated it. If it was easyJet Europe or easyJet Switzerland, EU261 applies. If it was easyJet UK, EU261 does not cover that flight: the UK's own rules (UK261) apply, which we do not handle yet. Your booking or boarding pass names the operating airline.
Can I claim my hotel and meals from easyJet as well as compensation?
Yes. Meals, refreshments and, if you had to stay overnight, a hotel and transport to it are owed whatever caused the disruption. You claim them separately through easyJet's expense form, with your receipts. Compensation, when it is due, comes on top.
Do I have to claim from easyJet myself first?
easyJet's terms ask you to submit your claim directly and allow it 28 days to respond before engaging a third party. A claim sent through easyJet's form on your behalf still counts as direct, and under EU law airlines cannot stop you transferring your claim to a claims service.
Airkarma is an independent claims service and is not affiliated with easyJet.