KLM cancelled or delayed flight: claim your compensation
If your KLM 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: October 2, 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 KLM flight
EU261 covers every KLM flight departing from an airport in the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland. Because KLM 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 KLM 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 KLM 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 KLM
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines holds a Dutch operating licence, so it is a European airline, and its hub is Amsterdam Schiphol. EU261 covers its flights departing from the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland, and its flights into those countries from anywhere in the world.
- Many of KLM's European flights are operated by KLM Cityhopper, KLM's regional airline, under KL flight numbers. It is also licensed in the Netherlands, so EU261 applies in the same way and the amounts are the same.
- Many KLM journeys change planes at Schiphol. If you missed your connection because your first KLM flight was late, and you were on a single booking, what counts is how late you reached your final destination: 3 hours or more can give compensation (Court of Justice of the European Union, Folkerts, C-11/11, 2013). The amount follows the distance of the whole journey, not of the flight that was late (Bossen, C-559/16, 2017).
- On KLM's long-haul flights over 3,500 km, the compensation is €600, both leaving the EU and, because KLM is a European airline, flying into Amsterdam. Arriving 3 to 4 hours late on those flights gives half, €300; arriving 4 hours or more late gives the full €600.
- On 17 September 2025, KLM's own ground staff, called out by the FNV and CNV unions in a collective-agreement dispute, struck for four hours at Schiphol, and KLM cancelled about a hundred flights. A strike by an airline's own staff is not an extraordinary circumstance (Court of Justice of the European Union, Airhelp v SAS, C-28/20, 2021), so cancellations caused by it generally give a right to compensation.
- A KLM ticket may include flights operated by partners such as Air France or Delta. EU261 depends on the airline that operated each flight: an Air France flight is covered like a KLM one, but a flight from the United States into Amsterdam 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 KLM's own staff, is generally not an extraordinary circumstance, so compensation is usually still due.
If KLM refuses to pay
If KLM 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 KLM, and to the enforcement body or to court if needed.
Frequently asked questions
Does EU261 cover my KLM flight?
EU261 covers every KLM flight departing from an airport in the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland. Because KLM is a European airline, it also covers its flights into those countries from anywhere in the world.
How much compensation can I get from KLM?
€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.
KLM cancelled my flight because of its ground staff strike. Can I claim?
Generally yes: a strike by KLM's own staff does not release it from paying compensation, provided you were told less than 14 days before departure or arrived 3 hours or more late. A strike by air traffic controllers or by staff of the airport itself is different and usually gives no right to compensation; KLM must still offer you a refund or another flight, and meals and, if needed, a hotel while you wait.
I missed my connection at Schiphol because my first KLM flight was late. Can I claim?
Yes, if both flights were on one booking and you reached your final destination 3 hours or more late, for a reason within KLM's control. The compensation is based on the distance from your first departure airport to your final destination, so a missed connection onto a long-haul flight can give up to €600.
My KLM 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 Amsterdam operated by Delta is not covered, even on a KLM ticket.
Airkarma is an independent claims service and is not affiliated with KLM.