Regulation (EC) No 261/2004
The full legal text of the EU air passenger rights regulation, in every EU language.
Open sourceFree resources
Everything you need to claim it yourself
You never have to use a claims company. These are the same checklists, deadlines and official sources we work from — free to use, whether you claim alone or ask us to take it on.
Or let us handle it — free assessmentEvidence checklist
Gather these before you write to the airline. Most claims fail on missing proof, not on law:
- Booking confirmation or e-ticket showing the full itinerary and booking reference.
- Boarding passes, or the airline app screenshots if you never received one.
- Any written notice of the delay, cancellation or denied boarding, including SMS and email.
- Photographs of the departure board showing the disruption and the time.
- The actual arrival time at your final destination.
- Receipts for meals, accommodation, transport and any replacement ticket you had to buy.
- Names or staff numbers of anyone who gave you an explanation at the airport.
Claim letter outline
A claim does not need legal language. Keep it factual and specific:
- Your name, booking reference, flight number, route and date.
- What happened, with times: scheduled departure and arrival, actual arrival at the final destination.
- What you are claiming: the compensation amount for the distance band, plus any expenses with receipts attached.
- The legal basis, in one line: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (or the UK equivalent).
- A request for the specific cause of the disruption and the evidence for it, if the airline intends to refuse.
- A deadline for a reply — 14 days is reasonable — and your bank details for payment.
- Attachments: booking, boarding pass, receipts.
Send it through the airline's official complaints form or a named email address, and keep a copy of everything you send.
Deadlines that matter
- Time limits for bringing a claim are set by national law and vary widely between countries — from around one year to several years.
- The relevant country is usually where the flight departed, where it arrived, or where the airline is established.
- Airline internal complaint windows are not legal deadlines; missing one does not end your claim.
- Enforcement bodies often require you to have complained to the airline first, and to have waited a reasonable period for a reply.
- Do not let a refusal letter run the clock down while you wait — escalate or seek advice.
Because limitation periods depend on where a claim would be heard, check the position for your specific route rather than assuming a single deadline applies everywhere.
Official sources
Everything below is a primary source published by a regulator or a court. We link to them so you can verify anything we say:
European Commission — air passenger rights
The Commission's own explanation of your rights, plus the list of national enforcement bodies.
Open sourceInterpretative guidelines on Regulation 261/2004
How the Commission reads the regulation — useful when an airline disputes the scope.
Open sourceCourt of Justice of the European Union case law
Search the judgments that define delay, cancellation and extraordinary circumstances.
Open sourceUK Civil Aviation Authority — passenger rights
The UK regulator's guidance for flights covered by the retained UK261 rules.
Open sourceYour Europe — passenger rights
Plain-language summaries and complaint routes published by the EU for travellers.
Open sourceOur own guides
Compensation calculator
Check the likely amount for your route and disruption in about two minutes.
Open the calculatorAirline rejected your claim
How to answer a refusal and where to escalate it.
Read the guideRerouting and the right to care
Meals, hotels and alternative transport the airline owes you while you wait.
Read the guideOur methodology
The exact process and sources we use to assess a claim.
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