How the calculator works
Every amount comes from a rule written in an official text and stored in one parameter file, read by the calculator, the pages and the automated tests. Nothing you type leaves your browser. This page lists the rules, the data and the limits.
Airports and distance
The airport list holds 4,008 airports with scheduled passenger service and an IATA code, taken from OurAirports (public domain, read on 21 October 2026). Distance is the great-circle distance between the two airports on a sphere of radius 6,371 km, as Article 7(4) of the regulation requires; the distance actually flown, with detours and holding, does not count. For a journey booked as one, the distance runs from the first departure airport to the final destination (CJEU, Folkerts, C-11/11).
| Example | Distance | EU261 | UK261 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frankfurt to Palma | 1,251 km | €250 | – |
| Hamburg to Gran Canaria | 3,528 km | €400 | – |
| London Heathrow to New York JFK | 5,540 km | – | £520 |
| Munich to Dubai | 4,565 km | €600 | – |
Which law applies
- EU261 (Regulation (EC) No 261/2004): departure from an airport in the EU (outermost regions included), Iceland, Norway or Switzerland, on any airline; or arrival there from outside on an airline licensed in the EU, EEA or Switzerland. For flights from 23 October 2027 the calculator switches to the text as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/2202.
- UK261 (retained regulation): departure from the UK on any airline; arrival in the UK on a UK or EU airline; arrival in the EU on a UK airline.
- APPR (SOR/2019-150): any flight to, from or within Canada, whatever the airline.
When two regimes cover the same flight, the calculator shows both and puts the higher amount first. Compensation for the same event cannot be collected twice: Canada says so in section 86.11(3) of the Canada Transportation Act, and EU and UK courts deduct what was already paid.
Amounts
EU261: €250 up to 1,500 km, €400 between 1,500 and 3,500 km and for every intra-EU flight over 1,500 km, €600 beyond. Delay: three hours or more at the final destination (Sturgeon), more than three hours for flights from 23 October 2027. The airline may halve the top band when the arrival delay stays under four hours (up to four hours under the amended text). UK261: £220, £350, £520, on the same thresholds. APPR: large carrier $400, $700, $1,000 for 3, 6 and 9 hours; small carrier $125, $250, $500; denied boarding $900, $1,800, $2,400.
Cancellations and causes
A cancellation notified at least 14 days ahead gives no compensation. Shorter notice gives none either when the replacement leaves and arrives close to the original times; the calculator applies the windows of the current text or of the amended one depending on the flight date. Weather, air traffic control, airport strikes, security risks and medical emergencies are flagged as “owed unless extraordinary circumstances”: the airline must prove the cause and that it took every reasonable measure. A technical fault and a strike by the airline’s own staff are treated as within its control in Europe (C-549/07, C-28/20); under the APPR a strike within the carrier is listed as outside its control and a fault found outside scheduled maintenance is treated as required for safety.
Deadlines
Germany: three years from the end of the year of the flight (section 195 and section 199 BGB). From 23 October 2027: claim to the airline within nine months of the flight date. England and Wales: six years (Limitation Act 1980); Scotland: five years. Canada: request to the carrier within one year.
The claim letter
The letter is assembled in your browser from your answers and the rule that applies. Name, address, booking reference and bank details are kept in the page’s memory only: they are not stored, not sent and never written into the shareable link, which only carries the airports and the settings.
Limits
The calculator cannot know the real cause of a delay, the airline’s licence on a codeshare (enter the operating airline), or whether you already accepted vouchers. Package holidays, flights on free tickets not available to the public and flights from outside Europe on non-European airlines are outside EU261. It gives general information, not legal advice.
Checks
Automated tests replay worked examples before each release: the 2 h 59 / 3 h boundary, the reduction at 3 h 30 on long haul, the 23 October 2027 switch, intra-EU flights over 3,500 km, UK and Canadian scope, APPR amounts and every deadline. The parameter file was last checked against the official texts on 22 October 2026; the SDR rates used for baggage limits are updated weekly by a script.