Air France flight delay and cancellation compensation

Where EU261 applies to Air France

Air France is France's flag carrier, hubbed at Paris Charles de Gaulle with a second base at Orly, and part of the Air France-KLM group. It holds a French operating licence, so it is an EU carrier and EU261 reaches both directions of travel:

• Departures from any EU/EEA airport — covered, as they would be on any airline
• Arrivals into the EU/EEA from anywhere in the world — covered, because the operating carrier is an EU airline
• UK routes — UK261 applies to departures from the UK, and to arrivals into the UK on an EU or UK carrier, which Air France is

France's overseas departments matter here. Flights to Guadeloupe, Martinique, Réunion, Mayotte and French Guiana are part of the EU for these purposes, so a Paris–Fort-de-France service is treated as an intra-EU flight even though it crosses an ocean. That has a direct effect on the amount payable.

How much compensation you could receive

• EUR 250 — routes of 1,500 km or less, such as Paris to Milan
• EUR 400 — intra-EU routes over 1,500 km, and other routes of 1,500 to 3,500 km; the intra-EU band has no upper distance limit, so Paris to Réunion falls here rather than in the top tier
• EUR 600 — other routes over 3,500 km, covering most of the long-haul network to the Americas, Asia and Africa

Compensation is due when you arrive three or more hours late at your final destination, when a flight is cancelled with less than 14 days' notice, or on denied boarding. Under Article 7(2) the airline may halve the EUR 600 figure where a long-haul re-routing lands under four hours late.

The fare is irrelevant. La Première, Business and economy passengers are all paid the same sum, and every named passenger on the booking claims individually.

What Air France also owes you on the day

Compensation is only one of three rights, and the others apply whatever caused the disruption:

• Care — meals and refreshments proportionate to the wait, two phone calls or emails, and hotel accommodation with transfers if you are held overnight
• Refund or re-routing — on a cancellation, or on a delay of five hours or more, you may abandon the journey and take your money back instead
• Downgrade reimbursement — 30, 50 or 75 per cent of the price of the affected leg if you are moved to a lower cabin

If nothing is offered at the airport, buy something reasonable and keep the receipts.

When Air France does not have to pay

The airline can avoid compensation by proving extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided by all reasonable measures. Storms, ATC restrictions — which affect French airspace frequently — runway closures, security alerts, bird strikes and onboard medical emergencies are the recognised categories.

The burden of proof rests entirely with the airline. A short message citing "operational reasons" is not a defence. And the distinction on industrial action holds here too: a strike by Air France's own pilots or cabin crew is generally not extraordinary, whereas a national air-traffic control strike affecting all carriers usually is.

Claiming and escalation

Keep the booking reference, every boarding pass, the delay or cancellation notice, and receipts for expenses. Record the real arrival time at the final destination.

Airlines commonly acknowledge quickly and decide slowly, and volumes rise sharply after weather or strike events. A refused claim can be escalated to the French national enforcement authority (DGAC), to the aviation mediator, or to court. Limitation periods vary by country and, for a claim brought in France, are generally measured in years rather than months.

The eligibility check is free. We charge a fixed EUR 39 only if the claim succeeds, and the airline's compensation goes to you.