Does EU261 cover a Buzz flight delay in both directions?
Buzz flight delay compensation pays €250 to €600 per passenger when you arrive three or more hours late. Buzz holds a Polish licence, so EU261 covers its flights both into and out of the EU, even when the ticket says Ryanair. Claim from Buzz as the operating carrier, and act promptly if your flight left Poland.
Buzz is a Ryanair group airline holding a Polish operating licence, flying routes across Europe and often under Ryanair flight numbers. The ticket may say Ryanair; the aircraft and the certificate are Polish, and that is what your claim runs against.
Because the licence is Polish, Buzz is an EU carrier and EU261 reaches its flights in full:
- Departing any EU or EEA airport — covered.
- Arriving into the EU or EEA from outside it — covered, because the operating carrier is EU-licensed.
- Departing the UK — UK261 applies, in sterling. A flight from the EU into the UK is an EU departure, so EU261 covers it.
What a delayed flight pays
Amounts are per passenger, not per booking. A delay of 3–4 hours over 3,500 km may be reduced by half under Article 7(2).
Should you claim from Buzz or from Ryanair?
This is the practical point on every Ryanair group page. The regulation puts the duty on the operating carrier — the airline that actually flew the aircraft — so the claim is against Buzz, even when Ryanair sold the ticket. A letter to the wrong company in the group can cost you time.
Your boarding pass names the operator. Check it before writing, and name that airline and the flight number in the first line of your letter. Our claim letter guide sets out the five facts to include.
How much is a Buzz delay or cancellation worth?
The distance decides it and the fare is irrelevant:
| Route distance | Compensation per passenger |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | €250 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km, and any intra-EU route over 1,500 km | €400 |
| Beyond 3,500 km, which the network rarely reaches (€400 if the flight is within the EU) | €600 |
Everyone on the booking is owed separately, so a family of four multiplies the figure. A €20 seat attracts the same €250 as a flexible fare on the same flight.
How long do you have to bring a Buzz claim?
A Polish carrier does not mean a Polish deadline: the limit follows the country whose courts would hear the claim, and national limits range from one year in Poland to six in the UK. If your flight departed Poland it is worth acting promptly rather than assuming years of room. Our deadline checker gives the limit for your route.
The EU261 reform approved in July 2026 will replace these national limits with one nine-month deadline across the EU, expected from the second half of 2027. Until then the national limits apply.
How do you claim Buzz flight delay compensation?
Start with the flight itself. Our free flight check reads the recorded departure and arrival times for your Buzz flight and tells you which band it falls in, in about two minutes.
A Buzz compensation claim turns on the arrival time and on the reason the airline gives, so read both before you write. The flight delay compensation guide sets out the bands, and the cancellation compensation guide covers Buzz cancellation compensation for a flight that never operated. If the airline refuses, the case law summary sets out what the courts have accepted as an excuse and what they have thrown out.
Check what you're owed
What you need to claim
- Your flight number and date
- The airports you flew between
- Roughly how late you arrived
- Your booking reference, if you still have it
No boarding pass? We can usually work from the flight number and date alone.