China Southern flight delay and cancellation compensation

Your rights on a China Southern flight

China Southern Airlines (CZ) is one of the largest carriers in Asia, hubbed at Guangzhou and serving Amsterdam, Paris and London from southern China. It is not an EU or UK carrier, so your rights turn on the airport you leave from, not on the airline.

Because China Southern holds no EU or UK operating licence, coverage lands on the departure side only:

• Departing any EU/EEA airport on China Southern — EU261 applies.
• Departing the UK on China Southern — UK261, the retained British version, applies.
• Arriving into the EU/EEA or the UK from Guangzhou — not covered, because China Southern is not a Community carrier and the inbound limb requires an EU or UK airline.

An Amsterdam departure to Guangzhou is protected; the return sector from Guangzhou into Amsterdam is not. As China Southern's European flying is entirely long-haul, eligible claims fall in the highest band.

A payment is triggered by a delay of three hours or more at your final destination, a cancellation with under 14 days' notice, or involuntary denied boarding.

How much you could receive

The sum is fixed by route distance, not by the fare or the cabin, and every named passenger with a confirmed booking claims separately.

• EUR 250 — flights of 1,500 km or less
• EUR 400 — flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km
• EUR 600 — flights over 3,500 km, which covers China Southern's departures from Europe

UK261 claims pay GBP 220 / GBP 350 / GBP 520 on the same distance bands.

When China Southern doesn't have to pay

Compensation falls away where the airline proves extraordinary circumstances outside its control and unavoidable even with all reasonable measures — severe weather, ATC restrictions, airport closures, security incidents or a bird strike.

Two things are commonly misstated:

• China Southern must prove the defence. A bare reference to "operational reasons" or weather is not evidence.
• Own-crew strikes are generally not extraordinary, whereas strikes by air-traffic controllers or third-party airport staff usually are.

Routine technical faults discovered during normal maintenance are normally the airline's risk.

How to claim from China Southern

Keep the booking reference, boarding passes for every leg, and any email or app notification about the change. For a missed connection at Guangzhou, record the actual arrival time at your final destination.

We handle the submission, the follow-up and any appeal from start to finish.

What it costs

The eligibility check is free. If we recover your compensation we charge a fixed EUR 39 success fee — the same whether you're owed EUR 250 or EUR 600 — and the airline's payment goes to you. No win, no fee.