Korean Air flight delay and cancellation compensation

Korean Air flight delay compensation is usually €600 per passenger on flights from Europe to Seoul. You can claim when you land three or more hours late, when Korean Air cancels with less than 14 days' notice, or when it turns you away from a full flight. A flight from Seoul into Europe falls outside both EU261 and UK261.

Is a Korean Air flight from Seoul to Paris covered by EU261?

Korean Air is South Korea's flag carrier and a SkyTeam member, built around its hub at Seoul Incheon, with a European network reaching London, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Rome. As neither an EU nor a UK airline, its coverage attaches to the airport you departed from, not to the aircraft.

• Departing an EU/EEA airport on Korean Air — EU261 applies, so a Paris, Frankfurt or Rome departure to Seoul is covered.
• Departing a UK airport — UK261, the retained British version, applies.
• Arriving into the EU/EEA or the UK from South Korea — not covered, because Korean Air is neither an EU nor a UK airline. Inbound flights need an EU airline under EU261, or a UK or EU airline under UK261. A Seoul to Paris flight sits outside both regimes.

Compensation is triggered by arriving at your final destination three or more hours late, a cancellation with under 14 days' notice, or involuntary denied boarding.

How much you could receive

The amount is fixed by route distance, not the fare or cabin. Korean Air's flights between Europe and Seoul are long-haul and over 3,500 km, so the top band is usual:

• EUR 250 — 1,500 km or less
• EUR 400 — 1,500 to 3,500 km
• EUR 600 — over 3,500 km, covering nearly every Korean Air route out of Europe

UK261 pays GBP 220 / GBP 350 / GBP 520. Article 7(2) lets the airline halve the top figure where a re-routing lands you under four hours late. Each passenger claims separately, whatever the cabin.

When Korean Air doesn't have to pay

There is no compensation where the cause was an extraordinary circumstance unavoidable even with all reasonable measures — severe weather, air-traffic-control restrictions, airport closures, security alerts or a bird strike. The airline carries the burden of proof: a one-line "operational reasons" message is an assertion, not evidence. A strike by the airline's own crew is generally not extraordinary, whereas third-party strikes such as air-traffic controllers or airport handlers usually are, and routine technical faults from ordinary maintenance remain the airline's responsibility.

How to claim from Korean Air

Keep the booking reference, boarding passes and any notification of the change, and for a missed connection note your actual arrival time at the final destination, not the first delay. Korean Air handles claims through its own channels and may ask for verification before paying; we run the submission and any appeal, and escalate to the enforcement body or court if a covered claim is wrongly refused.

What does a Korean Air claim cost with us?

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.

How to claim Korean Air compensation

Start with the flight itself. Our free flight check reads the recorded times for your Korean Air flight and tells you which band it falls in, in about two minutes.

For the law behind the figure, the flight delay compensation guide covers arrival delays and the cancellation compensation guide covers a flight that never operated. If Korean Air has already refused you, the case law summary sets out what the courts have said about the usual excuses.