LEVEL flight delay and cancellation compensation

LEVEL flight delay and cancellation: your rights

LEVEL is the long-haul low-cost brand in the IAG group, flying from Barcelona under a Spanish operating licence. That licence matters more here than on most airlines, because LEVEL's network is long-haul and the licence is what extends EU261 to the flights coming back.

• Departing any EU or EEA airport — covered, whoever operates.
• Arriving into the EU or EEA from outside it — covered, because LEVEL holds an EU licence. A delayed flight from Buenos Aires or New York into Barcelona is claimable.
• Departing or arriving in the UK — UK261 applies instead, in sterling.

A non-EU carrier flying the same route inbound would not be covered. LEVEL is, and on long-haul that difference is usually worth €600 a passenger.

Long-haul means the top band

The amount is set by distance, so LEVEL's network sits at the expensive end of the scale:

• €600 for routes over 3,500 km, which is most of what LEVEL flies
• €400 between 1,500 and 3,500 km
• €250 up to 1,500 km

One reduction applies, and only on long-haul: where the airline gets you there between three and four hours late on a route over 3,500 km, Article 7(2) lets it halve the payment to €300. Past four hours the full €600 stands.

Everyone on the booking is owed separately, which on a family long-haul booking makes this one of the larger claims in air travel.

Does a low fare reduce LEVEL compensation?

LEVEL sells stripped-back long-haul fares, and none of that changes the statutory sum. The regulation fixes the amount by distance and says nothing about what you paid, so a basic fare and a premium one on the same delayed flight are worth the same.

Nor do the optional extras matter to the claim. A refund of unused baggage or seat fees is a separate question from the compensation, and taking one does not waive the other. The delay compensation guide sets out the full picture.

How to claim LEVEL flight delay compensation

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

A LEVEL 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 LEVEL 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.