Middle East Airlines flight delay and cancellation compensation

Your rights on a Middle East Airlines flight

Middle East Airlines, Lebanon's SkyTeam flag carrier, links Beirut with Paris Charles de Gaulle, London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Rome and a spread of other European cities. It holds no EU or UK operating licence, so the European rules cover its network in one direction only.

• Departing an EU/EEA airport on MEA — EU261 applies, so Paris, Frankfurt or Rome to Beirut is covered.
• Departing a UK airport — UK261 applies to a Heathrow departure.
• Arriving into Europe from Beirut — not covered. A Beirut to Paris flight sits outside both regimes, since arrivals from third countries are protected only on EU- or UK-licensed carriers.

Your claim arises from one of three events: reaching the final destination three or more hours late, a cancellation notified less than 14 days before departure, or involuntary denied boarding on an oversold flight.

How much you could receive

The bands are fixed by law and follow route distance:

• EUR 250 — 1,500 km or less
• EUR 400 — between 1,500 and 3,500 km
• EUR 600 — over 3,500 km

Most of MEA's European network sits in the middle band: Rome, Frankfurt and Paris to Beirut all fall between 1,500 and 3,500 km, paying EUR 400 per passenger. London to Beirut runs very close to the 3,500 km line, so the exact great-circle distance decides between the top two UK bands of GBP 350 and GBP 520. Every passenger with a confirmed seat claims separately, whatever they paid.

When Middle East Airlines doesn't have to pay

Compensation falls away only for extraordinary circumstances the airline could not have avoided with all reasonable measures — severe weather, air-traffic-control restrictions, airspace closures, security incidents. The burden of proof is the airline's, and regional instability is not a blanket excuse: the defence must be tied to the specific flight and date. Strikes by MEA's own staff are generally not extraordinary, strikes by third parties such as controllers usually are, and technical faults surfacing in routine operations remain the airline's responsibility.

How to claim from Middle East Airlines

Keep the booking reference, boarding passes and the delay or cancellation notifications, and ask staff in writing for the cause. If your journey continued beyond Beirut on one booking, the claim is measured at the final destination. We submit the claim, handle the correspondence and any appeal, and escalate to the enforcement body of the departure country when a refusal does not hold up.

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.