Qantas flight delay and cancellation compensation

Qantas flight delay compensation is up to €600 per passenger from an EU/EEA airport, or £520 from the UK, when you reach your final destination three or more hours late. Only flights leaving Europe qualify. Qantas is an Australian carrier, so a flight arriving into London or another European airport falls outside both schemes.

Is a Qantas flight arriving into London covered by UK261?

Qantas is the flag carrier of Australia, a member of the oneworld alliance, flying long-haul routes that connect Australia with Europe via a small number of European gateways. It is not an EU or UK carrier, so your rights depend on the airport you leave from, not on the airline.

Because Qantas holds no EU or UK licence, protection attaches to the departure airport only:

• Departing any EU/EEA airport on Qantas — EU261 applies, as it does to any operating carrier leaving Europe.
• Departing the UK on Qantas — UK261 applies.
• Arriving into the EU/EEA or the UK on Qantas — not covered, because Qantas is not a Community carrier. Inbound flights need an EU airline under EU261, or a UK or EU airline under UK261.

A London departure onward toward Australia is protected; the same aircraft arriving into London is not. Because Qantas' European services are ultra-long-haul, most eligible claims sit firmly in the top band.

How much is a Qantas flight delay out of Europe worth?

The figure is set by route distance, not by the fare or the cabin, and each 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 Qantas departures from Europe

UK261 claims use GBP 220 / GBP 350 / GBP 520. Under Article 7(2), the airline may pay half the top figure where a re-routed long-haul flight arrives under four hours late, so the exact arrival time at your final destination matters.

When Qantas doesn't have to pay

No compensation is due where the airline proves extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even with all reasonable measures — severe weather, ATC flow restrictions, airport closures, security incidents or a bird strike.

Two points are widely misunderstood:

• The airline carries the burden of proof. A generic "operational reasons" line is an assertion, not evidence.
• A strike by the airline's own crew is generally not extraordinary, while strikes by third parties such as air-traffic controllers or airport handlers usually are.

Routine technical faults found during ordinary maintenance normally remain the airline's responsibility.

What should you keep for a Qantas claim?

Keep the booking reference, boarding passes for every leg, and any message announcing the delay or cancellation. For a missed connection, note the actual arrival time at your final destination — that is the figure the regulation uses.

We prepare and run the claim, chase the airline and handle any appeal from start to finish.

What does a Qantas claim cost?

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 Qantas compensation

Start with the flight itself. Our free flight check reads the recorded times for your Qantas 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 Qantas has already refused you, the case law summary sets out what the courts have said about the usual excuses.