Thai Airways flight delay and cancellation compensation

Your rights on a Thai Airways flight

Thai Airways International (TG) is the flag carrier of Thailand, hubbed at Bangkok and flying to London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Copenhagen and Munich. It is not an EU or UK carrier, and that single fact decides where your rights reach.

Because Thai Airways holds no EU or UK operating licence, protection attaches to the airport you departed from, not to the airline:

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

So a Copenhagen departure to Bangkok is protected; the same aircraft flying Bangkok to Copenhagen is not. Everything Thai Airways flies out of Europe is long-haul, which places eligible claims in the top compensation 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 amount 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 Thai Airways' departures from Europe to Bangkok

UK261 claims use the sterling bands of GBP 220 / GBP 350 / GBP 520.

When Thai Airways doesn't have to pay

There is no compensation where the disruption was caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even with all reasonable measures — severe weather, air-traffic-control restrictions, airport closures, security alerts or a bird strike.

Two points are widely misunderstood:

• The airline carries the burden of proof. A one-line message citing "operational reasons" is an assertion, not evidence.
• A strike by Thai Airways' own crew is generally not extraordinary, while strikes by third parties — air-traffic controllers, airport handlers — usually are.

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

How to claim from Thai Airways

Keep the booking reference, your boarding pass, and any message announcing the delay or cancellation. Ask, in writing, for the reason. For a missed onward connection in Bangkok, 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.