Flight delay and cancellation compensation at Paris Orly

Your rights when a flight from Paris Orly is disrupted

Orly is Paris's second airport, focused on French domestic trunk routes, the Mediterranean and overseas territories: Transavia France and Air France's domestic operation are based here, with Vueling and long-haul low-cost carrier French Bee adding substantial schedules. EU261 attaches fixed compensation when you reach your final destination three or more hours late: €250 for routes up to 1,500 km, €400 for 1,500 to 3,500 km, and €600 above 3,500 km. A cancellation announced with less than fourteen days' notice and involuntary denied boarding carry the same amounts, per passenger.

Which rules apply at Paris Orly

France is an EU member state, so EU261 governs every departure from Orly whatever airline operates it. Arrivals into Orly are covered only when the operating carrier is an EU or EEA airline — which keeps Air France and French Bee returns from the Caribbean or Réunion inside the regulation, while the same route on a non-European carrier would fall outside it. Flights to France's overseas departments count as long international distances despite being domestic in law, so an Orly to Guadeloupe or Réunion delay sits in the €600 band.

What to do at the airport

Ask the airline for its reason in writing and keep the notification. Record when the aircraft doors opened at your final destination — the timestamp the three-hour threshold is judged against. Duty of care begins at two hours on short routes, three on medium and four on long-haul: meals, refreshments, communication and a hotel with transfers for an overnight wait, whatever the cause of the disruption. Keep receipts for reasonable spending if nothing is provided.

Common causes of disruption

French air traffic control strikes are the disruption Orly passengers know best: France sees them frequently, and the DGAC often orders airlines to cut schedules in advance on strike days. A controllers' strike is third-party industrial action and usually counts as extraordinary circumstances, removing compensation — but the airline still owes re-routing or a refund, plus meals and a hotel, and it must prove the strike actually caused your cancellation. A strike by the airline's own crew is different and generally not extraordinary. Beyond strikes, tight rotations, summer thunderstorms and congested airspace do the rest; technical faults and crew shortages remain compensable.

Claiming for a flight from Paris Orly

The free eligibility check confirms whether EU261 applies and which band your route falls into. We submit and pursue the claim and challenge unevidenced refusals; unresolved French disputes can be escalated to the DGAC, the Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile, France's national enforcement body for EU261. 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. No win, no fee.