Glossary

Flight compensation glossary, in plain language

Airlines and regulations speak in terms of art, and the wrong reading of one word can cost a claim. This flight compensation glossary defines every term you will meet in a refusal letter or a regulation: what it means, why it matters and where to read the full story.

EU261 terms explained: why the wording matters

Most refusals turn on a single phrase. An airline writes “extraordinary circumstances” and the claim looks closed. In law that phrase carries a burden of proof the airline has to discharge, and ordinary technical faults do not meet it. Knowing which words are terms of art, and which are just words, is what separates a refusal you should accept from one you should answer.

These air passenger rights definitions follow the regulation and the Court of Justice rulings that interpret it, not the airline’s usage. Each links to the guide where the term does its work.

The terms, A to Z

EU261 / EC261: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, the EU law on denied boarding, cancellation and long delay. It fixes compensation of €250–€600, care during the wait, and the choice of rerouting or a refund. EU261 guide
UK261: The UK's post-Brexit retained version of EU261, applying to flights departing the UK or arriving in the UK on UK/EU carriers. Amounts are set in pounds (£220/£350/£520). UK261 guide
APPR (Canada): Canada's Air Passenger Protection Regulations. For disruptions within airline control, compensation runs by delay length: CA$400 (3–6 h), CA$700 (6–9 h), CA$1,000 (9 h+) on large carriers.
Aviation Services Law (Israel): Israel's 2012 passenger-rights law: assistance from 2 hours' delay, and monetary compensation plus refund rights from 8 hours or on cancellation.
Montreal Convention: The 1999 international treaty governing airline liability on international journeys — the basis for baggage claims and provable-loss damages, separate from EU261's fixed amounts. Montreal Convention guide
Extraordinary circumstances: Events outside the airline's actual control — extreme weather, air-traffic-control decisions, security risks — that excuse the airline from paying fixed compensation (but never from providing care). Technical faults and the airline's own crew problems generally do NOT qualify. The case law
Right of care (Article 9): What the airline owes you during the wait regardless of cause: meals and refreshments after 2–4 hours, hotel and transfers if the delay runs overnight, and communication. Survives even extraordinary circumstances.
Fixed compensation (Article 7): The amounts EU261 fixes per passenger, by distance: €250 up to 1,500 km, €400 from 1,500 to 3,500 km, €600 beyond. They are owed for cancellations, denied boarding and delays of 3 hours or more within the airline's control.
The 3-hour rule: A delay pays fixed compensation once you reach your final destination 3 or more hours late (Sturgeon v Condor). Measured at arrival — doors open — not departure. Delay guide
Final destination: The last airport on a single booking. For connections booked together, delay is measured here — a short first-leg delay that costs you the connection can make the whole journey claimable (Air France v Folkerts).
Denied boarding: Being refused carriage against your will with a valid ticket — usually overbooking. Pays immediate fixed compensation plus rerouting or refund; voluntary surrender of your seat for the airline's offer is different. Denied boarding guide
Overbooking: Selling more seats than the aircraft has, betting on no-shows. Legal — but when the bet fails, involuntarily bumped passengers are owed denied-boarding compensation on the spot. Overbooking guide
Rerouting (Article 8): After a cancellation or denied boarding you choose: the earliest alternative flight, a later date that suits you, or a full refund. The choice is the passenger's, not the airline's — and rerouting can be on another carrier.
Refund vs compensation: A refund returns what YOU paid for the unused ticket; compensation is the fixed statutory amount on top for the disruption itself. Accepting a refund of the fare does not waive compensation. Refund guide
Care voucher: A meal, drink or hotel voucher handed out during a disruption. It is the airline meeting its Article 9 duty — accepting one never settles or reduces your compensation claim. Voucher or cash?
Compensation voucher (Article 7(3)): A travel voucher offered INSTEAD of cash compensation. Only valid with your signed agreement, often phrased 'in full and final settlement' — and usually worth less than the cash it replaces. Voucher or cash?
Operating carrier / wet lease: The airline actually flying the aircraft — the one liable under EU261, even if you bought the ticket from a partner whose code was on the booking.
Codeshare: One flight sold under several airlines' flight numbers. Your claim runs against the operating carrier, whatever code is printed on your ticket.
NEB (National Enforcement Body): The regulator each country designates to enforce EU261 — where you complain, for free, when an airline rejects a valid claim or ignores it. Their views aren't binding judgments, but airlines take them seriously.
Limitation period: The national deadline for bringing a claim — EU261 sets none of its own, so it ranges from 1 year (Poland) to 6 (UK). Old flights are often still claimable. Deadline checker
Tarmac delay: Time spent on the aircraft away from the gate. After 5 hours on the tarmac EU261's refund right applies; care obligations continue on board.
Missed connection: Missing an onward flight because the first leg was late. On a single booking the whole journey is judged by final arrival — the most commonly missed claim in air travel. Missed connection guide
Downgrading (Article 10): Being moved to a lower class than booked. The airline must reimburse 30–75% of the ticket price for the affected flight within 7 days, depending on distance.
PNR / booking reference: The six-character code identifying your reservation. Useful for a claim, but not required — the flight number and date are usually enough for us to verify the disruption.
IATA code: Two-letter airline codes (BA, FR) and three-letter airport codes (LHR, CDG) used throughout aviation — and throughout this site's data.
CJEU: The Court of Justice of the European Union — EU261's text is short, and the CJEU's rulings built most of the rights passengers actually rely on. Case law, explained
Sturgeon ruling: The 2009 CJEU judgment extending cancellation-level compensation to delays of 3+ hours — the foundation of every delay claim. Read the summary
Wallentin-Hermann ruling: The 2008 CJEU judgment holding that ordinary technical faults are NOT extraordinary circumstances — the answer to the most common rejection excuse. Read the summary
Mandate / authority to act: The signed authorization letting a claims service pursue the airline on your behalf. Ours authorizes us to act for a fixed fee — we never take ownership of your claim or a percentage of your money.
Success fee: A fee charged only when compensation is actually recovered. Ours is fixed (€39 per passenger) rather than the industry's 25–35% cut — you keep 100% of the compensation itself. Pricing

Plain-language definitions for orientation, not legal advice. Amounts and thresholds are those of the regulation named in each entry.

Flight compensation glossary: common questions

What counts as extraordinary circumstances?

Events outside the airline's control that it could not have avoided with all reasonable measures: severe weather, air-traffic control restrictions, political instability, certain security risks. Ordinary technical faults and crew shortages generally do not qualify, and the airline has to prove the circumstance made the disruption unavoidable.

What is the right to care?

Meals and refreshments in proportion to the wait, two calls or emails, and a hotel with transfers where an overnight stay is needed. Care is owed whatever caused the disruption, including weather, and it is separate from any compensation.

What is an NEB?

A national enforcement body — the authority that enforces EU261 in each country. The LBA in Germany, AESA in Spain, the CAA in the United Kingdom. You escalate to the NEB of the country you departed from when an airline refuses a valid claim.

Sources

Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 — the regulation itself, in every EU language
UK Civil Aviation Authority — passenger rights — the UK regulator's own guidance and complaint route