How it works
- Check in ten secondsWhere from, where to, what happened. The calculator above tells you what the rules give you, honestly, including when it's a refund rather than cash.
- We claim it, from your inboxText us. We find the booking in your email, write to the airline as you with the rule that applies to your flight, and answer their first no, their second no, and their “extraordinary circumstances.”
- You get the moneyEvery offer the airline makes comes to you first; nothing is accepted without your yes. When they confirm in writing that money is coming, you hear from us with the amount.
Airlines say no to most people. We’re not most people.
The first answer from an airline is designed to make you stop. Most people do.
- The right rule for your flight. Your route, your distance, your delay, the regulation that applies. Not a form letter.
- “Extraordinary circumstances” is their favorite answer. Bad weather counts. A crew that didn’t show, a technical fault, a late inbound aircraft mostly don’t, and we say so.
- Vouchers are not money. We ask for cash, and keep asking.
- Every offer comes to you first. You decide. We never accept anything on your behalf.
- Nothing to download. You text us. We work from your own email, where the booking already is.
The amounts, and what counts
The rule everyone means by “flight delay compensation” is Europe's EC 261, and the UK's copy of it. It's simple on purpose.
- Up to 1,500 km: €250 (UK: £220). Most flights within a country or to a neighbor. Madrid to Paris, London to Dublin, Rome to Berlin.
- 1,500 to 3,500 km: €400 (UK: £350). Most of Europe end to end, Europe to the Canaries, to Morocco, to Istanbul.
- Over 3,500 km: €600 (UK: £520). Anything across an ocean. New York to London, Chicago to Frankfurt, Miami to Madrid. Within the EU, long flights cap at €400.
- Measured at arrival, three hours or more. What matters is when you reached your final destination, not when you left. A two-hour departure delay that becomes three on landing counts.
- Cancellations with under 14 days' notice, and denied boarding. Same amounts. A cancellation announced earlier gets you a refund or a new flight, but not the cash.
- Missed connections on one booking. If a delay made you miss the next leg and you arrived three or more hours late, the whole trip's distance sets the amount.
Anywhere, covered or not: a cancelled flight you don't take is a refund in cash, and a long delay means meals, and a hotel if it's overnight, on the airline. The calculator above says which applies to yours.
Doing it yourself vs. with Refund Agent
| Yourself | With Refund Agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Knowing what you’re owed | Reading the regulation | Thirty seconds, above |
| Filing | A form that times out, a PDF, a reference number | We write to the airline, as you |
| Their first no | Most people stop here | We answer it |
| Vouchers | Taken, because it’s something | Declined. Cash is what the rule says |
| Your time | Weeks of evenings | A few texts |
Questions about delay compensation
Is a two-hour delay compensated?
Not in cash. The fixed amounts start at three hours late at your final destination. Under two hours you're owed care (meals, a way to contact someone) and the delay should count if it grows to three hours on arrival. Check the arrival time on the boarding pass or the airline's app, not the departure.
Do I still get compensation if I was rebooked?
Usually yes. Compensation is for arriving late or for the cancellation itself; being put on another flight doesn't cancel it unless the new flight got you there close to the original time (the rule has specific windows). We check those.
What is EU 261?
Regulation (EC) 261/2004, Europe's air passenger rights rule: fixed compensation for long delays, short-notice cancellations and denied boarding, plus care and refunds. It applies to departures from the EU on any airline and to arrivals in the EU on EU airlines.
Does the UK pay the same?
The UK kept the rule after leaving the EU, with the amounts in pounds: £220, £350 and £520. Flights leaving a UK airport on any airline, and arriving in the UK on a UK or EU airline.
Can I claim for a flight from last year?
Very likely. Time limits are set by each country and are mostly measured in years. Text us the flight and we'll check the limit that applies.
Do I need my boarding pass?
It helps, but the booking confirmation in your email is usually enough, and that's where we start. Keep receipts for meals, hotels and taxis: those are owed on top.
What about flights inside the US?
No US law pays cash for a delay. What you do get: if the airline cancels your flight or changes it a lot and you don't take the new one, it owes you a full cash refund automatically, not a voucher. And airlines pay more than they advertise (miles, vouchers, sometimes cash, hotel and meals when the delay was theirs) when someone asks properly and keeps asking. That's what we do.
What does it cost?
Checking is free, and so is the first look at your booking. Before we do anything that costs money, we tell you the price by text and you say yes or no.
More on flights
- Flight delay compensation calculatorDelayed 3+ hours, cancelled on short notice or bumped? Check in 30 seconds what the airline owes you, up to €600 per passenger. Then Refund Agent claims it for you, from your own inbox.
- Cancelled flight? Cash refund, maybe moreA cancelled flight you didn't take means a cash refund by law, in the US and in Europe. On many flights it also means up to €600 in compensation. Check which, then let Refund Agent collect it.
Check the flight. We’ll go get it.
Thirty seconds above, then a text. We write to the airline from your inbox and don’t take the first no.
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