Flight Compensation & Refund Deadlines: When to File Claims for Flight Disruptions
Did you know that 42% of air passengers who are eligible for airline flight compensation don’t file a claim?! Don’t leave money on the table!.
Refunds & Denied Boarding Claims in the United States
The Department of Transportation protects air passengers in the United States. Unfortunately, the US does not have any federal regulations requiring airlines to compensate passengers for delayed or canceled flights. Instead, airlines make their own rules. Most will provide an alternate flight in the case of cancellations and care options for delayed passengers.
However, when it comes to denied boarding because of overbooking, then you could receive up to USD $1,550 in compensation. As well, you are entitled to a full refund if your flight is canceled by the airline and you choose not to rebook. You also have the option of having your ticket refunded if your flight is significantly changed or significantly delayed.
Check your flightWhen You Can Expect Compensation and Refunds
Typically, you should get your denied boarding compensation from the airline at the time of the incident, while refunds are issued based on the form of payment you used to purchase your ticket. If you paid with a credit or debit card, you should get the amount returned to your card within 7 days. If you paid with a check, you will be refunded in 20 days.
If you do not get the compensation or refund you’re owed then you will need to file a claim with the airline.
Compensation for International Flight Disruptions
If you’ve had a flight disruption in Europe, the UK, or Canada, you could be eligible for up to $650 in compensation. To get a refund or compensation for delayed, canceled, or overbooked flights, passengers must lodge their complaint to the airline within a certain time frame called the statute of limitations or prescriptive period. This time period is at least a year in most countries, but it varies quite a bit.
If you submit your claim to the airline outside their statute of limitations, then it will be denied.
Filing Flight Compensation Claims: How Much Time Do You Have?
In the European Union, the claim deadlines are determined by each country, while in the UK, you have 6 years to submit your claim.
For US domestic flights, there are no set rules for claim deadlines, but for international flights, you should submit your claim within one year of your flight.
For countries outside the EU, UK, US, and Canada, the statute of limitations for filing delayed or canceled flight compensation claims is set by the Montreal Convention. Under the rules of this treaty, passengers have up to 2 years to lodge a complaint.
Time Limits for Submitting Flight Compensation Claims by Country | |
Country | Time Limit (from time of flight disruption) |
Austria | 3 years |
Belgium | 1 year |
Bulgaria | 1 year |
Canada | 1 year |
Croatia | 2 years |
Cyprus (Republic of) | 6 years |
Czech Republic | 3 years (You must inform the airline within 6 months of the flight disruption) |
Denmark | 3 years |
England | 6 years |
Estonia | 5 years |
Finland | 3 years |
France | 5 years |
Germany | 3 years (The time limit is on the last day of the 3rd year. For example, the flight was disrupted on Oct 1, 2021, so you have until Dec 31, 2024 to file a claim.) |
Greece | 5 years |
Hungary | 2 years |
Iceland | 4 years |
Ireland | 6 years |
Italy | 2 years and 2 months |
Latvia | 2 years (but a claim must be lodged with the airline by 6 months of disrupted flight) |
Lithuania | 10 years |
Luxembourg | 10 years |
Malta | 2 years |
Netherlands | 2 years |
Norway | 3 years |
Poland | 1 year |
Portugal | 3 years |
Romania | 5 years for legal action (6 months to file claim) |
Scotland | 5 years |
Slovakia | 2 years |
Slovenia | 2 years |
Spain | 5 years |
Sweden | 10 years |
Switzerland | 2 years |
How to Submit a Flight Compensation Claim
First, you’ll have to contact the airline that operated your delayed flight. This means that if you booked through a travel website like Travelocity, then you would still contact the airline for the compensation claim and not the website. Also, if you booked a flight through one airline’s site but another airline operated the flight, then your claim would be submitted to the airline that operated the flight.
It’s important that when you send your flight compensation claim, that you do this in the way the airline recommends. You can usually find this information on the airline’s site. Just search the site for claims or look in the contract of carriage.
Next, you should send the carrier a letter or email (depending on what they recommend). Your written statement should include information about what happened that is causing you to file a compensation claim along with basic information about your flight and any supporting documents you want to add.
Once you’ve sent the airline your claim, expect to wait several weeks for a decision. It’s not uncommon for airlines to drag their feet in responding and, in many cases, passengers have to escalate their complaint.
For this reason, it’s easier and less complicated to let legal professionals like AirAdvisor file the claim for you. Not only will we file your delayed flight claim, but we’ll also represent you in court should it come to that. Best of all, we only get paid when your case wins, so there is no risk involved when you use AirAdvisor. Want to see how much compensation you could be eligible to receive? Check your flight!
What If You Miss the Time Frame to File a Claim?
Submitting claims is a legal process like any other. You have to prove your case and the airline will try their best to prove that you are wrong. So, if you miss the filing deadline, then you are only giving the airline more reasons not to provide you with compensation. Bottom line, submit your flight claim as soon as possible, and do your best not to miss the deadline.
And if you need help with any part of the claims process, remember that AirAdvisor is the #1 global flight and baggage compensation company. We have more than 8 years of experience securing payouts for more than {{number of passengers}} passengers around the world. We also have a 98% win rate. So, check to see if your flight is eligible for compensation by entering your flight details below.
Claim with AirAdvisor and get up to $700 compensation. Find out how much you’re owed today.Check Your Flight
Tools to Help You Out
See our list of FREE tools in the links below:
- Flight Delay Checker
- Free Flight Delay Compensation Calculator
- Free Flight Delay Compensation Letter Template
Resources & Additional Reading
Some extra resources to help you better understand flight delay compensation:
- What are Delay Reversals?
- Should I Accept Cash or Vouchers for a Delayed Flight?
- Business Trip Flight Delay Guide
Flight Delays by Issue
Read more about the most popular flight delay causes:
- Flight Delay due to Weather
- Flight Delay due to Diversion
- Flight Delay due to Aircraft Maintenance
- Flight Delay due to Extraordinary Circumstances
Author:
Joanna Teljeur
Job/Position: Senior Editor & Content Lead
Joanna Teljeur is a senior editor and writer with 15+ years of experience in editorial leadership, journalism, and content development with a focus on consumer rights, aviation law, and public-interest reporting. Her work centers on transforming complex regulatory and legal topics into clear, accurate, and accessible content for international audiences.
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