Croatia Airlines Delayed and Cancelled Flight Compensation
Joanna Teljeur
Written By Joanna Teljeur
Last Updated:

Your Rights as a Croatia Airline Passenger

Even though flight disruptions can add undue stress to your travel plans, you can at least find some relief knowing that you have air passenger rights to offer some protection.

EU Regulation No 261/2004

As a relatively small airline, Croatia Air offers service throughout Europe and the UK. As a passenger, you have protections under EU Regulation 261 that ensures your fair treatment should you encounter flight delays, cancellations, or overbooked flights and outlines compensation amounts for the inconvenience you have to deal with.

It bears mentioning that you don’t have to be an EU citizen or resident to be protected. Your flight only has to depart from an EU airport (on any airline) or arrive at an EU airport while flying with an EU airline like Croatia.

Passenger Rights in the UK

Similarly, the UK offers UK Regulation 261 that offers the same passenger protections as EU261, the only difference being that your Croatia flight must be departing from a UK airport or arriving into the UK on a UK based airline.

Both sets of regulations require Croatia to provide passengers with monetary as well as care compensation when their flights are disrupted.

Croatia Airlines Compensation in EU & UK

Flight Delays

Flight Cancellations

Denied Boarding

Up to €600 in monetary compensation

Care & Assistance

Up to €600 in monetary compensation

Rebooked flight OR Refund

Care & Assistance

Up to €600 in monetary compensation

Rebooked flight OR Refund

Care & Assistance

Delayed or canceled flight with Croatia Airlines Airlines? Find out if you're owed up to €600 in compensationCheck Now for Free

Croatia Airlines Delayed Flight Compensation

When you have a flight delay with Croatia, you could receive two kinds of compensation: financial and compensation in the form of care and assistance. Your eligibility begins when your flight is delayed by at least three hours. Once you’ve crossed this threshold, Croatia Air is required to provide you with delay compensation by offering you meals, refreshments, and access to communication.

If your delay is at least 3 hours and Croatia is to blame for the disrupted service, then you might also be eligible for cash compensation. On the other hand, if the delay can be chalked up to extraordinary circumstances, then unfortunately, you won’t be able to get financially compensated for your inconvenience.

Maintenance and mechanical issues are one cause of delays that are within the airline’s control, so there is hope that with newer planes, Croatia can at least reduce delays related to technical problems.

In a March 24th interview with Aviation Week, CEO Jasmin Bajic spoke about the airline’s acquisition of 15 new Airbus A220 aircraft:

“By renewing the fleet, Croatia Airlines will completely replace old aircraft with new ones, representing a significant technological step forward, greater energy efficiency and 25% lower fuel consumption. The new and higher-quality A220 aircraft, with a capacity of 149 or 127 seats, will ensure a better response to the specific needs of passengers and a more efficient business model, thanks to which additional business opportunities will be opened, along with the gradual expansion of the flight network.”

Croatia Air Cancelled Flight Compensation

If your flight with Croatia gets cancelled, particularly if it happens with less than 14 days notice, you will be entitled to the choice of a rebooking or a refund. If you choose a rebooking, and your reassigned flight causes you to wait in the airport, then Croatia must provide you with access to communication, meals, refreshments, and even overnight accommodation should the new flight leave the next day. If you need taxi service to the hotel, then the airline is required to cover the expense of that as well.

  • If you choose a refund, Croatia Airlines is required, under the rules of EU/UK 261, to reimburse you for all unused parts of your ticket as well as a return flight to your point of origin…but more on refunds later.
  • As for cash compensation, Croatia is liable to pay you for your inconvenience in addition to the care and assistance, rebooked flight, or refund. Whether they do or not depends on if they were at fault for your cancelled flight.

Figuring out how much you are owed for a disrupted flight can be complicated. We're here to help. Let us assess your compensation for you.Check Your Flight

Croatia Airlines’ Refund Policy

According to EU261, you're entitled to a complete refund of your ticket price if Croatia cancels your flight with less than 2-weeks notice, or if you experience a delay of more than 5 hours. Likewise, if you are denied boarding because of overbooking, you might be eligible for a refund.

Denied Boarding & Missed Connections

If Croatia Airlines oversells your flight, and you are involuntarily denied boarding as a result, then you are again eligible for compensation. You are also entitled to a rebooking or a refund in addition to the compensation amount.

Should you miss a connecting flight because of a prior Croatia Airlines delay, cancellation, or denied boarding, then you might also be eligible for compensation if you arrive at your final destination 3 or more hours past the originally scheduled arrival time.

Croatia Airlines Delayed Flight Compensation

How Much Croatia Air Cash Compensation You Can Get

The following table will help illustrate the amount of compensation you could receive for flight disruptions. As you can see, the exact amount is determined by the distance of your flight and the amount of time you are delayed.

Croatia Airlines Compensation

Delay Time

Flight Distance

 

Flights under 1,500km

Flights between 1,500-3,500km

Flights over 3,500km

Over 3 hours

€250

€400

€600*

Under 3 hours

€0

* Croatia Airlines might try to reduce this amount by as much as 50%, but AirAdvisor always works to get the full amount.

Disrupted flight? You might have a right to compensation - up to €600Check Your Flight

What to Avoid

Many airlines will offer their passengers other kinds of compensation that don’t fit into the cash or care categories outlined in the sections above. While this practice is perfectly legal, it’s important to approach these offers with care and scrutiny.

You might be offered travel vouchers, but be careful because these usually have restrictive limitations and could eliminate your eligibility for cash compensation. In the same way, try to stay away from signing any agreements offered to you immediately following a flight disruption. If you do want to accept one, be absolutely sure you have a thorough understanding of the terms of the agreement.

Extraordinary Circumstances

In the previous section, we talked about how certain situations can exempt Croatia from paying you compensation. These situations, also known as "extraordinary circumstances", are beyond the carrier’s control and can include dangerously severe weather, restrictions imposed by air traffic control, airport strikes, civil unrest, and security threats to name a few.

It’s helpful to your case to find out immediately what caused your Croatia flight disruption by asking airline staff or checking with the airport. If you didn’t ask the airline when your delay or cancellation happened, you can always check now to see if your flight is eligible.

Why You Can Trust AirAdvisor

  • Our team of legal experts have been protecting passenger rights since 2017
  • It only takes 5 minutes to submit a claim and you pay nothing! We operate on a no-win, no-fee basis.
  • We have helped over 230,000 passengers with a 98% win rate.

If your flight was delayed, canceled or overbooked within the last 3 years, you could be eligible for up to €600 in compensationCheck Your Flight

People Also Ask

What happens to your baggage if you have a cancelled Croatia flight?

If your flight is cancelled, and you’ve been rebooked on another flight, Croatia will typically have your baggage forwarded to your final destination. If you chose to get a refund and not travel, then your luggage will be returned to you at the baggage reclaim area.

Can you get compensation for seating class downgrades on a Croatia Airlines flight?

Yes! EU/UK 261 requires airlines to compensate you between 30-75% of your purchased ticket price. You can find more details about involuntary downgrades here.

What should you do if you’re already at the airport when your Croatia flight is cancelled?

The first thing you should do is ask the airline agent what caused the cancellation, then you should see about a rebooking. You can do this at a kiosk, via the airline’s app, or by visiting the gate or ticket agents. For more in depth information, check out our guide: You’re At the Airport When Your Flight is Cancelled, Now What?.