Was your flight delayed while travelling in Belgium? You could be entitled to up to €600, no matter your nationality. See today’s disrupted flights to or from Belgium and check your compensation eligibility now.
See Which Flights Are Delayed or Cancelled Today in Belgium
Highlights
- EU flight delay compensation (which includes Belgium) is covered by regulation EU 261.
- To qualify for flight cancellation compensation, the cancellation must occur without a minimum of 14 days' notice.
- To trigger EU 261, a delay must be at least 3 hours; compared to the originally scheduled arrival time at the destination.
- Compensation varies from €250 to €600; flight distance dependent.
- Anything that causes a delay that’s outside the airline’s control is called an extraordinary circumstance and negates the airline's requirement for a passenger payout.
- Passengers only have 1 year to file claims for flight delay compensation and cancellations.
- Consider AirAdvisor as your ideal partner in the Belgium flight delay compensation process.
EU Regulation: Flight Delay Compensation in Belgium
You don’t need to get bogged down in too many details to know your passenger rights in Belgium. In fact, it all boils down to one regulation, called EU261, which covers instances of significant delays and flight cancellations. Similarly, the UK also has a regulation for this, aptly named UK261.
What You Should Know About EU261
While it would be nice if every delayed flight was covered, unfortunately, that’s not the reality. Here’s what you need to remember to determine your eligibility for a flight delay compensation claim in Belgium:
- The delay, measured based on your actual arrival time at your destination, must be at least 3 hours late.
- The longer the route, the higher the payout. Flight delay compensation varies between short flights (1,500km and under), medium flights (1,500 to 3,500km), and long-haul flights (over 3,500km).
- Not every flight is eligible. Flights that take off from an EU-based airport are always covered, whereas flights that only arrive in the EU are only eligible if the flight is operated by an EU-based airline.
Compensation Amounts For Delayed Flights in Belgium
According to the EU flight delay compensation guidelines, here’s what passengers can expect as long as they adhere to the 3-hour minimum delay and the flight route leaves from the EU or arrives in the EU with an EU carrier:
Destination Delay Time | Flight Distance | |||
Flights under 1500 km | Internal EU flights over 1500 km | Flights from 1500 km to 3500 km outside the EU | Flights more than 3500 km | |
Under 3 hours | €0 | |||
3 hours or more | €250 | €400 | €400 | €600* |
** It’s our mission to always maximize payouts from the airline, but be aware that if your delay time is shorter (but is still at least 3 hours), airlines may try to reduce this amount by 50%.
Flight Delay Compensation Belgium - Is Your Flight Covered?
Sometimes information is best conveyed using examples. See below for some of the more popular routes involving Belgium. We’ll explain the factors that come into play, the expected compensation amount, and provide an explanation.
Departure Airport | Arrival Airport | Length of Delay at Destination | Approximate Flight Distance | Airline | Compensation Amount | Explanation |
London Heathrow | Brussels | 3 hours | 320 km | Brussels Airlines | €250 | 3-hour delay threshold met; EU airline landing in EU |
Brussels | Berlin Brandenburg | 4 hours | 650 km | Ryanair | €250 | 3-hour delay threshold met; entirely within the EU |
Madrid Barajas | Brussels | 4.5 hours | 1,575 km | Vueling | €400 | 3-hour delay threshold met; entirely within the EU |
Abu Dhabi Zayed | Brussels | 5 hours | 5,150 km | Etihad | €0 | Etihad is not EU-based; flight departed from outside the EU |
Brussels | New York JFK | 5 hours | 5,800 km | Delta | €600 | 3-hour delay threshold met; non-EU airline departing from the EU |
Antwerp | Tenerife South | 2.5 hours | 3,600 km | TUI Fly | €0 | Delay threshold not met |
If things still aren’t entirely clear, head to our website and use our free flight checker to find out for sure whether your flight qualifies.
Think your flight qualifies for compensation? We can help you submit a claim ASAP!
Belgium Flight Cancellations - The EU Rules
As mentioned, your rights for European flight cancellation compensation also stem from regulation EU 261. First, passengers are entitled to either a refund of the original ticket price or a suitable replacement flight. The replacement flight either needs to stick as close to the original flight’s arrival time or you must agree to the later arrival.
Aside from covering the cost of items like phone calls, drinks, meals, and accommodations (depending on airport wait time), airlines are required to issue flight cancellation compensation. These amounts are based on the distance of your route, where you’re travelling to and from (EU vs non-EU), and how long your arrival time at your final destination was delayed compared to your original flight.
Slightly different from flight delay compensation amounts, passengers can claim between €125 and €600 for their troubles related to cancellations.
Extraordinary Circumstances - The Exception
Unfortunately, even if your flight delay or cancellation meets all the criteria we’ve already outlined, there’s an exception to be aware of. It’s called extraordinary circumstances. This means that if something that’s outside the airline’s control causes the interruption, they do not need to provide monetary compensation.
List of Extraordinary Circumstances
- Political/civil unrest.
- Acts of sabotage or terrorism or security threats/risks.
- Plane manufacturer defects.
- Severe or extreme weather.
- Issues or strikes with support services like air traffic control.
While this might appear that nothing is actually not an extraordinary circumstance, here’s a list of reasons for flight interruptions where compensation is required:
- Insufficient airline staff.
- Airline strikes.
- Technical or maintenance problems with the plane, excluding defects.
- Poor weather conditions on a previous flight cause your plane to be delayed.
Brussels Airlines Flight Disruptions
As the country’s busiest carrier, passengers who experience a delay or cancellation in Belgium may be flying Brussels Airlines. Don’t let the name fool you, this airline flies all over and is part of the Lufthansa Group.
Although an isolated incident, at the end of February 2024, Brussels Airlines experienced a 3-day strike by its cabin crews. The strike affected 20% of the company’s flights, resulting in cancellations. Luckily, due to Brussels Airlines’ partnerships, those 20% of passengers were re-routed via other carriers.
The chaos that results from airline strikes will often cancel flights, and even if passengers get a replacement flight, if the arrival differs significantly from the initially booked flight, EU flight cancellation compensation is a possibility.
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Belgium Flight Disruption Claims In A Few Steps
With our 98% success rate and healthy rating on Reviews.io (4.5 out of 5), AirAdvisor is the perfect flight compensation claim partner. Here’s what to do:
- Head to the website to get started with our airline compensation experts.
- We’ll just need a few flight and incident details to evaluate and submit your claim.
- Submit whatever supporting documents you have, such as receipts, boarding passes, and correspondence from the airline.
- Leave it with us and we’ll go to bat to get the maximum flight delay compensation (or cancellation compensation) possible.
If you claim is successful, we charge a success fee for our time and expertise. But, if the airline rejects your claim, you pay nothing.
Time Limit For Belgium Flight Delay Compensation
Belgium is not exactly generous when it comes to the time limit to make your delayed flight compensation request. You only have 1 year from the date of the delay in which to do it. In other EU countries, it generally varies from 3 to 5 years.
Time passes very quickly, so be diligent and contact us to start your claim as soon as you return home and get settled.
The best way to expedite a flight delay claim in Belgium is to partner with us. Start your claim today in just a few simple steps.
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:
- Delayed Flight Compensation Claim Deadlines
- What are Delay Reversals?
- Should I Accept Cash or Vouchers for a Delayed Flight?
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 Plane Maintenance
- Flight Delay due to Extraordinary Circumstances
FAQs
Based on EU regulation EC261, flights must be delayed by at least 3 hours to qualify for any compensation.
Any flight within the EU or departing from an EU airport is covered. For flights that only arrive at an EU airport, the airline needs to be based in the EU to qualify. Routes that don’t touch any EU airports are not eligible at all, even if you fly with an EU-based airline.
EU flight delay compensation varies by flight distance. Provided your flight was delayed by 3 hours or more at your final destination, you can claim up to €600. The actual amounts are based entirely on flight distance, so a flight under 1,500km gets up to €250, between 1,500km and 3,500km gets up to €400, and over 3,500km gets up to €600.
If your flight delay is attributed to something that cannot be controlled by the airline, it’s considered an extraordinary circumstance. Because the airline could not have prevented the disruption, they are not responsible for compensation. Examples of extraordinary circumstances include problems with air traffic control, security threats, unsafe weather conditions, and aircraft defects.
When a flight is delayed to the following day, aside from monetary compensation of up to €600, passengers are entitled to refreshments, including drinks and meals as well as overnight accommodation. Additionally, if the accommodation is not at the airport, transfers should be covered, too.
Unlike other EU countries that can sometimes allow up to 5 years to file a claim, in Belgium, you only have 1 year to get the claim started. It’s always better to file it right away so that you don’t risk losing documents, receipts, or incident details.
Yes, as long as they are a ticketed passenger and meet all the other conditions (3-hour+ delay and the route is within the EU, departs the EU, or lands in the EU with an EU airline), kids qualify for flight delay compensation in the same amounts as adults - from €250 to €600.
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