EU261 reform explainer
EU261 Reform 2027: What Regulation 2026/2202 Changes
Nothing changes for claims yet: Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 entered into force on 22 October 2026 but applies from 23 October 2027. From then, the €250 / €400 / €600 amounts and the 3-hour arrival-delay rule stay, and a nine-month deadline to send a compensation request is added.
New EU261 rules apply from 23 Oct 2027. Today vs 2027: same €250–€600 and 3-hour rule, 9-month claim deadline, strikes, care, DIY rerouting. Sources cited.
Published · Updated
Feroz Sheikh · Founder and editor, Doha, QatarReviewed 25 October 2026 · Not legal advice · Not a named lawyer review
About the editorShort answer
Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 amends EU261 (Regulation (EC) No 261/2004). It was published in the Official Journal on 2 October 2026, entered into force on 22 October 2026 and applies from 23 October 2027. Until then, claims use today's rules. From 23 October 2027 the compensation amounts stay at €250, €400 and €600 per passenger and the right to compensation after an arrival delay of more than three hours is written into the Regulation. New rules include a nine-month deadline to send a compensation request, a 30-day deadline for the airline to pay or explain a refusal, a list of extraordinary circumstances (including when strikes count), fixed meal and drink intervals while you wait, a three-night hotel limit when the cause is extraordinary, the right to book your own rerouting if the airline offers none within three hours, and a free personal item in the cabin.
Latest news · checked
EU261 reform: where things stand
In force, not yet applied. Nothing changes for a flight disrupted today: your claim uses the current rules until 23 October 2027.
- Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 entered into force, on the twentieth day after publication (Article 3). Its rules apply from 23 October 2027. Until then every claim is still decided under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it stands today.
- Published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJ L, 2026/2202).
- Signed by the European Parliament and the Council.
- The Council gave final clearance, after Parliament approved the joint text on 7 July 2026.
- The Conciliation Committee of Parliament and Council approved the joint text.
Sources: Official Journal text on EUR-Lex (Article 3) and the EUR-Lex procedure file 2013/0072/COD. Strike dates that affect flights now: airline strike compensation and calendar.
EU261 reform · Regulation (EU) 2026/2202
What changes for you: today vs from 23 October 2027
The new Regulation was published on 2 October 2026, enters into force on 22 October 2026 and applies from 23 October 2027. Flights before that date use today's rules.
| Topic | Today | From 23 October 2027 | New text |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compensation amounts | €250, €400 or €600 per passenger, by distance. | Still €250 (1,500 km or less), €400 (intra-EU over 1,500 km, other flights 1,500–3,500 km) and €600 (all other journeys). | Art. 7(1) |
| Delay needed for compensation | Arrival at the final destination 3 hours or more late (Court of Justice case law, applied in Commission guidance). | Written into the Regulation: arrival at the final destination more than 3 hours late, for delays and missed connections on one booking. | Art. 6(4), 6b(3) |
| Long-haul reduction | Any amount can be cut by 50% when the airline's rerouting arrives within 2, 3 or 4 hours of the original schedule, depending on distance. | The airline may cut the €600 amount by 50% when arrival is no more than 4 hours late, after rerouting or for a delayed original flight. | Art. 7(2) |
| Deadline to ask the airline | No EU-wide deadline. National law sets the time limit for legal action. | Submit the compensation request within 9 months of the departure date on the ticket. | Art. 7(9) |
| Airline reply | No fixed EU deadline for answering a compensation request. | The airline must acknowledge receipt at once and pay or give a justified refusal within 30 calendar days. | Art. 7(9) |
| Information after the trip | Airlines must display a rights notice at check-in and give written rights information when boarding is denied, a flight is cancelled or delayed by 2 hours or more. | Within 96 hours after the journey, the airline must send electronic information on the right to compensation and how to claim. | Art. 7(4) |
| Extraordinary circumstances | Not defined in the Regulation. Decided case by case using Court of Justice case law. | A non-exhaustive list in a new Annex. The airline must say which item it relies on and explain the direct causal link and the reasonable measures it took. | Art. 6c, 7(9), Annex |
| Cancellation notice | No compensation if you are told at least 2 weeks before departure, or later with a replacement close to your original times (for less than 7 days' notice: leave no more than 1 hour earlier and arrive less than 2 hours late). | No compensation if you are told at least 14 calendar days before departure, or later with a replacement that leaves no more than 1 hour earlier and arrives less than 2 hours late. | Art. 5(5) |
| Strikes at airports, air traffic control and ground handlers | Not listed in the Regulation. Assessed case by case under Court of Justice case law. | Listed as extraordinary when the strike is at an airport operator, air navigation service provider or a ground handler the airline does not choose, and is beyond the effective control of the airline or its group. | Annex, point 3(g) |
| Strikes by the airline's own staff | In case C-28/20 (2021) the Court of Justice held that a strike by the airline's own staff, called by their union, is not an extraordinary circumstance. | Listed as extraordinary only where the strike comes from demands that only public authorities can satisfy. | Annex, point 3(h) |
| Rerouting yourself | The airline offers rerouting. The current text has no rule on booking your own replacement. | If the airline has not offered rerouting within 3 hours, you may book your own. The airline repays necessary, reasonable costs up to 400% of the ticket price within 14 days. | Art. 8(3) |
| Meals, drinks and calls while waiting | Meals and refreshments "in a reasonable relation to the waiting time", plus two telephone calls, telexes, faxes or emails. | Drinks every 2 hours of waiting, a meal after 3 hours and then every 5 hours (up to three meals a day), internet access and two phone calls. | Art. 9(1) |
| Hotel nights | Hotel and transport to it when an overnight stay becomes necessary. The current text sets no limit on the number of nights. | Hotel and transport to it are still owed, but when the cause is an extraordinary circumstance the airline may limit the hotel to three nights. | Art. 9(2), 9(6) |
| Care you arrange yourself | The current text has no deadline for repaying meals or a hotel you paid for when the airline gave no care. | If the airline does not provide care, you may arrange it yourself. It repays necessary, reasonable costs within 14 calendar days of your request (30 days when the airport's contingency plan is active). | Art. 9(4) |
| Refund | Refund of the ticket within 7 days, or rerouting. A refund must be offered once a delay reaches 5 hours. | Automatic refund within 7 calendar days of your choice, by bank transfer unless you agree otherwise. A refund must still be offered once a departure delay reaches 5 hours. | Art. 8(1), 6(3) |
| Waiting on the tarmac | The current text has no tarmac-delay rule. | At EU airports, after 2 hours on the tarmac the aircraft must go to a gate or stand so passengers can get off, except for safety, security, immigration or air traffic control reasons. | Art. 6a(3) |
| Personal item in the cabin | Set by each airline's fare rules. | A personal item (up to 40 x 30 x 15 cm or fitting under the seat) must be allowed at no extra cost. | Art. 1 definitions, Art. 11a |
Source: Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 on EUR-Lex.
Use the facts before you act
This page compares the rules that apply today with the amended text that applies from 23 October 2027. Every 2027 point is taken from the text of Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 on EUR-Lex, with the article number shown in the table. Current-rule points come from Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 and European Commission guidance. Where the new text leaves details to later Commission acts, such as the common complaint form, this page does not guess. UK261 is separate UK law and is not changed by this EU Regulation. If your flight is before 23 October 2027, use the EU261 guide and calculator as they are today. A reliable request starts with a timeline rather than a conclusion. Compare the scheduled departure and arrival with the actual final arrival, write down when the airline gave notice, and keep any email, app message or airport notice. If an alternative flight was offered, record its proposed arrival and whether you accepted it. If you paid reasonable expenses while waiting, keep the itemised receipt and the reason it was necessary. These facts can support different questions about care, rerouting, refund or a possible statutory framework, but they do not automatically establish every remedy. For a connection, the final ticketed destination and whether all flights were on one booking can be as important as the first disrupted segment. A short departure delay may still create a material final-arrival difference; conversely, an earlier delay does not answer the whole question by itself. For a cancellation, notice timing and the replacement journey should be recorded separately. For denied boarding, distinguish an airline-imposed situation from a voluntary change. A schedule change may need the original itinerary, the revised itinerary and the point at which the passenger was informed. These distinctions help avoid a misleading one-size-fits-all result.
Worked example
Worked example: 1) A passenger flies Paris (CDG) to New York (JFK) on an EU airline on 10 November 2027, after the new rules apply. 2) The flight arrives 3 hours 30 minutes late. 3) The route is over 3,500 km, so the amount is €600, but under amended Article 7(2) the airline may reduce it by 50%, to €300, because arrival was no more than four hours late. 4) The passenger must send the compensation request within nine months of the departure date on the ticket. 5) The airline must acknowledge it at once and, within 30 calendar days, pay or give a justified refusal. If it relies on an extraordinary circumstance, it must name the item from the Annex list or explain why another event qualifies. 6) The same flight in October 2026 is assessed under today's rules, with no EU-wide request deadline.
A practical evidence checklist
Write down the scheduled and actual timing, preserve the airline’s notice, and keep the booking, boarding or check-in proof, replacement offer and reasonable expense receipts. These records help explain what happened to the airline. They are not uploaded to FlightRefundCalc, and the site does not file a claim or decide an outcome.
Keep the legal questions separate
A disruption can create different questions about care while waiting, refund versus rerouting, a possible statutory compensation framework and expenses. An airline’s written explanation may affect one question without deciding all the others. Use official authority guidance and qualified advice for a decision with legal or financial consequences.
Check your own journey, not an example.
The calculator asks for the operating carrier, route, notice and disruption facts before showing a preliminary result. It does not guarantee compensation.
Sources and review
Reviewed 25 October 2026 by Feroz Sheikh. These authority links are provided for current rule checking; airline forms and official instructions can change. National enforcement bodies: European Commission NEB list.
EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 (Official Journal L, 2 October 2026)
Official text. Article 3 sets entry into force (20th day after publication) and application from 23 October 2027; amended Articles 6, 6b, 6c, 7, 8 and the new Annex are quoted on this page.
EUR-Lex: procedure 2013/0072/COD
Legislative history: Parliament approved the joint text on 7 July 2026, signed 16 September 2026, published 2 October 2026.
Council of the EU press release, 13 July 2026: final clearance for stronger air passenger rights
Council final adoption; summary of new rights (no-show return flights, hand-baggage price display, specific-needs passengers).
Council of the EU press release, 15 June 2026: Council and Parliament agreement
Scope of the rules and the Commission review of the scope.
EUR-Lex: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (current text)
Rules in force until 23 October 2027: Articles 7 (amounts and rerouting reduction), 8 (refund within seven days) and 14 (rights notices).
Your Europe: air passenger rights (rules that apply today)
European Commission guidance on the current Regulation (EC) No 261/2004.
Your Europe: air passenger rights FAQ
Current position on time limits: set by national law.
Court of Justice of the EU: press release 44/21 on case C-28/20, Airhelp v SAS (23 March 2021)
A strike by the airline's own staff called by their union is not an extraordinary circumstance under the current Regulation.
UK Civil Aviation Authority: flight delays and cancellations
UK official passenger-rights overview.
Common questions
Does this route page guarantee compensation?+
No. It is an educational framework page. The operating carrier, route, disruption facts, notice, final arrival, rerouting and the airline's written reason can all matter.
Why does the operating airline matter?+
The airline that operated the disrupted flight can be different from the ticket seller or a code-share marketing carrier. Keep the itinerary and disruption notice before you submit a request.
What should I keep?+
Keep booking confirmation, check-in or boarding evidence, the airline notice, scheduled and actual timing, rerouting offers and reasonable expense receipts. Do not upload personal documents to this website.
Where should I send a request?+
Start with the airline's current official channel. Use the free letter toolkit to prepare a factual request, then check the airline's own current instructions before submitting personal information.
When do the new EU261 rules start?+
Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 was published in the Official Journal on 2 October 2026. Under its Article 3 it enters into force on the twentieth day after publication, 22 October 2026, and applies from 23 October 2027.
Do compensation amounts change in 2027?+
No. Amended Article 7(1) keeps €250 for journeys of 1,500 km or less, €400 for intra-EU journeys over 1,500 km and other journeys of 1,500 to 3,500 km, and €600 for all other journeys.
Is the delay threshold still three hours?+
Yes. Amended Articles 6(4) and 6b(3) give a right to compensation when passengers reach their final destination more than three hours late. For journeys over 3,500 km the airline may reduce the €600 amount by 50% if arrival is no more than four hours late.
Is there a deadline to claim under the new rules?+
Yes. Under amended Article 7(9), compensation requests must be submitted within nine months of the departure date on the ticket. Today there is no EU-wide deadline; national law sets the time limit for legal action.
Are airline staff strikes still covered?+
Under the new Annex, a strike at the operating airline counts as an extraordinary circumstance only where it comes from demands that only public authorities can satisfy. Today, the Court of Justice held in case C-28/20 that a union-called strike by the airline's own staff is not an extraordinary circumstance.
Do the new rules apply to my flight now?+
Not yet. The Regulation entered into force on 22 October 2026, but Article 3 makes it apply from 23 October 2027. Until then, a delay, cancellation or denied boarding is assessed under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it stands today, with no EU-wide request deadline.
Do meals and hotel rights change in 2027?+
Amended Article 9 sets drinks every two hours of waiting, a meal after three hours and then every five hours (up to three a day), internet access and two phone calls. A hotel and transport to it are still owed when you have to stay overnight, but if the cause is an extraordinary circumstance the airline may limit the hotel to three nights. If the airline gives no care, it must repay reasonable costs you paid within 14 calendar days of your request.
Are air traffic control and airport strikes extraordinary from 2027?+
The new Annex, point 3(g), lists strikes at airport operators, air navigation service providers and ground handlers the airline does not choose as extraordinary circumstances, provided the strike is beyond the effective control of the airline or its group. The airline must still prove a direct causal link and that it took all reasonable measures (Article 6c(2)), and refund or rerouting and care stay owed.
Does this change UK261?+
No. This is an EU Regulation. UK261 is the UK's own law, explained by the UK Civil Aviation Authority, and is not amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/2202.