Flight Delay?

Claim your compensation now!
Use your air passenger rights in the event of a flight delay, flight cancellation or overbooking.

Eve Büchner, Founder, CEO

Up to 600€ compensation per person according to EU regulations.
We will fight for your rights.

Fast and hassle-free
No risk for you: No win – No fee!
Worldwide, 98% success rate in court

Three easy steps

The faster way to claim your money from the airlines

Check here

Is your flight eligible?
(3 years retroactively)

We settle

with the airline and
take them to court
if necessary

You receive

your compensation,
less our fee

(29,75% of the compensation = 25% success fee + VAT)

Latest News

Great reasons to choose refund.me

Receive your money quickly and hassle-free

Easier

than writing to the airlines yourself

Experts

We spare no effort. Our EU-wide network of lawyers advocates on your behalf

Countries

where
refund.me
is active

Airlines

refund.me
has cases against

Average

resolution time

Success

rate
in court

A comparison

How to get your compensation most effectively…

Trying it yourself

cost risk: 0%

extremely time-consuming

small chances of success

complex law sector

stressful

Use refund.me

cost risk: 0% ✓
You only pay in case of success:
29,75% of the compensation
(= 25% success fee plus VAT)

smart & fast: 3min ✓

high chances of success
(98% in court) ✓

we have the experts ✓

stress-free ✓

Use a lawyer

cost risk: several hundred Euro,
winning or not

very time-consuming

unclear, depends on expertise

depends on speciality

stressful

Comments from our clients

Our passenger right experts

explain EU Regulation 261/2004

Melanie

Is there a limitation period?

EU Regulation 261/2004 has not harmonized the rules relating to limitation periods. Therefore the national laws of the member states apply. The limitation periods are between 1 and 10 years. In Germany, it amounts to 3 years.

Stefanie

Compensation outside the EU

All flights leaving from EU airports generally fall under EU Regulation 261/2004 and therefore, if applicable, entitle you to compensation.

In addition, all flights destined for Europe that are performed by EU carriers are likewise included. This greatly increases the number of cases that are potentially entitled to compensation.

Jonathan

What is EU Regulation 261/2004?

EU Regulation 261/2004 is a legal act that provides a clear definition of air passenger rights. See Wikipedia for a more detailed description.

Ulrike

Am I entitled to claim if I missed my connecting flight?

Passengers who miss their connecting flights are likewise entitled to claim for compensation. The European Court of Justice decided on 26 February 2013 (C-11/11): What counts is mainly the delay at the final destination and not the delay from the departure point or from stopover airports.

How much can you claim?

For a delayed or  cancelled flight

250 €

up to 1500 km

400 €

1500-3500 km

600 €

more than 3500 km

Flight Delay Compensation

Flight delays can occur for a number of reasons, from a lack of available crew to mechanical problems. Compensation for delayed flights was established by EU Regulation 261/2004, guaranteeing up to €600 per passenger for flights which are delayed for three hours or more.

Obviously, an airline would prefer to avoid paying such a sum of money or to get bogged down by a lengthy, bureaucratic process. Airlines also wish to avoid a blow to their reputation. Therefore they have several ways to evade paying:

The airline can avoid compensation for delayed flight claims if they can prove that the flight delay was caused by exceptional circumstances beyond the airline’s control.
What is considered an exceptional circumstance is stipulated by each country’s legal system: For instance, in many cases (but not always), if a strike or extreme weather conditions occurred, it will not be covered.

More information about your EU flight delay compensation…

Compensation for Flight delays and cancellations

Check your right to a flight delay compensation as a business traveller too…

How late must my flight arrive at destination airport before I can be eligible for compensation?

Had a flight cancelled? Check your right for compensation as a business traveller too…

Flight Cancellations Compensation

Flight cancellations can often be the result of aircraft or crew unavailability. In recent years, many airlines have been reducing costs by having less crew and maintenance staff on standby. Additionally, they are now operating with less turnaround time (the time an airplane spends at an airport between flights). That means that even the slightest problem with an aircraft or crew can cause a chain reaction across the entire airline’s network, potentially resulting in cancelled flights.

Compensation for a flight cancellation is guaranteed by EU Regulation 261/2004.

More information regarding your flight cancellation compensation…

Cancellations

Overbooked Flight Compensation

Overbooking is a common practice in the airline industry today. Airlines will commonly oversell a flight (by selling more seats than available) to fill the seats of passengers who do not show up on the day of the flight.

This practice, however, creates a problem for a passenger on a flight where there are not enough ”no-shows” and, therefore, not enough available seats even though the passenger’s booking was reserved and confirmed correctly.

Flight overbooked? More information…