Air France delay compensation
Compensation is due when you arrive at your final destination 3 hours or more after the scheduled arrival time. It is the arrival that counts, not the departure: a flight that leaves four hours late but makes up time and lands 2 hours 50 minutes late is not covered.
Which Air France flights are covered
Air France is registered in France, so it counts as an EU carrier and its flights are covered in both directions.
- Departing an EU airport: covered by EU261.
- Departing a UK airport: covered by UK261.
- Arriving in the EU from outside Europe: covered by EU261, because Air France is an EU carrier.
- Arriving in the UK from outside Europe: covered by UK261, which also protects arrivals on EU carriers.
Worked examples on Air France routes
| Route | Distance | Rules | Per passenger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paris (CDG) → Paris (ORY) | 34 km | EU261 | €250 |
| Paris (CDG) → Barcelona (BCN) | 858 km | EU261 | €250 |
| Paris (CDG) → Rome (FCO) | 1,101 km | EU261 | €250 |
| Paris (CDG) → Amsterdam (AMS) | 399 km | EU261 | €250 |
What Air France is likely to say — and the answer
“Extraordinary circumstances” with no detail — ask which circumstance, and for the evidence.
“A technical problem” — not an extraordinary circumstance, and settled by the Court of Justice.
“The inbound aircraft arrived late” — a knock-on delay only counts if the original cause was itself extraordinary.
A disputed arrival time — ask for their recorded on-blocks time and compare it with yours.
Specific to Air France
Air France flies to Réunion, Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana. These are EU outermost regions, so Paris to Réunion is an INTRA-EU flight of over 9,000 km — which puts it in the €400 band, not €600. Most claim tools get this wrong in the passenger’s favour and then look wrong when the airline pays less.
France allows five years to bring a claim, which is generous, and the DGAC is the national enforcement body.
Charles de Gaulle has recurring air traffic control industrial action, which genuinely is an extraordinary circumstance when it is the controllers striking. A strike by Air France’s own staff is not, and the two get conflated in rejection letters.
Their first response is often slow and generic. A dated letter with a 14-day deadline gives you something concrete to escalate with.
Time limit: Air France is based in France, where claims run for 5 years from the date of the flight. How that works
Check it free, then send the letter yourself.
If your Air France delay appears eligible, the claim letter is £15 flat, with Air France’s likely objection answered in advance. You keep 100% of what they pay. If the airline rejects your claim on eligibility grounds, we refund the £15. Forward us their reply and we refund within five working days.
Air France delay: common questions
How much can I claim from Air France for a delay?
Between €250 and €600 (or £220 and £520 under UK261) per passenger, depending on distance. The worked examples on this page show the figure for some of Air France’s routes.
My Air France flight left more than three hours late but landed less than three hours late. Can I claim?
No. The test is how late you arrive at your final destination. If the flight made up time and landed under three hours late, the fixed compensation does not apply — though you may still have been owed meals and refreshments during the wait.
What reasons does Air France give for refusing delay claims?
The most common are: Extraordinary circumstances with no detail; A technical problem; The inbound aircraft arrived late; A disputed arrival time. Most of these do not hold up against the Regulation or the case law.
How long do I have to make a Air France delay claim?
Where Air France is based, the limit is 5 years. You can usually also claim in the country your flight departed from or arrived in, which may give you longer.
Other Air France claims
- Air France: delayCompensation is due when you arrive at your final destination 3 hours or more after the scheduled arrival time.
- Air France: cancellationCompensation is due unless you were told at least 14 days before departure, or were told later but re-routed on a flight that fell inside the timing windows set by Article 5(1)(c).
- Air France: denied boardingCompensation is due immediately when you are refused boarding against your will — most often because the flight was overbooked — provided you checked in on time with a confirmed reservation.
- Air France: missed connectionWhere all your flights were on a single booking, a delay that makes you miss a connection is measured at your final destination.