ITA Airways 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 ITA Airways flights are covered
ITA Airways is registered in Italy, 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 ITA Airways is an EU carrier.
- Arriving in the UK from outside Europe: covered by UK261, which also protects arrivals on EU carriers.
Worked examples on ITA Airways routes
| Route | Distance | Rules | Per passenger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rome (FCO) → Milan (LIN) | 470 km | EU261 | €250 |
| Rome (FCO) → Paris (CDG) | 1,101 km | EU261 | €250 |
| Rome (FCO) → Barcelona (BCN) | 847 km | EU261 | €250 |
| Rome (FCO) → Amsterdam (AMS) | 1,297 km | EU261 | €250 |
What ITA Airways 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 ITA Airways
ITA is the successor to Alitalia and is a separate legal entity. Claims for Alitalia flights operated before ITA took over generally cannot be pursued against ITA — that is a real and painful gap, not an excuse on their part.
Italy applies a 26-month limit under its navigation code rather than a multi-year civil limitation period. It is one of the shortest windows on this site.
ENAC, the Italian aviation authority, handles passenger complaints and will take a view on the merits.
Rome Fiumicino connections to long-haul are commonly sold on one booking, bringing missed connections within Folkerts.
Time limit: ITA Airways is based in Italy, where claims run for 26 months from the date of arrival, or the date the aircraft should have arrived. How that works
Check it free, then send the letter yourself.
If your ITA Airways delay appears eligible, the claim letter is £15 flat, with ITA Airways’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.
ITA Airways delay: common questions
How much can I claim from ITA Airways 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 ITA Airways’s routes.
My ITA Airways 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 ITA Airways 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 ITA Airways delay claim?
Where ITA Airways is based, the limit is 26 months. You can usually also claim in the country your flight departed from or arrived in, which may give you longer.
Other ITA Airways claims
- ITA Airways: delayCompensation is due when you arrive at your final destination 3 hours or more after the scheduled arrival time.
- ITA Airways: 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).
- ITA Airways: 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.
- ITA Airways: missed connectionWhere all your flights were on a single booking, a delay that makes you miss a connection is measured at your final destination.