Legal information on air passenger rights

Your rights when a flight is delayed or cancelled, when you miss a connection or are denied boarding depend on where the flight departs from, where it is going and which airline operates it. More than one set of rules may apply to the same journey.

Below we explain which rules apply to which flight and where to find their full text.

Which rules apply to your flight?

European Union

Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 applies to every flight departing from an airport in an EU country - whichever airline operates it - and to flights arriving in the EU from a non-EU country when operated by an EU carrier. The same rules apply in Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.

It gives fixed compensation of €250, €400 or €600 depending on the flight distance (in some cases it may be reduced by half), the right to re-routing or a refund of the ticket price, and the right to care - meals, refreshments, hotel accommodation and transport - while you wait.

Regulation 261/2004 - full text and CJEU case law - the rules in force today

Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 - what changes for passengers - the changes that apply from 23 October 2027

Montreal Convention

The Convention does not replace the European rules but applies alongside them. Regulation 261/2004 gives a fixed amount for the delay or cancellation itself; the Convention covers the actual damage you can prove - lost or damaged baggage, a missed hotel booking, expenses caused by the delay.

It applies to international carriage within the meaning of the Convention - when the place of departure and the place of destination are in two states party to it, or in one such state with an agreed stopping place in another. The carrier’s liability is limited in Special Drawing Rights (SDR), a claim must be brought within two years, and baggage complaints must be made within 7 days for damage and 21 days for delay.

Montreal Convention - passenger rights on international flights

United Kingdom

After leaving the EU, the United Kingdom retained Regulation 261/2004 in its national law. It applies to flights departing from a UK airport, to flights to the UK operated by a UK or EU carrier, and to flights from a country other than the United Kingdom to the EU operated by a UK carrier.

The standard compensation amounts are £220, £350 or £520 depending on distance, and in some cases the amount may be reduced by half.

UK261 - Regulation 261/2004 as it applies in the United Kingdom

Turkey

Turkey has its own act - SHY-YOLCU (SHY-PASSENGER), the Regulation on the Rights of Passengers Travelling by Air, modelled on Regulation 261/2004. It applies to flights departing from a Turkish airport, regardless of the carrier, and to flights to Turkey operated by a Turkish carrier.

The supervisory authority is the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

Turkish regulations - passenger rights on flights from and to Turkey

Serbia

Passenger rights in Serbia are governed by the Law on Obligations and the Basics of Property Relations in Air Transport, which follows the rules of Regulation 261/2004 for denied boarding, cancellation and long delay.

The provision on delay (Article 11) does not refer to the fixed compensation under Article 12 of the law. However, the Civil Aviation Directorate of the Republic of Serbia accepts in its answers to frequently asked questions that a passenger arriving 3 or more hours late may be entitled to compensation, unless the delay was caused by extraordinary circumstances. For missed connections, the Directorate expressly links this right to EU case law.

Serbian regulations - passenger rights on flights from and to Serbia

North Macedonia

Rights are governed by the Law on Obligations and Property Relations in Air Transport, which refers to Regulation 261/2004 for cancellation, denied boarding and long delay, and to the Montreal Convention for accidents and baggage liability. The Civil Aviation Agency states on its page on delayed flights that a passenger arriving 3 or more hours late is entitled to compensation, unless the delay was caused by extraordinary circumstances.

North Macedonia regulations - passenger rights on flights from and to North Macedonia

If you are unsure whether your flight falls under any of these laws, contact us. We will check your case individually and give you a specific answer based on its circumstances.