Why Orly generates its own type of disruption
Paris Orly handles around 33 million passengers a year and sits much closer to central Paris than Charles de Gaulle. That proximity comes with a constraint that directly affects travellers: a strict night curfew. No departures are permitted between 23:30 and 06:15, and no arrivals between 23:15 and 06:00. A flight running 90 minutes late in the evening can therefore be cancelled outright or diverted to Charles de Gaulle, Lyon or Nantes.
Orly is also dominated by short-haul, point-to-point operations — Air France, Transavia France, easyJet, Vueling, Iberia, ITA Airways, Air Corsica — alongside long-haul carriers such as French bee, Corsair, Air Caraïbes and Norse Atlantic. Aircraft often fly four to six rotations a day, so an early-morning technical issue cascades through the entire schedule. Finally, the four connected terminals (Orly 1, 2, 3 and 4) regularly generate late gate changes, a recurring cause of missed boarding.
Four things to do the moment disruption is announced
- Get the cause in writing. Ask the airline desk or gate staff for the exact reason (technical fault, weather, late inbound aircraft, air traffic control). Keep every SMS, email and app notification.
- Photograph the departure boards with the time visible, plus your boarding pass and the gate display.
- Record the actual time the aircraft doors opened on arrival. Under EU case law, that — not touchdown — determines the length of the delay.
- Ask the airline to provide care rather than paying out of pocket. If nothing is offered, spend reasonably and keep every receipt.
What EC 261/2004 guarantees at Orly
The Regulation covers all flights departing from Orly, regardless of the airline's nationality, and flights arriving at Orly operated by an EU carrier. UK, Swiss, Norwegian and Icelandic travellers benefit from equivalent regimes on relevant routes.
Right to care (Article 9): due after 2 hours' delay on flights under 1,500 km, 3 hours on intra-EU flights over 1,500 km and other flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km, and 4 hours beyond that. It includes meals, refreshments, two communications, and hotel accommodation with transfers if an overnight stay becomes necessary. Crucially, care is owed even when the cause is extraordinary, such as storms or an air traffic controllers' strike.
Right to choose (Article 8): if your flight is cancelled or delayed by more than 5 hours, you may request a full refund within 7 days or re-routing to your final destination at the earliest opportunity. A voucher cannot be imposed on you.
Fixed compensation: amounts and conditions
On top of care and re-routing, a fixed sum may be payable in three situations:
- Arrival at your final destination at least 3 hours late, including connections booked on a single reservation;
- Cancellation notified less than 14 days before departure, unless re-routing closely matches the original timings;
- Denied boarding due to overbooking, against your will.
The amounts do not depend on the ticket price: €250 for flights up to 1,500 km (Orly–Nice, Orly–Barcelona, Orly–Milan); €400 for intra-EU flights over 1,500 km and all other flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km (Orly–Lisbon, Orly–Algiers, Orly–Athens); €600 for non-EU flights over 3,500 km (Orly–New York, Orly–Pointe-à-Pitre, Orly–Réunion). The airline may halve the sum if re-routing keeps the final delay within 2, 3 or 4 hours depending on distance.
Claims can realistically be pursued for flights operated within the last 3 years, so a disrupted Orly flight from autumn 2023 is still worth examining today.
Extraordinary circumstances: what actually excuses the airline
No compensation is due when the cause is genuinely outside the carrier's control and unavoidable despite all reasonable measures. Typically accepted: severe weather, airport or ATC strikes external to the airline, airspace closures, bird strikes, security incidents. Typically not accepted: routine technical faults, crew shortages, strikes by the airline's own staff, a late inbound aircraft from a previous rotation, or an Orly curfew cancellation that stems from the airline's own earlier delay. A large share of refusals citing a vague "technical issue" deserve a documented challenge.
Scenarios specific to Orly
- Diverted to Charles de Gaulle or Beauvais: the airline must arrange and pay for ground transport to Orly, and the delay is measured when you reach Orly, not the diversion airport.
- Missed connection: if both legs are on one booking, only the delay at the final destination matters — even if the first leg was barely late.
- French overseas departments: Guadeloupe, Martinique, Réunion and Mayotte are part of the EU, so the intra-EU cap of €400 applies rather than €600.
- Ground transport back into Paris: Orlyval, tram T7, Orlybus and the new Metro Line 14 extension all stop overnight. Factor this in before accepting a late re-routing to a different Paris airport.
Making your claim count
Start with a written complaint to the operating airline, quoting your flight number, date, booking reference and supporting evidence. If you receive silence, a vague refusal or an offer of travel vouchers, specialised support helps establish the legal qualification of the cause and keeps the file moving through amicable, out-of-court channels. Airlines Quick Refund works with no upfront fee: a 35% commission only if your claim succeeds, and nothing at all if it does not.
Were you delayed, cancelled or denied boarding at Orly in the past three years? Check your eligibility in under two minutes with our compensation calculator and let us verify what the airline owes you.