Does EC 261/2004 cover easyJet flights?
It does. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 applies to every flight departing from an EU airport, whatever the airline, and to flights arriving in the EU when operated by an EU carrier. easyJet runs several air operator certificates — easyJet UK, easyJet Europe (Austrian licence) and easyJet Switzerland — but that makes little practical difference across most of its network: a Paris Orly – Palma, Lyon – Lisbon or Nice – Berlin flight falls squarely within the Regulation.
Flights departing from the United Kingdom are governed by the retained UK version of the rules (UK261). The thresholds and logic are identical; only the currency changes.
When does an easyJet delay become compensable?
The test, settled by the Court of Justice of the European Union in the Sturgeon ruling, is simple: fixed compensation is owed when you reach your final destination at least 3 hours late. Two details matter in practice:
- Final destination means the last airport on your booking, connections included. An on-time departure does not rule out a claim if the delay builds up later in the journey.
- Actual arrival time is not touchdown and not the figure shown in the app. Under the Germanwings ruling (2014), arrival is the moment at least one aircraft door is opened and passengers are free to disembark.
A 2 h 45 min delay at the door therefore gives no fixed compensation, however frustrating. A 3 h 05 min delay triggers the full amount.
How much is an easyJet delay worth?
The amount depends solely on the great-circle distance between departure airport and final destination:
- €250 for flights of 1,500 km or less (e.g. Paris – Nice, Geneva – Barcelona, Bristol – Amsterdam).
- €400 for intra-EU flights over 1,500 km (e.g. Paris – Athens, Milan – Lanzarote) and for non-EU flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km (e.g. Bordeaux – Marrakech, Geneva – Agadir).
- €600 for flights over 3,500 km between the EU and a third country. Because easyJet is a short- and medium-haul carrier, this band is rarely reached — a handful of routes towards Egypt or Jordan come closest.
Compensation is a flat amount per passenger, unrelated to the fare paid. A €39 ticket can still generate €250. Infants travelling free of charge without an allocated seat are excluded.
Extraordinary circumstances: what easyJet can and cannot rely on
The airline is released from paying when the delay stems from extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even with all reasonable measures. Courts generally accept severe weather, air traffic control restrictions, third-party strikes (ATC, airport ground handlers), security threats and bird strikes.
Several commonly cited reasons have, however, been rejected:
- Technical faults arising from the normal maintenance of the aircraft (Van der Lans, 2015).
- Strikes by the airline's own staff (Airhelp v SAS, 2021).
- Crew rostering problems, operational decisions and overbooking.
- Late arrival of the inbound aircraft, unless the original cause was itself extraordinary and unavoidably cascaded.
A reason stated in a rejection email is not evidence. The burden of proving the event and its unavoidability lies with the carrier.
Care, meals and hotels are separate rights
Regardless of compensation, easyJet owes you assistance after 2 hours on short flights, 3 hours on medium flights and 4 hours on longer ones: refreshments, meals, means of communication, plus accommodation and transfers if an overnight stay is required. Keep every receipt — out-of-pocket costs are reimbursable on top of the fixed compensation.
Once the delay exceeds 5 hours, you may abandon the trip and request a full refund of the unused portion of your ticket, plus a return flight to your original point of departure where relevant.
Cancellations and re-timed flights
If easyJet cancels your flight less than 14 days before departure, the same compensation scale applies, unless the re-routing offered falls within the narrow timing windows set out in the Regulation. A flight brought forward by more than one hour is treated much like a cancellation.
Building a strong claim file
- Boarding pass, confirmation email and the six-character booking reference.
- Flight number (U2 or EZY prefix) and exact date of travel.
- Screenshots of the actual arrival time and of any airline notifications.
- Receipts for meals, taxis or hotel paid at the airport.
A claim can be filed up to 3 years after the flight through our amicable process. Acting early helps: flight data and your own documents are far easier to gather within the first months.
Claim with no upfront cost
Automated rejections, repeated document requests and undocumented "extraordinary circumstances" replies are common. Airlines Quick Refund reviews your file, cross-checks eligibility against flight data and handles the full amicable claim process with the airline. Our fee is 35%, charged only if the claim succeeds — nothing is owed otherwise.
Check in under two minutes whether your delayed easyJet flight qualifies for €250, €400 or €600: run the compensation calculator.