RULE CHANGE
EU261 reform: what changes, and what applies to your flight today
In June 2026 the European Parliament and Council agreed the first substantial overhaul of Regulation 261/2004 since it was written in 2004, and the Council gave it final clearance on 13 July 2026. Airlines lobbied hard to raise the three-hour threshold and cut the compensation amounts. They lost that argument.
If your flight was disrupted today
The current rules still apply — nothing has changed for you yet. The revised regulation takes effect roughly 12 months after publication, which points at 2027. Every claim you can file right now is governed by EU261 exactly as it stands: €250 / €400 / €600, from three hours' delay at your final destination.
CHECK MY FLIGHT UNDER TODAY'S RULES →What stays the same
The core of the regulation survived the negotiation intact.
€250 / €400 / €600, unchanged
Airlines pushed to cut the amounts. The agreement keeps them exactly as they are: €250 up to 1,500 km, €400 up to 3,500 km, €600 beyond.
The three-hour threshold survives
Proposals to raise it to five or nine hours were dropped. Compensation still starts at three hours' delay at your final destination, the standard the Court of Justice set in Sturgeon.
Technical faults are still the airline's problem
They remain outside extraordinary circumstances, as in Wallentin-Hermann. "A technical issue with the aircraft" is not a defence now and won't be under the new rules.
Strikes by the airline's own crew still pay out
Only third-party strikes — airport, air-traffic control, groundhandling — count as extraordinary. The airline's own staff walking out does not, consistent with Airhelp v SAS.
Care obligations stay
Meals, refreshments, and a hotel where an overnight stay is needed remain the airline's duty during a long disruption, regardless of whether compensation is owed.
What actually changes
Mostly procedure — and most of it favours the passenger, because it puts deadlines on the airline instead of on you.
The airline must tell you that you have a claim — within four days
Carriers will have to contact affected passengers electronically within 96 hours, explain the compensation process, and state the reason for the disruption, including whether they intend to argue extraordinary circumstances. Today most passengers never find out they were owed anything.
A 30-day clock on the airline's answer
Claims must be acknowledged immediately and either paid or refused with reasons within 30 days. Indefinite silence — the most effective delaying tactic there is — stops being an option.
Reroute within three hours, or pay for the flight you book yourself
If the airline can't get you on an alternative within three hours of the original departure, you can arrange your own and claim the cost back, reimbursable within 14 days and capped at 400% of your original ticket price.
A written list of extraordinary circumstances
Natural disasters, war, adverse weather, unruly passengers and third-party strikes go into the regulation itself, and the airline must show a direct link between the event and your disruption. Clearer for everyone — but it also hands airlines a tidier menu to point at.
Deadlines to claim — nine and twelve months
Nine months to complain to the airline, and twelve months to bring a claim for breach. Several countries currently allow far longer (six years in England and Wales), so this is the change most likely to cost passengers money.
Denied boarding: care and reimbursement within seven days
Passengers refused boarding get firm deadlines for assistance and repayment, rather than the open-ended handling common today.
The honest read
The wins are real but procedural. Being told within four days that you have a claim, and getting a yes-or-no within 30 days, removes the single most effective tactic airlines have: silence. The self-rerouting reimbursement is genuinely new money for stranded passengers who currently pay out of pocket and hope.
The losses are real too. Writing a list of extraordinary circumstances into the regulation gives airlines a clearer menu to point at, and a nine-month deadline to complain to the airline is a hard cut-off where several countries currently allow years. If you have an old claim, that is an argument for filing it now rather than later.
What doesn't change is what matters most. Technical faults and strikes by the airline's own crew stay firmly outside extraordinary circumstances. Those are the two excuses airlines lean on hardest, and they remain wrong in law under both the current and the revised regulation.
Questions
When do the new EU261 rules actually apply?
Not yet. The rules apply roughly 12 months after publication in the Official Journal, which points at 2027. Any flight disrupted before then is governed by the current regulation — which is the one AirOwed's checker applies.
Is compensation being reduced?
No. This was the central fight and the amounts survived: €250, €400 and €600 depending on distance, per passenger, from three hours' delay. Airlines lobbied to raise the threshold and cut the sums, and did not get it.
Should I wait for the new rules before claiming?
No — waiting can only hurt. Today's rules already entitle you to the same money, the reform introduces claim deadlines rather than extending them, and in several countries the right to claim old flights expires as time passes. If you have a disrupted flight, claim it now.
Does the reform change what counts as a valid excuse?
It writes the list of extraordinary circumstances into the regulation — natural disasters, war, severe weather, unruly passengers, and strikes by third parties like airports or air-traffic control. Crucially, technical faults and strikes by the airline's own staff stay off that list, so the two most common airline excuses remain invalid.
What's the biggest practical win for passengers?
The self-rerouting right. If the airline can't rebook you within three hours, you can book your own flight and reclaim the cost, up to 400% of your ticket price. Today, stranded passengers who do this are often left arguing for months over whether they'll see the money.
Does this affect UK261?
No. The UK retained EU261 in its own law after Brexit and is not bound by this reform. UK claims continue under UK261 — £220 / £350 / £520 — unless and until the UK legislates separately.
Don't wait for 2027
A flight disrupted today is claimable today, under rules that are already in your favour — and in several countries you can still claim years back. AirOwed checks your flight against the current regulation and the case law for free, then prepares the demand letter with the citations already in it.
RUN THE FREE CHECK →SOURCES
- Council gives final clearance for stronger air passenger rights (13 July 2026) — Council of the EU
- Commission welcomes landmark agreement on revised air passenger rights (15 June 2026) — European Commission
- Revision of Regulation 261/2004 — legislative file — European Parliament
- Agreement reached on EC261 reform to strengthen passenger rights — DLA Piper, legal analysis
Written 26 July 2026 from the institutions' own announcements. AirOwed is a document preparation tool, not a law firm — this is a plain-English summary of a published agreement, not legal advice, and the final text governs. We update this page as the regulation moves through publication.