What is Air France required to pay you for a delayed or cancelled flight?
Air France is a French carrier, so EU261 covers every flight leaving an EU or EEA airport and every flight arriving in the EU or EEA on Air France metal. Land three or more hours late, or get cancelled under 14 days' notice, and the payout is €250, €400 or €600 per passenger by distance, unless the cause was genuinely extraordinary. UK departures run under UK261 instead, at £220, £350 or £520.
A refund is a separate entitlement. When Air France cancels, EU261 gives you a choice between reimbursement of the unused ticket within seven days or rerouting. On US routes the DOT automatic refund rule adds a cash refund for cancellations and delays over three hours domestic or six international. Canada's APPR pays up to CAD $1,000 on Canadian routes, and departures from Tel Aviv fall under Israel's Aviation Services Law.
Air France's own policy sits underneath that: refundability follows your fare conditions, unused taxes and fees come back even on a non-refundable ticket, and refund requests are processed within 30 days, or seven business days for US credit card purchases.
Important
Compensation and a refund are two different claims and you can hold both. Air France's voucher terms say it plainly: accepting a non-refundable voucher gives up your right to a refund of the original ticket.
Am I Eligible for Air France Compensation?
Likely eligible:
- You arrived three or more hours late for an in-control reason
- Cancelled under 14 days' notice with no close rerouting
- Denied boarding on an overbooked flight after checking in on time
- You departed any EU, EEA or UK airport, on any fare
- You missed a connection at Paris-CDG on a single booking
- Air France parked a refund it owes you as a voucher you never accepted
Unlikely to be eligible:
- Your arrival delay was under three hours (eight from Israel)
- The cause was an ATC strike, severe weather or an airspace closure
- Air France told you 14 or more days before departure
- You cancelled voluntarily, missed check-in or no-showed
- You want hotels, meals or lost earnings paid as "compensation"
How Much Can You Claim?
Scenario
Distance band
Amount per person
Fixed cash under EU261, UK261, APPR or Israeli law, paid per passenger on top of any refund. Distance and cause set the figure.
EU261 reimbursement lands within seven days when you decline rerouting. US routes trigger an automatic DOT refund. Unused taxes come back even on non-refundable fares.
If Air France never paid a refund it owed, your card scheme's dispute window (usually around 120 days) runs in parallel. UK cards add Section 75 protection above £100.
Covers what no regulation pays: replacement flights, forfeited hotel nights, lost prepaid days. Check your policy's delay threshold first.
Key Rules & Distinctions
Statutory compensation
ATC strikes are extraordinary, Air France strikes are not
What does not count as extraordinary
Distance bands, not cabin or fare
Refund or rerouting is your choice, not theirs
Which regulation governs your route
Air France Delayed or Cancelled Flight? What You Can Claim Back
Claim type
Time Limit
Note:
What Documentation Do You Need?
- Booking reference or PNR
- Boarding pass or check-in proof
- Dated cancellation or delay notice
- Proof of actual arrival time
- Card statement showing the fare
- Receipts for meals and hotels
- Air France's written reason for disruption
- Voucher balance, no cancellation reason
- Undated app screenshots
- OTA confirmation without the PNR
- Codeshare ticket, operating carrier unclear
Tip:
pull emails and statements now
- Lost wages or missed work
- Missed weddings and events
- Separately booked non-refundable hotels
- Replacement tickets on other airlines
- Emotional distress claims
Note:
travel insurance may cover these
Why Use Gyro Instead of Claiming Yourself
Factor
Claiming Yourself
Claiming Through Gyro
Key insight:
Common Air France Claim Mistakes
"I took the voucher, so I'm sorted"
Air France's voucher terms cancel your refund right on that ticket. Statutory compensation survives only if you never signed it away.
"They said strike, so there is no payout"
Ask which strike. Controllers are extraordinary, Air France's own crew is not, and that single distinction can be worth €600.
"It only pushed back an hour late"
Compensation follows arrival delay at your final destination. A modest late departure that lands three hours down still pays.
"I booked through a travel site, so they will not deal with me"
The operating carrier owes the compensation. Air France cannot redirect a statutory claim back to your OTA.
"It was two years ago, far too late"
In France the limit is five years, and six in England and Wales. Old Air France flights are still claimable today.
"I only checked the one flight that went wrong"
Most travellers have more than one eligible flight sitting in three years of email. A single inbox scan finds them all.
"My ticket was cheap, so the payout is small"
Distance sets the amount. A discounted Paris to Cairo seat pays the same €400 as a full-fare one in business.
"The war cancelled my Tel Aviv flight, so I am owed €600"
Airspace closures are extraordinary circumstances, so no cash compensation. Your refund and duty-of-care rights survive in full.
