Key Points about “Flight delay 2 hours”
- Explains passenger rights to compensation for flight delays.
- Discusses the rules and timeframes for making a compensation claim.
- Offers advice on how to document and report the delay.
- Discusses the factors that determine the compensation amount.
- Provides tips for working with airlines and third-party compensation services.
You had a flight delay or a flight cancellation? Check your rights now and increase your chances of compensation
Flight delay of 2 hours: Who hasn’t experienced it? You start your well-earned and long-awaited holiday, arrive at the airport, and find that your flight is delayed. This is especially annoying when you have to catch another flight on time in order to reach your final destination. The EU Passenger Rights Regulation 261/2004 was created precisely for these scenarios. After all, it ensures that you receive compensation for a delayed or even canceled flight. However, this is not always the case. In particular, if the delay is “only” two hours, you are not actually entitled to any compensation under the regulation. However, we explain below whether and to what extent other claims can be made.
Entitlement to compensation for a delay of two hours
Even a delay of “only” two hours can be a real nuisance. After all, you want to finally reach your holiday destination. Business travelers, on the other hand, are annoyed about missing an important appointment. Some may even plan to board a connecting flight, which has to be reached in time. Of course, one wonders at this point whether there is any legal recourse against the airline. Unfortunately, anyone seeking monetary compensation will not succeed in the case of a two-hour delay. After all, the EU Passenger Rights Regulation 261/2004 states that a delay of at least three hours at the point of arrival must apply.
The only exception is if the flight was canceled less than one week before departure. If you now look for an alternative at short notice, and this is why you arrive more than two hours late at your destination, you can make a claim for compensation. So if your flight is delayed by 2 hours, there is no compensation. However, you can make a different claim. For example, if your flight is delayed by two hours or more, your airline must take care of you by offering you support services. These can be very different. They start with a simple supply of food and drink and can end with an overnight stay in a hotel.
If there is a flight delay of 2 hours, the airline staff will usually provide you with vouchers that can be redeemed at local airport restaurants and snack bars. If this does not happen, however, you do not have to worry about starving. If your flight is delayed by 2 hours, you can recover the costs incurred as compensation from the airline. Just make sure you keep the corresponding payment receipts.
Flight delay 2 hours – What you can do at the airport
A flight delay of 2 hours has many disadvantages. Not only will you arrive later at your destination. On top of that, waiting at the airport can be rather boring. Especially if you are traveling with children, this can be a real test of nerves. Of course, you then ask yourself how to make time go by as fast as possible. So, how do you deal with a 2-hour flight delay at the airport?
1. Asserting the right to care services
If your flight is delayed by at least two hours, you have a right to care services from the airline. And this can be worthwhile not only for you, but also for your children. After all, snacks and tasty drinks are a welcome distraction from boredom. If the staff does not offer appropriate snacks, simply go looking for food yourself. Experience shows that airports offer a wide range of restaurants and snack bars. Everyone should be able to find something there. Be sure to keep the receipts for later reimbursement by the airline.
2. Collect evidence
Experience has shown that airlines seldom pursue passenger rights. This also applies to the reimbursement of care costs. Instead, they are often refused. All the better if you can prove that there really was a delay. Simply take photos of the arrival/departure display screens. This will prove that there really was a delay. In the best case, also ask other passengers on your flight to do so. This way you collect several pieces of evidence independently of each other.
3. Don’t let it spoil your holiday mood
A delay always comes at the worst possible time. But it is least welcome when you want to fly on your well-deserved holiday. But there’s no need to get upset about the delay. It only strains your nerves unnecessarily. After all, there is nothing you can do about the delay anyway.
4. Kill time
The best way to pass the time is with a good book. You may also find a good kiosk at the airport that can provide you with fresh reading material. Your smartphone is a walking entertainment machine anyway. You can use it to watch a film or series or play a game. An empty battery or exhausted data volume is no obstacle. One of the numerous USB ports at the airport will provide a battery charge. A freely accessible WLAN network, which every airport offers nowadays, also provides you with internet access. If you like it the old way and want to engage your children, you can also use a good old card game. There are no limits to the possibilities here.
5. Walk through the airport
If you have a long-haul flight ahead of you, you should try not to kill the waiting time at the airport by sitting down. After all, more hours of sitting on the plane will follow. Since sitting for too long is not healthy, you should rather use the time to stroll around the airport. This keeps the blood circulation going and prepares you well for sitting for hours in the plane.
Flight delay 2 hours Package tour
A flight delay of 2 hours does not yet entitle passengers to compensation under the EU Air Passenger Rights Regulation. But is compensation available for a flight delay of 2 hours if it is a package tour? No. Since Regulation 261/2004 also applies here, there is no compensation for a flight delay of 2 hours for a package tour either. However, compensation claims can be made in this case as well.
What do you get for a 2-hour flight delay?
For most, a flight delay of 2 hours is already extremely annoying. You certainly have a right to benefits in the event of a two-hour delay. But do you also get your money back in case of a 2-hour delay? No. The EU Passenger Rights Regulation only recognizes a claim for compensation in the case of a delay of at least three hours. An example illustrates the implications.
Example:
You want to take a flight from Berlin to Rome. When you arrive at the airport, you find out that the flight scheduled for 4 p.m. is delayed. At 6:15 p.m. the plane finally takes off, and you arrive in Rome 2 hours late. In this case, you are not entitled to compensation. However, you could have asked for food and drink at the airport from 18:00.
The situation is different if the flight does not take off until 20:00, and you arrive in Rome 3:45 hours late. In this case, you are entitled to 250 euros in compensation, as Rome is just under 1,184 km from Berlin as the crow flies and is therefore considered a short-haul flight. During your waiting time at the airport, you can also claim benefits from your airline. This is possible from a waiting time of 2 hours.
| up to 2 hours | up to 3 hours | bis 4 Stunden | never arrived | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 € | 250 € | 250 € | 250 € | < 1500 km |
| 0 € | 400 € | 400 € | 400 € | 1500 km – 3500 km |
| 0 € | 600 € | 600 € | 600 € | > 3500 km |
What do you get for a flight delay of 1 hour?
A flight delay of less than 2 hours does not give you any entitlement. In these cases, you can neither claim compensation nor demand benefits from the airline. This is quite understandable. After all, delays can always occur at the airport, which you simply have to accept to a certain extent. There are often reasons for them that are beneficial to one’s own safety and the safety of other passengers. If a flight delay of less than 2 hours occurs, you should simply accept it.
What do you get in the event of a 3-hour flight delay?
The EU Air Passenger Rights Regulation 261/2004 was created to help passengers in case of delays. If there is a flight delay of at least 3 hours, you are entitled to 250 euros (up to 1,500 km), 400 euros (1,500 km to 3,500 km) or 600 euros (more than 3,500 km), depending on the flight distance. Consequently, you are entitled to compensation for a flight delay of 3 hours. In turn, a flight delay of more than two hours already entitles you to care services.
| Airlines | Free Compensation Calculator |
|---|---|
| Wizz Air, Eurowings, Virgin Atlantic, Ryanair | Calculate and Claim Flight Compensation (Takes only 2 Minutes) |
| US Airways, United Airlines, Turkish Airlines | Calculate and Claim Flight Compensation (Takes only 2 Minutes) |
| Malaysia Airlines, Lufthansa, EasyJet, Air Canada | Calculate and Claim Flight Compensation (Takes only 2 Minutes) |
| British Airways, American Airlines, Air France | Calculate and Claim Flight Compensation (Takes only 2 Minutes) |
How long can a flight be delayed?
To a certain extent, passengers must simply accept a flight delay without being entitled to compensation. A delay of up to two hours is reasonable. Anything over two hours should entail the provision of care services y. In this case, your airline must provide food and drink and, under certain circumstances, an overnight stay in a hotel. If the delay is at least 3 hours, compensation of between 250 and 600 euros is again possible.
How much money do I get if my flight is delayed?
In the event of a flight delay, compensation can only be paid under certain circumstances. Only if you reach your destination with a delay of at least 3 hours can you claim compensation. The EU Passenger Rights Regulation specifies compensation of between 250 and 600 euros, depending on the distance.
What counts as a flight delay?
The decisive factor is the time at which you arrive at your destination airport. If you take off three hours late and arrive at your destination only 2:30 hours late due to very good conditions, you are not entitled to compensation. The claim only arises from three hours of delayed arrival.
Flight delay 2 hours long-haul – What are you entitled to?
Whether you have a short-haul or long-haul flight ahead of you has no influence on your entitlement to food and drink. You are always entitled to food and drink from the airline if there is a delay of at least two hours. If you arrive at your destination with a delay of at least three hours, it is again relevant whether you flew long-haul or short-haul. Whereas a short-haul flight allows for “only” 250 euros in compensation, a long-haul flight allows for 600 euros.
Which airline do you fly with?
When it comes to compensation for flight delays, the EU Passenger Rights Regulation has a precise catalog of compensation payments. But the airlines themselves have sometimes drawn up their own additional regulations on how to pacify their passengers in the event of a delay.
Flight delay 2 hours Eurowings – What are you entitled to?
- Entitlement to meals and refreshments
- Hotel accommodation if required
- Transfer
- Reimbursement of costs for telephone calls
Flight delay 2 hours Lufthansa – What are you entitled to?
- Meals and drinks
- Hotel accommodation if necessary
- Transfer
- Possibility for two short telephone calls, faxes, or emails
Flight delay 2 hours Ryanair – What are you entitled to?
- Meals and drinks
- Two phone calls or emails
- Hotel accommodation if required
- Transfer
Not affected by the above airlines? Visit our full list of airlines.
How can Flightright help you?
You are stuck at the airport because of a flight delay? Your flight has been cancelled, or you have been removed from the passenger list (denied boarding)? Your luggage is lost or only turned up after days?
In each of the situations described, you have a right to compensation as an air passenger.
According to the EU Passenger Rights Regulation, passengers are entitled to compensation in the event of a delay, cancellation, overbooking, or missed connection. You can claim up to 600 euros of compensation per person (minus commission fee). This compensation is independent of the ticket price. Flightright enforces your right for you. If necessary also in court.
Tip: Flightright helps you enforce your air passenger rights! With us, you can check your claims free of charge in two minutes. ✔️Easy, ✔️fast & without ✔️risk
As experts on the subject of air passenger rights, we enforce your right to compensation against the airline! Flightright’s air passenger rights experts are also happy to help you with ticket reimbursements and refunds for cancelled package tours.