€250 per passenger — short European flights
The €250 tier (Art. 7(1)(a)) covers all flights up to 1500 km. Examples: Amsterdam → London, Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Frankfurt.
The €250 tier from Art. 7(1)(a) EU 261/2004 applies to flights up to and including 1500 km — most intra-European short hops.
Examples from Amsterdam:
- Amsterdam → London-Heathrow (~373 km) — €250
- Amsterdam → Brussels-Zaventem (~173 km) — €250
- Amsterdam → Paris-CDG (~399 km) — €250
- Amsterdam → Berlin-BER (~575 km) — €250
- Amsterdam → Frankfurt (~366 km) — €250
- Amsterdam → Munich (~679 km) — €250
- Amsterdam → Prague (~706 km) — €250
- Amsterdam → Rome-FCO (~1296 km) — €250 (just below the 1500 km threshold)
50% reduction (Art. 7(2)): the airline may halve €250 to €125 if they offer re-routing arriving within 2 hours of the original arrival. Beyond 2 hours: full €250.
Family of 4 example: AMS → Berlin (3+ hour delay) = €250 × 4 = €1,000. Our letter €9.99 — you keep €990. With AirHelp's 35% commission: €650 net, you lose €340.
Important observation: 1500 km is the exact threshold, measured via great-circle distance between departure and final destination. A 1498 km flight is €250; a 1501 km flight is €400. At boundary cases this can be litigated by the carrier — our letter cites the exact measured distance.
Flight delayed or cancelled? Claim €250–€600
We draft a formal EU 261/2004 claim letter to your airline. Send-ready PDF with legal citations — ready to file.
Start — €9,99