Art. 7 EU 261 — fixed compensation amounts

Article 7 of EU 261/2004 is the heart of the compensation scheme. It sets three fixed amounts — no complicated calculation, no "up to an amount of", just hard numbers.

The three tiers (Art. 7(1)):

• €250 per passenger for flights of up to 1500 km (sub a). Example: Amsterdam → London, Paris, Berlin, Brussels.
• €400 per passenger for (i) any intra-EU flight above 1500 km, or (ii) any other flight between 1500 and 3500 km (sub b). Example: Amsterdam → Madrid, Rome, Athens.
• €600 per passenger for any other flight — in practice over 3500 km outside the EU (sub c). Example: Amsterdam → New York, Dubai, Bangkok.

How is distance measured? Great Circle Distance between departure and final destination — so on a missed connection the final destination counts, not the intermediate stop. Confirmed in Folkerts (ECJ C-11/11).

50% reduction — Art. 7(2). If the airline offers a re-routing that keeps the delay within 2 hours (sub a), 3 hours (sub b) or 4 hours (sub c) of the original arrival, the airline MAY halve the compensation. Beyond those margins: full compensation.

No per-booking cap. A family of 4 on a €400 flight: 4 × €400 = €1,600. Per passenger individually.