Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 provides assistance, a refund or re-routing, and flat-rate compensation of 250, 400 or 600 euros depending on distance, for flights departing from the European Union or arriving in the Union on a Union airline. Baggage falls under the Montreal Convention: written claim within 7 or 21 days. Information checked on 21 October 2026 on europa.eu and eur-lex.europa.eu.
Costs & fees
| Flat-rate compensation, flight of 1,500 km or less | 250 EUR | Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004. |
| Flat-rate compensation, intra-EU flight over 1,500 km or other flight of 1,500 to 3,500 km | 400 EUR | Article 7 of the regulation. |
| Flat-rate compensation, all other flights | 600 EUR | Article 7. For an arrival delay of 3 hours to under 4 hours on a flight of over 3,500 km, Your Europe states 300 EUR. |
| Possible reduction when re-routing arrives slightly late | 50% of the amount (125, 200 or 300 EUR) | If arrival is no more than 2, 3 or 4 hours after the scheduled time, depending on distance. |
| Downgrade to a lower class | 30%, 50% or 75% of the ticket price | Depending on distance, refunded within 7 days (Article 10). |
| Checked baggage lost, damaged or delayed | About 1,300 EUR at most | Amount stated by Your Europe. Higher compensation can be requested in advance for a supplement. |
| Court proceedings costs | Varies by country: check on europa.eu | See the Your Europe page on legal action for consumers. |
Timeline
Check that the EU regulation applies to your flight
Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 applies to passengers departing from an airport in the European Union, whatever the airline. For a flight leaving a non-EU country such as Morocco for an EU airport, it applies if the flight is operated by an EU carrier and if you have not already received benefits, compensation or assistance in that non-EU country. You also need a confirmed booking and must have checked in at the time stated in writing by the airline or, failing that, no later than 45 minutes before the published departure time. Only motorised fixed-wing aircraft are covered; passengers on a reduced fare not available to the public are excluded.
💡 Tip: The airline responsible is the one operating the flight (the operating air carrier), not necessarily the one that sold the ticket.
⚠️ Warning: A flight from Morocco to the European Union operated by a non-EU airline falls outside the regulation (Article 3).
Identify the disruption and ask for assistance
If the airline expects a departure delay of 2 hours or more (flights of 1,500 km or less), 3 hours or more (intra-EU flights over 1,500 km and other flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km) or 4 hours or more (all other flights), it must offer meals and refreshments in line with the wait, and two communications (calls or electronic messages). If the new departure is at least the next day, it must also provide a hotel and transport from the airport. Cancellation and denied boarding give the same assistance. Keep your receipts: if the airline provides nothing, necessary, appropriate and reasonable costs must be reimbursed. From a 2-hour delay, the airline must hand you a written notice on your rights.
💡 Tip: The written notice must also give the contact details of the national body responsible for enforcing the regulation.
Choose between a refund and re-routing
For a cancellation or denied boarding, the airline must offer three options: reimbursement of the ticket at the purchase price within 7 days, with a return flight to the point of departure if needed; re-routing to the final destination under comparable transport conditions; or re-routing at a later date of your choosing, subject to seat availability. For a departure delay of at least 5 hours, reimbursement is also offered. Once you choose an option, the other two no longer apply, but compensation may still be due. If the replacement flight lands at another airport serving the same city or region, the transfer costs are borne by the airline.
Work out the flat-rate compensation
Article 7 sets compensation by distance: 250 euros for flights of 1,500 km or less; 400 euros for intra-EU flights of more than 1,500 km and other flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km; 600 euros for all other flights. Distance is measured in a straight line (great-circle route) to the last destination where you arrive late. It is due for denied boarding, for cancellation and, according to Your Europe, for a delay of 3 hours or more at the final destination. If re-routing gets you there within 2, 3 or 4 hours of the scheduled time, depending on distance, the airline may cut the amount by 50%. Payment is in cash, by transfer or cheque, or in vouchers with your signed agreement.
⚠️ Warning: No compensation for a cancellation if you were told at least two weeks before departure, or if the airline proves extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even with all reasonable measures.
Lost, damaged or delayed baggage
An EU carrier's liability towards passengers and their baggage is governed by the Montreal Convention, which Regulation (EC) No 2027/97, as amended by Regulation (EC) No 889/2002, puts into effect. For checked baggage that is lost, damaged or delayed, the airline is liable unless the damage comes from a defect in the bag itself; according to Your Europe, compensation can reach about 1,300 euros. For hand baggage, it is liable only for damage it caused. Higher compensation can be requested in advance, at the latest at check-in, for a supplement. The claim must be made in writing to the airline within 7 days, or within 21 days of getting your baggage back if it was delayed.
💡 Tip: Your Europe states that there is no standard form at European level for this written claim.
Send the claim to the airline
Always send your complaint to the airline that operated the flight first, using its form, and attach the receipts for the costs you paid. Outbound and return flights are always treated as two separate flights, even within one booking. In case of extraordinary circumstances, the airline must prove them, for example with flight log extracts or incident reports, to the passenger and to the national body. The European Consumer Centre in your country can provide help and advice. If the airline does not reply within 2 months, or its reply does not satisfy you, other routes open up, described in the next step.
Turn to the national body, an ADR entity or the courts
You can complain to the national enforcement body of the country where the incident happened. Each member state designates one for flights departing from its airports and for flights from a non-EU country arriving at them. It gives non-binding legal advice. You can also use an alternative dispute resolution entity (open only to EU residents) or go to court, including through the European Small Claims Procedure. For a flight operated by an EU airline, the claim can be brought in the country of departure or arrival. Limitation periods depend on each country.
💡 Tip: The European Commission publishes the list of national bodies, updated on 13 October 2026 in the version consulted.
In depth
This guide covers only European Union rules. What Moroccan law provides for a flight leaving Morocco on a non-EU airline has not been checked here. According to Your Europe, the regulation also applies to Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, and the passenger's place of residence is not a condition: what counts is the departure airport and the carrier. Access to out-of-court procedures, however, is limited to EU residents.
Extraordinary circumstances are the main source of refusals. Your Europe gives as examples air traffic management decisions, adverse weather and security risks. By contrast, most technical problems found during maintenance or caused by its absence, a boarding staircase hitting the aircraft and a strike by the carrier's own staff are not. To be exempt, the airline must prove the link with the event and that the cancellation or delay could not have been avoided by all reasonable measures. If the explanation is not satisfactory, the national body can help.
Several special cases are covered. For a connecting flight under a single booking, the airline owes compensation if arrival at the final destination is more than three hours late. If a package holiday is cancelled for reasons other than the flight being cancelled, the regulation does not apply. Passengers with reduced mobility, their companions and unaccompanied children are entitled to care as soon as possible, whatever the length of the delay. The regulation's obligations cannot be limited by a clause in the transport contract, and further compensation remains possible. For a sea crossing, see the guide /en/guides/ferry-cancelled-delayed-passenger-rights-remedies-mre.
❌ Common mistakes to avoid
- ✕Not every flight between Morocco and Europe is covered: a flight leaving Morocco for the Union is covered only if operated by an EU carrier.
- ✕The rights are owed by the airline that operates the flight, not the one that sold the ticket or the travel agency.
- ✕For a delay, compensation is measured on arrival at the final destination (3 hours or more), not on the departure delay alone.
- ✕Outbound and return flights are always two separate flights, even within the same booking.
- ✕A missed connection caused by delays at security checks, or by not meeting the boarding time, does not give a right to compensation.
- ✕A strike by the airline's own staff is not an extraordinary circumstance; an external strike can be, provided the airline proves the link and that no reasonable measure was possible.
- ✕Travel vouchers can replace cash compensation only with the passenger's signed agreement.
- ✕Waiting on baggage: the written claim is due within 7 days, or 21 days after getting the baggage back if it was delayed.
🔗 Official links and resources
Your Europe: air passenger rights
Case by case (cancellation, delay, baggage), amounts and remedies.
Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 on EUR-Lex
Text of the regulation on passenger compensation and assistance.
Regulation (EC) No 889/2002 on EUR-Lex
Air carrier liability for passengers and their baggage (Montreal Convention).
List of national enforcement bodies (European Commission)
One body per member state, with contact details and complaint form.
Your Europe: out-of-court dispute resolution
Using an alternative dispute resolution entity.
Your Europe: legal action for consumers
European Small Claims Procedure.
❓ Frequently asked questions
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