Air France: delay, refund, cancelled flight — your rights

Was your Air France flight delayed, cancelled, diverted, or did you miss a connection? In some situations, the European regulation on air passenger rights may entitle you to compensation of up to €600 per passenger, in addition, depending on the case, to a refund of your ticket, re-routing, and cover for certain expenses.

But a delay does not automatically entitle you to €600. The amount and the applicable rights depend in particular on the distance of the route, the delay at the final destination, the cause of the disruption and the route actually flown. This page explains the rules applicable to Air France flights and the main situations passengers encounter.

Air France: am I entitled to compensation?

This table gives a general orientation: each situation depends on the exact route, the actual operating carrier and the precise cause, detailed section by section below.

Is Air France covered by EU Regulation 261/2004?

Yes, and in both directions. Since Air France is a European Union carrier, EU Regulation 261/2004 applies to its flights whether they depart from an EU airport or whether they arrive in the EU from a country outside the EU, as long as Air France is the airline operating the flight. This is an important difference from non-European carriers, whose flights are covered only when departing the EU: with Air France, the direction of travel is not the decisive factor it is for a non-EU airline.

You still need to look at the exact route and the actual operating carrier, particularly when a flight is realised under a codeshare arrangement or when there is a connection. The regulation protects passengers regardless of their nationality.

How much can you get for a disrupted Air France flight?

When the conditions for compensation are met, the regulation provides for three fixed amounts:

These amounts correspond to the compensation provided for in article 7 of the European regulation. Note: the ticket price is not used to calculate this fixed compensation. A €100 ticket can therefore, in an eligible situation, open the right to €250, €400 or €600. Conversely, a very expensive ticket does not automatically guarantee compensation.

Air France delayed flight: am I entitled to compensation?

Yes, you may be entitled to up to €600 if your Air France flight arrives with a delay of at least 3 hours at final destination, unless an extraordinary circumstance is demonstrated by the airline. The main criterion is the delay on arrival at the final destination, not simply the delay at take-off. For a delay of at least three hours on arrival, compensation may be due where the other conditions of the regulation are met and the delay is not attributable to an extraordinary circumstance. The European regulation provides in particular for the amounts of €250, €400 and €600 depending on the distance of the route.

Example: you are travelling on an Air France long-haul flight from Paris to a destination more than 3,500 km away. Your arrival is scheduled for 6:00pm but you arrive at 10:15pm. The delay at destination exceeds three hours. If the disruption is not due to an extraordinary circumstance, the fixed compensation can reach €600 per passenger. The exact cause of the delay therefore remains essential.

Air France delays: which causes do or don't entitle you to compensation?

Not all disruptions are treated the same way. An airline can be exempted from the fixed compensation when it demonstrates that the disruption results from an extraordinary circumstance which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. See the detailed list of extraordinary circumstances recognised by the CJEU.

Depending on the actual circumstances, an extraordinary event may in particular concern: weather conditions incompatible with the flight, certain air traffic control restrictions or decisions, security problems, certain airspace closures, certain events outside the airline's control, certain strikes outside the airline. But simply mentioning an "extraordinary circumstance" in the airline's reply does not necessarily settle the matter. The precise cause, its impact on the flight and the measures taken by the carrier must be examined.

Does a technical fault automatically mean "no compensation"?

No. It is best not to present every technical fault as automatically compensable or automatically exempting. European case law distinguishes in particular between problems inherent in the carrier's normal activity and certain genuinely extraordinary events. The precise technical cause can therefore be decisive.

Air France cancelled flight: refund or compensation?

Yes, in principle, a cancellation notified less than 14 days before departure can open the right to compensation, in addition to a refund or re-routing. A cancellation gives rise to several rights that must not be confused. Depending on the situation, the passenger may have the choice between a refund of the ticket, re-routing to the final destination, or re-routing at a later date under certain conditions. Care and assistance may also be owed while waiting for re-routing.

And the €250, €400 or €600 compensation?

This is a separate right. A cancellation can therefore give rise to a refund or re-routing, plus care and assistance, plus possible compensation. Compensation is not, however, automatic. For a cancellation announced less than 14 days before departure, the conditions for compensation must in particular be examined in light of the re-routing solution offered and any extraordinary circumstances.

Air France cancelled my flight the day before: what are my rights?

Notification the day before departure is clearly a late notification under the regulation. But this does not automatically mean compensation is always due. You need to check the date and time Air France informed you, the schedule of the original flight, the schedule of the replacement flight, the arrival time at destination, and the cause of the cancellation. The regulation provides for cases where compensation can be reduced or not owed when the re-routing offered respects certain time limits.

Missed Air France connection: what to do?

This is a particularly important situation for Air France travellers. Imagine the following route: Paris → Abidjan → Accra, on a single booking for the whole journey. The first Air France flight arrives late and you miss your connection. You finally arrive in Accra several hours late.

In this type of situation, the analysis is made in particular by reference to the final destination shown on the booking, and not solely by reference to the delay of the first aircraft (Folkerts ruling, CJEU). Having a single booking is therefore particularly important. See the detail of missed connections and their specific cases.

Separate tickets: be careful

The situation is different when you bought two independent tickets: for example a Paris → Abidjan ticket, and a second Abidjan → Accra ticket bought separately. If the first flight arrives late and causes you to miss the second, European protection is not assessed in the same way as for a single booking. Always keep your full booking confirmation and your e-ticket.

Connecting at Roissy-CDG: the terminal 2G trap

Many Air France flights from regional French cities land at terminal 2G at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle, which is separate from the main hub (terminals 2E/2F) from which most long-haul flights to Africa depart. Roissy-CDG is a sprawling airport: once the aircraft has landed, it often takes 15 to 20 minutes, sometimes more depending on the parking stand assigned, to reach the gate. From 2G, the connection is then made by bus to the main terminal, with a fairly long road journey, followed by border control, where queues can be long at peak times. This actual time depends on the flight, the connecting terminal and the operational conditions on the day. The PARAFE scheme (automated biometric gates) is free and open to any traveller with a biometric passport, subject to age and nationality conditions (EU, European Economic Area, Switzerland and a list of third countries). A separate priority lane, Fast Track, also exists for security and sometimes for border control: it is generally included with a Business ticket, a high loyalty status (such as Flying Blue Gold/Platinum) or certain premium cards.

With this combination (taxiing, bus, border control), a connection shown as 1h30 at booking can turn out to be very tight in practice, even without a delay at departure. If you have doubts about your connecting time at CDG via 2G, it is best to know this before booking: in the event of a missed connection, what matters for your right to compensation remains the delay recorded at your final destination on a single booking, not the precise cause of the delay at the airport.

Baggage not transferred in time: what to do?

On a single booking, baggage is checked through to the final destination: you should not normally have to collect it between two flights. But if the connection is too short, the baggage may not be loaded onto the second flight in time and arrive after you.

In that case, the Montreal Convention applies, independently of EU261/2004: up to approximately €1,800 (1,519 SDR) per passenger in the event of lost or damaged baggage. The recommended reflex, before leaving the airport area on arrival: report the problem immediately at the baggage desk and request a PIR (Property Irregularity Report). Without a PIR, the claim becomes much harder to establish. Keep this document along with all receipts for essential purchases. Time limits then apply to claim, set by the Montreal Convention: generally 7 days for damaged baggage, 21 days for delayed baggage or to start a lost-baggage procedure — to be verified according to your exact situation. See the full procedure for lost or delayed baggage.

Air France on codeshare: which airline is responsible?

Air France flights are not all necessarily operated by an Air France aircraft or crew. This is particularly important for codeshare flights. Your ticket may show an Air France flight number starting with "AF", while the flight is actually operated by another airline.

A distinction must then be made between the marketing carrier (the airline whose flight number appears on your booking) and the actual operating carrier (the airline that actually operates the flight). This distinction can matter for determining the applicable legal regime.

Example: your ticket shows "AF1234 — Air France", but also states "Operated by [another airline]". The case should therefore not be analysed solely on the basis of the Air France logo or the AF flight number. It is useful to keep the e-ticket, the boarding pass, the booking confirmation, the "operated by" mention and any flight changes. Details of Air France/KLM codeshare cases.

Air France overbooking: denied boarding

You arrive at the airport with a valid booking, but Air France denies you boarding because the flight is full. This is potentially involuntary denied boarding. The regulation provides for specific rights in this situation: the airline must in particular look for volunteers before denying boarding to a passenger against their will.

A passenger involuntarily denied boarding can, subject to applicable conditions, obtain compensation, benefit from care and assistance, and choose between a refund and re-routing. The amount of compensation depends on the distance of the flight and can reach €600.

Air France strike: am I compensated?

The word "strike" alone is not enough to determine your rights. You need to identify who is striking.

Air France staff strike: an internal strike at the airline must be assessed in light of European case law and the precise circumstances. In the Krüsemann ruling (CJEU), the Court held that a spontaneous social movement by staff, triggered in reaction to a restructuring decision by the airline, did not constitute an extraordinary circumstance in the circumstances of that case. This does not mean that every internal Air France strike is automatically treated the same way: the characterisation depends on the precise facts.

Air traffic controllers' strike: the situation can be different when a strike involves parties outside Air France, for example air traffic control. In that case, an extraordinary circumstance may be invoked, subject to the conditions provided for by the regulation and the specific situation. The regulation cites strikes affecting a carrier's operations among the events that may, in certain circumstances, constitute extraordinary circumstances.

Simplistic rules such as "strike = no compensation" or "Air France strike = automatic compensation" should therefore be avoided.

Air France: delay, refund and compensation — what's the difference?

These three notions are often mixed up.

1. Fixed compensation: €250, €400 or €600, provided for by the European regulation when the conditions are met. It depends mainly on the distance and the flight's situation.

2. Ticket refund: this corresponds to the price paid for transport when the passenger chooses, or is entitled to obtain, a refund under the regulation.

3. Reimbursement of certain expenses: in some situations, reasonable expenses can also be covered when they result from the disruption and the airline was required to provide the corresponding care and assistance. You should therefore keep receipts for meals, hotel, transport between the airport and the hotel, and other necessary and reasonable expenses. The care and assistance provided for by the regulation includes in particular meals and refreshments as well as, where necessary, accommodation and transport between the airport and the place of accommodation. In some situations, the Montreal Convention may also apply in addition to EU261/2004, in particular for actual expenses outside the scope of the fixed amount. See the difference between EU261/2004 and the Montreal Convention.

What to do after an Air France delay or cancellation?

Before making any claim, gather your documents: boarding pass, e-ticket, booking confirmation, flight number, flight date, cancellation or delay notification, SMS or emails received from Air France, any new booking, expense receipts, hotel invoices, restaurant receipts, transport receipts.

Also note the scheduled arrival time, the actual arrival time, the departure airport, the arrival airport, the final destination, the reason given for the disruption, and the name of the actual operating carrier if the flight was operated by another airline. This information helps determine your applicable rights more precisely.

How to claim compensation from Air France

You can make a claim directly with the airline. The file should be as precise as possible: identity, booking reference, flight number, date of travel, route, nature of the disruption, actual arrival time, precise request and useful supporting documents. A precise file limits unnecessary back-and-forth compared with a message along the lines of "my flight was delayed, I am requesting compensation". See the full 5-step method.

Air France's general conditions of carriage (art. 12.3) require the passenger to first file a claim themselves and to wait 28 days before a third party (such as Robin des Airs) can take over the file. This clause is not an absolute obligation: EU Regulation 261/2004 is a matter of public policy (art. 15), and a contractual clause restricting a passenger's right to be represented remains questionable on that basis. It has not, however, yet been the subject of case law as clear as the ban on assignment of claims found in the same general conditions (art. 12.5), which the CJEU held unenforceable on 29 February 2024 in the Eventmedia v Air Europa case (C-11/23, on the basis of art. 15 of the regulation). As a precaution, Robin des Airs may therefore initiate a first contact before going to the commercial court, without this being a recognised obligation.

What if Air France refuses my claim?

A negative reply is not necessarily the end of the matter. The airline may invoke an extraordinary circumstance, an air traffic control restriction, unfavourable weather, a technical fault, a strike, a security problem, or an issue linked to another flight in the aircraft's rotation. The exact reason given must then be examined and checked against whether it genuinely corresponds to the flight's situation. A generic reply does not always make it possible to determine whether compensation is excluded.

How long do you have to claim against Air France?

The time limit depends in particular on the applicable law and the exact nature of the claim. Before the French courts, the general limitation period applied by case law for EU261 compensation is generally 5 years (art. 2224 of the French Civil Code). It is therefore best not to wait several years before acting, and to check this time limit case by case rather than treating it as automatic. For an Air France file involving several countries, the route and the applicable law must be examined before asserting a single time limit valid for all passengers. See the detail of the limitation period and its exceptions.

Will EU261 change in 2026?

The European Parliament and the Council reached a political agreement in June 2026 on a revision of the regulation, covering in particular the definition of extraordinary circumstances and claims procedures. This reform is not yet in force: the current EU261/2004 continues to apply, with the unchanged amounts of €250, €400 and €600.

Air France and flights between France and Africa

Routes between France and Africa are a particularly interesting situation for passengers. Air France operates numerous long-haul routes from Paris and other French airports, and many itineraries include a connection. For these journeys, it is important to look at the point of departure, the final destination, the distance, the actual operating carrier, the flight number, whether there is a single booking or separate tickets, and the cause of the disruption.

An itinerary such as Paris → Dakar or Paris → Abidjan should not be analysed in exactly the same way as a short European route. And for a journey Paris → Paris-CDG → African destination, the question of the connection and the final destination can become decisive.

Worked example: Air France delay Paris → Africa

You buy a single Air France booking Paris → Abidjan. Your flight arrives four hours late. If European law applies and no extraordinary circumstance justifies the airline's exemption, the applicable fixed amount depends on the distance of the route: for a flight of more than 3,500 km, the reference amount is €600 per passenger.

With a connection, for example Lyon → Paris → Abidjan on a single booking: if the Lyon-Paris flight is delayed and causes you to miss the connection to Abidjan, the mere delay of the first aircraft is not enough to calculate your rights. What matters in particular is the time at which you reach your final destination.

Why Air France cases must be assessed case by case

Two passengers who travelled on Air France on the same day can have different rights. Passenger A has a flight delayed by 4 hours due to a fault falling within the airline's normal operations. Passenger B has a flight delayed by 4 hours due to an exceptional closure of airspace. Both passengers suffered the same delay, but the cause of the disruption can lead to a different assessment of their right to compensation. This is why a simple rule such as "more than 3 hours = €600" is too simplistic.

How to check an Air France compensation claim

To determine whether your flight can open a right to compensation, you generally need to check:

• The flight: number, date and route
• The carrier: Air France or another airline operating the flight
• The booking: single ticket or separate tickets
• The actual delay: delay at final destination
• The cause: technical, weather, air traffic control, strike, security, organisational, etc.
• The applicable regulation: the route must fall within the scope of the European regulation
• Any extraordinary circumstances: the airline must be able to justify the exemption when it invokes one

In summary

An Air France delay or cancellation does not automatically mean you will receive €600. But when a flight falls within the scope of the European regulation and the conditions are met, compensation can reach €250, €400 or €600 per passenger. In addition to this compensation, depending on the situation, a refund or re-routing of the ticket and cover for certain expenses may also apply.

The difficulty mainly lies in determining: which flight? which booking? which carrier? which cause? which delay at destination? This is the analysis that shows whether an Air France claim genuinely has a chance of succeeding.

Sources and references

• Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 — article 7 (compensation), article 8 (refund/re-routing), article 9 (right to care), article 15 (passengers' mandatory rights)
• CJEU, Folkerts ruling (C-11/11) — delay assessed at final destination on a single booking
• CJEU, Krüsemann ruling (C-195/17) — internal staff strike not extraordinary
• CJEU, Eventmedia v Air Europa ruling (C-11/23, 29 February 2024) — assignment-of-claim ban unenforceable under art. 15

How to check with Robin des Airs

A specialist in the Africa-Europe corridors, Robin des Airs checks the eligibility of your Air France flight (direction, distance, cause of the delay), builds the file, sends the claim and challenges refusals. Nothing to pay if nothing is recovered. You receive 75% of the sums recovered at the amicable stage, and 60% if the airline forces us to go to court.

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