Corsair: delayed, cancelled or overbooked flight — your rights

Was your Corsair flight delayed, cancelled, diverted, or did you miss a connection? Depending on the situation, the European regulation on air passenger rights may entitle you to compensation of up to €600 per passenger, on top of, depending on the case, a ticket refund, re-routing, and cover for certain expenses.

Corsair is a carrier registered in France, and therefore in the European Union. EU Regulation 261/2004 covers it in several configurations, notably departing the EU (Paris-Orly, and now also Bordeaux, Nantes, Marseille and Toulouse depending on the season) towards West Africa, the Caribbean, Reunion or French Guiana.

Corsair: am I entitled to compensation?

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

How much can I get for a disrupted Corsair flight?

These amounts correspond to the compensation set out in article 7 of the European regulation, independent of the price paid for the ticket.

Caribbean, Reunion, French Guiana: why €400 and not €600 despite the distance

This is an important quirk for Corsair, which serves several French overseas departments and regions. A Paris → Fort-de-France or Paris → Pointe-à-Pitre flight is well over 3,500 km. But Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana and Reunion are outermost regions of the European Union: the flight therefore remains intra-community within the meaning of the regulation, even though the distance is long. The applicable amount is then €400, not €600, as soon as the other conditions for compensation are met. Conversely, a Corsair flight to West Africa (Abidjan, Bamako, Cotonou), which departs the EU but arrives in a country outside the EU, can open the right to the €600 amount beyond 3,500 km.

Corsair delayed flight

Yes, you may be entitled to up to €600 if your Corsair flight arrives with a delay of at least 3 hours at final destination, subject to the other conditions. The delay is measured on arrival (when the doors open), not at departure. From 3 hours of delay at final destination, compensation may be due if the other conditions of the regulation are met and no extraordinary circumstance applies, without you having to prove any financial loss: €250 up to 1,500 km, €400 between 1,500 and 3,500 km (or intra-community flight beyond), €600 beyond that outside the EU.

Corsair's excuses: valid or not

Valid excuses: extreme weather, airspace closure, air traffic control strikes, bird strike or debris on the runway. Even then, the airline must prove it took all reasonable measures to limit the delay.

Invalid excuses (compensation remains due): a technical fault on the aircraft, even an unforeseen one (Wallentin-Hermann and van der Lans rulings, CJEU), the aircraft running late on its previous rotation, understaffing or internal organisational problems. The precise cause remains decisive: not all technical faults are treated the same.

Corsair cancelled flight

Yes, in principle, if Corsair cancels your flight and informs you less than 14 days before departure, you are entitled to the compensation per passenger, plus either a ticket refund OR re-routing, at your choice. These two rights are cumulative (art. 7 and art. 8 of the regulation). A travel voucher only replaces a cash refund if you accept it: you can refuse it and insist on a bank transfer.

Note: being told less than 14 days in advance does not always trigger compensation on its own. If Corsair offers re-routing at times very close to the original flight, it may escape payment in certain specific cases. The three scenarios explained in detail.

Missed connection with Corsair

Did Corsair cause you to miss your connection? If your ticket is a single booking covering the whole journey, the delay is measured at your final destination, whichever leg caused it (Folkerts ruling, CJEU 2013).

As Corsair is a European carrier, a single ticket covering a Corsair flight opens the right to the fixed amount as soon as the final delay exceeds 3 hours, whichever leg is at fault.

Be careful: if you bought two separate tickets rather than a single booking, the protection is far weaker, as each flight is assessed independently.

Corsair overbooking / denied boarding

Involuntary denied boarding (overbooking) opens specific rights set out in the regulation, notably compensation, care (meals, accommodation where necessary) and the choice between refund and re-routing, subject to the applicable conditions. Article 4 of EU Regulation 261/2004 requires the airline to first call for volunteers before denying boarding to anyone.

Unlike a cancellation, overbooking admits almost no excuse: it is a commercial decision by the airline, never an extraordinary circumstance.

Strikes and Corsair flights

It all depends on who is striking. A strike by Corsair's own staff must be assessed against European case law and the precise circumstances. In the Krüsemann ruling (CJEU), the Court held that a spontaneous industrial action by staff, triggered in reaction to a restructuring decision by the airline, did not amount to an extraordinary circumstance in the circumstances of that case. This does not mean every strike internal to Corsair is automatically treated the same way: the characterisation depends on the precise facts.

A strike by third parties outside Corsair (air traffic controllers, airport staff not employed by the airline, a national general strike) may instead be a valid extraordinary circumstance, provided Corsair proves it took all reasonable measures to limit the impact.

Corsair flights from Paris-Orly

Unlike Air France, which operates mainly from Roissy-Charles de Gaulle, Corsair flies from Paris-Orly, a human-scale airport, more compact and generally easier to navigate than CDG. This is a genuine comfort factor for passengers, notably on long-haul flights to the Caribbean, Reunion or West Africa where waiting and connections already weigh on the journey.

If you are arriving by high-speed train from the provinces to catch a Corsair flight at Orly, note that the official connecting station for combined Train + Air (TGVAir) tickets is Massy TGV, not a central Paris station. From Massy, a free shuttle (on presentation of the Train + Air coupon) or the public bus connects the station to Orly airport in around 30 minutes, running every 30 to 90 minutes. If you do not have a combined ticket, public bus 5154 provides the same link at standard fare. It is best to build this connection into your buffer time: a delayed domestic flight or high-speed train can make you miss the shuttle slot and complicate arriving in time for check-in.

How to contact Corsair about a claim

Corsair handles direct claims slowly, often without a reply for several months. Before writing yourself, keep your boarding pass, your e-ticket and any delay or cancellation notification: these are the documents that make the difference if the airline refuses or stays silent.

How long do you have to claim?

Before the French courts, the ordinary 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.

Sources and references

• Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 — article 7 (compensation), article 8 (refund/re-routing), article 9 (right to care)
• CJEU, Krüsemann ruling (C-195/17) — internal strikes, characterisation depending on the precise facts
• Guide to flights to French overseas territories: why €400 and not €600

How to claim with Robin des Airs

A specialist in the Africa-Europe and Caribbean-Europe corridors, Robin des Airs checks whether your Corsair flight qualifies (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.

→ File my Corsair claim in 2 min