Air France: what to do if your flight is delayed, cancelled or overbooked

Your passenger rights when flying with Air France

If your flight has been delayed, for more than 3 hours, or cancelled, you can claim monetary compensation. This compensation can amount to up to £540 per passenger according to Regulation (EC) No 261/2004. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, you can claim your compensation up to 6 years after the date of the flight. This regulation most certainly applies to Air France flights departing or arriving at a European airport.

Conditions for claiming compensation from Air France:

The flight route: The European Regulation states that when the flight is operated by a European airline (which is the case for Air France), you can claim compensation as long as your flight takes off and/or arrives at an airport in Europe.
Circumstances: The European Regulation states that in order to claim compensation for a flight delay, cancellation or incident of denied boarding; the disruption must not have been a result of any extraordinary circumstances
The deadline for claiming compensation: in the United Kingdom and Ireland, it is possible to claim compensation for up to 6 years after the date of the flight. The timeframe varies depending on the European country.

Air France and passenger assistance and care in case of a long delay or cancellation:

Air France should provide you with the corresponding care in the event of a long delay or flight cancellation. This may include the following

Meals and drinks
Two different occasions in which you are allowed to establish communication with an individual of your choice (calls, emails, etc.)
Hotel accommodations if necessary (one or more nights) and transport from the airport to the hotel

If you do not receive this kind of assistance and you are obliged to incur in extra expenses, you have the right to be reimbursed. So remember to keep your itemised invoices and receipts. Your request for reimbursement may also be attached to the claim for compensation.

Air France: what is the amount of compensation in the event of a delay, cancellation or overbooking?

The amount of compensation is set by EC Regulation 261/2004 and is defined by the flight’s itinerary and the distance between the airport of departure and arrival. This takes into account the whole trip, including connecting flights. So the distance between your initial departure and your final destination will determine the amount of compensation you may receive:

Claim amounts for your disrupted Air France flight

For all flights covering a distance of up to 1,500 kilometres, you will receive up to £218.00
For all flights covering a distance between 1,500 kilometres and 3,500 kilometres, you will receive up to £350.00
For flights covering a distance greater than 3,500 kilometres, you are entitled to up to £525.00

Please be advised that if your flight travelled a distance greater than 3,500 kilometres and it was delayed more than 3 hours but fewer than 4, then the amount of compensation is reduced by half. The total amounts are defined in euros in the regulation and are the following: €250, €400 and €600.

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How to proceed when seeking compensation for delayed or cancelled Air France flight

These are our top recommendations and things to keep in mind when being affected by an Air France disruption:

Keep a copy of your travel documents

Flight documents (boarding pass, booking confirmation, e-ticket, delay statement, etc.)
Receipts for additional costs (e.g. taxi, food and accommodation)

Save the information of your disrupted Air France flight

Flight number
The flight schedule (arrival & departure hours)
Length of the delay (final departure and arrival time)

Try to find out the reason for the flight’s delay or cancellation

Ask Air France’s staff and crew
Check the weather
Check if other flights are delayed or cancelled (arriving at or departing from the same airport)

Check your flight for free with our claim calculator and find out almost immediately if you can claim compensation!

Enter the date and flight number of your Air France flight in our claim calculator below to see if you can claim compensation for your delay or cancellation. You will also find out immediately how much compensation you may receive:

Claim your compensation from Air France

If you want to maximise your probability of being compensated for your Air France flight’s delay, cancellation or overbooking, you can let a specialised service, like Flight-Delayed, take care of the whole ordeal. Very often, airlines make the process as complicated as possible to scare away passengers claiming compensation. They also overuse the argument that a disruption has been caused by an extraordinary circumstance.

Fortunately, we have the right tools and databases to ensure that your rights are enforced and to fact-check the airlines. We will even take the airline to court if necessary and all of the costs will be covered by our 25% win fee. If you wish so, we will take care of everything and help you assert your rights!

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When am I entitled to compensation when flying with Air France?

Regulation EC 261/2004 specifies that passengers may receive compensation if the delay, cancellation or denied boarding was caused by an incident under the responsibility of the airline. It means that the airline will have to pay compensation unless it can prove that the disruption was caused by an extraordinary circumstance. Examples of extraordinary circumstances include adverse weather conditions, natural disasters, political unrest, a threat to the safety of the flight or passengers, a passenger falling ill, etc.

What about compensation for an Air France strike?

We interviewed an external and independent lawyer to find out whether, in the event of a strike, passengers could be compensated for the delay or cancellation of their flights. He explained to us that the right to compensation depends on the nature of the strike:

If the industrial action has been organised by the airline’s staff (pilots, flight attendants, stewards etc.), then the airline can probably be held responsible for the strike and the passenger can make a claim.
If the strike is external to the airline (air traffic controllers, airport staff, security staff, a national strike, etc.), then the airline is not responsible for the strike and the passenger won’t be compensated.

Unsure if you are entitled to compensation or your claim has already been rejected by Air France? We can still help you

If you’re uncertain if your flight delay or cancellation qualifies, once you’ve submitted your claim our team of experts will verify the conditions and assess your situation. If your claim has already been rejected by Air France, you can still submit your claim and our team will verify and corroborate the airline’s arguments. Very often they wrongly assess the situation and reject perfectly valid claims, so don’t give up so easily and don’t worry, we’re here to help you!

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Air France: network, punctuality and history

Claim compensation for your Air France flight delay or cancellation

Founded in 1933, Air France is one of the best-known carriers in Europe. While the airline used to be the French flag carrier, it then merged with KLM in 2003. Air France has a fleet of 225 aeroplanes, operating to 204 destinations in 93 different countries all over the world. The airline is often punctual with an on-time arrival performance of 79.4% in 2017. In the same year, It transported nearly 50 million passengers in Europe and around the world. For the record, Air France was created following the merging of five French airlines (Air Union, Air Orient, Société Générale de Transport Aérien (SGTA), CIDNA and Aéropostale).

Have you already checked if you are entitled to compensation via our calculator? Have a look at our FAQ or contact us if you have any further questions!