Delayed or cancelled Air France flight? Get compensation and a refund!

Your rights in the event of a delayed or cancelled Air France flight

All Air France flights are covered under the European Regulation (EC) No. 261/2004, known also as EU261 or Flight Compensation Regulation. After Brexit, this regulation was adopted into British law.

If you encounter Air France cancellations or delays, keep in mind that British regulations protect your rights as an air passenger. In certain circumstances, you may be entitled to Air France compensation of up to £520 and a full refund of the ticket price for your Air France cancelled flight.

• Did your Air France flight experience a delay? If your final destination was reached with a delay of at least 3 hours, it is highly likely that you qualify for flight compensation.

• Was your Air France flight cancelled? If you declined the alternative flight offered by the airline, you are eligible for a refund. Furthermore, if the flight was cancelled less than 14 days before departure, you may be entitled to compensation for the cancelled Air France flight.

• Irrespective of the reason for the flight disruption, airlines are obligated to provide passengers with special assistance, referred to as the "right to care." This assistance includes food and beverage vouchers, communication services, and, if necessary, accommodations and transportation. You can claim these services directly at the airline’s service desk at the airport. In case the airline refuses to provide you with a voucher, you have the right to purchase the necessary items, and they will be required to reimburse these reasonable expenses.

Warning: If your flight delay or cancellation was caused by an "extraordinary circumstance," you will not be entitled to flight compensation, as the airline is not responsible for disruptions caused by such events.

About Air France

Air France, being established back in 1933, is one of the world’s oldest airlines still in operation. In 2003, the airline merged with the Dutch flag carrier KLM, establishing the Air France-KLM Group.

Air France itself currently owns a number of subsidiaries and franchises, such as the Air France Hop airline (formerly known as HOP!) and Servair, a company specialising in airline catering. In 2007, Air France and Transavia — a Dutch low-cost airline, fully owned by KLM — established a French subsidiary of the latter, Transavia France.

In 2019, Air France carried 52.2 million passengers — half the number of passengers carried by the whole Air France-KLM Group (104 million in 2019).

Air France compensation for delayed flight

Was your Air France flight significantly delayed? Then according to the regulations in the UK and EU, you might be eligible for Air France delayed flight compensation.

Generally, to be eligible for compensation, you must meet two criteria:

• The flight delay must be 3 hours or longer.

• The airline must be the party at fault for the delay. If extraordinary circumstances occur, such as extremely bad weather preventing a takeoff, you might not be entitled to compensation.

Air France compensation for cancelled flight

Was your Air France flight cancelled? Depending on the exact circumstances of the cancellation, you might be eligible for a flight refund, flight compensation, or both!

When can I claim compensation for my cancelled Air France flight?

You are eligible for cancelled flight compensation if your Air France flight was cancelled fewer than 14 days prior to the original departure date and if no extraordinary circumstances occurred. Additional criteria apply also in regards to the alternative flight offered by the airline — we explain them in the table below.

When can I claim a refund for my cancelled Air France flightticket refund?

You are eligible for ticket refund if your flight was cancelled and you did not take any alternative flight offered by the airline. The cause of the cancellation does not matter.

Can I get flight compensation if I cancel my Air France flight?

If you cancel your Air France flight yourself, you can not claim flight compensation. Flight compensation is only given to passengers when the airline itself cancels or delays a flight. If you choose to cancel your Air France flight, you could get a refund but this depends on the specifics of your travel insurance and the airline doesn’t owe it to you.

Air France voucher — should I accept it instead of a refund?

We do not recommend it. The main reasons for this are:

1. Voucher forces you to use the same airline in the future.

2. When you accept a voucher, you freeze your money and can’t use it for anything else besides an airline ticket.

3. Travel vouchers usually have very strict expiry dates. You might need to plan your next trip around the travel voucher expiry date.

=> Already accepted a voucher? See if you can still exchange it for a money refund.

Air France missed connection flight due to delay or cancellation

If you miss your connection flight because your Air France flight was delayed or cancelled you could claim flight compensation. However, you need to make sure that both of your flight are under the same booking number. The compensation depends on the same criteria listed above: delays of more than 3 hours upon final destination arrival or cancellation less than 14 days before departure.

Check your Air France flight status

It is important to check the status of your flight before going to the airport in order to avoid any unnecessary surprises. You easily do it by checking Air France’s website or directly go on the airport website to look at the arrivals and departures boards.

How much Air France compensation can I get if I had a delayed or cancelled flight?

The compensation amount depends on the distance of your flight.

I travelled with Air France to a non-EU country. Am I still entitled to compensation and refund?

Yes, the EU regulations apply to all Air France flights.

However, it's worth noting that when flying with an airline that is headquartered neither in the UK nor in the EU, the situation may be different. See the table below for details.

Extraordinary circumstances — when can Air France deny compensation?

There are situations where the flight delay or cancellation happens not because of the airline’s fault but because of a third party of force majeure. When this happens, the airline is not obliged to pay out compensation.

Among these extraordinary circumstances are:

• Bad weather, for example thick fog, heavy rain, or thunderstorms.

• A strike, most often specifically within the aviation industry.

  However, a strike of the airline's crew is not considered an extraordinary circumstance!

• Political circumstances, such as a terrorist attack or general security risk due to political unrest.

• Natural disasters, including volcanic eruptions and hurricanes.

• A collision between the aircraft and birds or other foreign objects.

• An ill or unruly passenger.

• Flight delays caused by the airport staff, such as extraordinarily long queues to security checks.
  

Unfortunately, airlines still too often deny even the rightful claims by suggesting that extraordinary circumstances occurred when it was not actually the case. Thanks to our 10+ years of experience, we can help you maximise your chances of a successful claim and hold the airline accountable.

You can submit your claim with us even if your claim has already been denied once by the airline — we will carefully review your case and fight for your rights. No win, no fee.

How long do I have to claim Air France compensation and refund?

As Air France is a french airline, you always have up to 5 years to claim flight compensation. However, as the time limit depends on the flight itinerary, if you are flying from or to the United KingdomNetherlands, you can have up to 62 years to claim flight compensation and refunds.

=> Check if you can still claim Air France compensation and refund

How long will it take to get Air France compensation /Air France refund?

Passengers who claim with Flight-Delayed.co.uk often find money on their accounts within a few weeks or months.

However, if the airline is unresponsive and/or the claim has to be taken to court, the wait time might get extended.

Rest assured, though, that if you decide to claim your Air France compensation or refund with Flight-Delayed.co.uk, you won’t need to stay alert all the time while waiting for your money. After you submit all the documents and information needed to proceed with the claim, we will take care of the whole process for you, including representing you in court, if needed.

Even if it might take a while to get your money back, we will keep you posted on any important updates regarding your claim and be there to answer any questions you may have.

For your convenience, we work exclusively on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis.

How to claim Air France compensation and refund?

First, double-check your eligibility with our free, no-obligation Claim Calculator. This way, you’ll know what to expect.

If you are found to be eligible for compensation or a refund, you can either try to claim it by yourself directly with the airline or let us handle all the work for you. We’ll efficiently process your claim, send it to the right people at Air France and fight for your rights until the very end, even in court. Thanks to over a decade of experience we have in the area of airline claims, we can help you maximise your chances of a successful claim.

Learn more about our fees on our Price List page or claim right away — straight from your phone or your computer — using our smart online system.

Useful links

• ASL airlines flight compensation
• Fly Amelia flight compensation
• More details on delayed flight compensation
• More details on cancelled flight compensation
• Post-Brexit flight compensation rules in the UK
• Rules regarding missed flight compensation
• Rules regarding flight compensation in the case of denied boarding
• Claim Calculator — check if you are eligible for compensation