Flight Delays & Disruptions 2026: Your Rights & Compensation
Our tracker of the year’s biggest European flight disruptions, from January strikes to the Christmas outlook. Many of the delays and cancellations below can entitle you to €250–€600 compensation per passenger — plus hotels, meals and transport. No travel insurance needed.
Last updated: 19 October 2026
EU261 Is Changing — But Not Until October 2027
The EU has adopted the first major update to air passenger rights since 2004. Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 was published on 2 October 2026, but its new rules only apply from 23 October 2027. Until then, today’s EU261 rules apply to every claim.
- Compensation stays the same: the 3-hour delay threshold and the €250 / €400 / €600 amounts were kept.
- A new 9-month deadline: once the new rules apply, compensation claims must generally be made within nine months of the flight. Today, national limitation periods often give you years.
- Faster answers: airlines will have to send claim instructions after a disruption and decide on claims within 30 days.
- UK flights: UK261 is separate UK law and is not changed by this reform.
Have an older disrupted flight you never claimed? Don’t wait for the rules to tighten. Check it now →
Strike RiskNov 6 – Dec 15
🇮🇹 Italy: ATC & Airport Strikes Scheduled
Italy’s official strike register lists more aviation action this winter: a 4-hour ENAV strike at Bari (6 November), a nationwide ENAV air traffic control stoppage from 13:00–17:00 on 21 November, a 24-hour ENAV strike at Milan Malpensa and a security-staff strike at Venice on 22 November, a ground-handling strike at Rome Fiumicino and Ciampino (14 December) and an ENAV strike at Bologna (15 December).
ATC and airport-staff strikes don’t usually qualify for cash, but the airline must still rebook you and cover meals & hotels.
ClaimableDec 19–23
🇵🇹 easyJet Portugal Christmas Strike
easyJet’s Portugal-based cabin crew have called a second five-day strike for 19–23 December, hitting flights at Lisbon, Porto and Faro right before Christmas. Their first strike in October led to hundreds of cancellations (see below).
A strike by the airline’s own crew is not an extraordinary circumstance. If your flight is cancelled less than 14 days before departure, or arrives 3+ hours late, claim €250–€600.
Disruption RiskNov 5 & Nov 11
🇪🇸🇫🇷 General Strikes in Spain & France
Spain’s two largest unions, CCOO and UGT, have called a nationwide general strike for 11 November. A nationwide general strike is also planned in France on 5 November. The impact on flights has not been confirmed yet, but airport access, ground staff and connecting transport could all be affected.
If your flight is cancelled or heavily delayed, the airline must offer a refund or rebooking and cover care. Keep every receipt.
Strike RiskUntil Dec 31
🇩🇪 Lufthansa Pilot Talks in Arbitration
After this spring’s strikes, Lufthansa and the Vereinigung Cockpit pilots’ union agreed in August to settle their pension dispute through arbitration and mediation. The process runs to 31 December — the same day the pilots’ pay agreement expires. If talks fail, the strike option returns in early 2027.
Own-staff strikes are not extraordinary circumstances (CJEU, Airhelp v SAS, C-28/20). Claim €250–€600 per passenger + expenses.
Know Your RightsWinter
❄️ Winter Weather Season
Snow, ice and storms bring de-icing queues, runway closures and knock-on delays across northern and central Europe every winter. Severe weather is usually treated as an extraordinary circumstance — but technical faults, crew shortages and poor planning blamed on “the weather” are often not.
Weather may not trigger cash, but meals, hotels and rebooking are still owed. If the airline blames weather, let us check whether that’s really true.
ClaimableOct 2–6
🇵🇹 easyJet Portugal Cabin Crew Strike
A five-day strike by easyJet’s Portugal-based cabin crew over the 5 October holiday weekend led to 443 cancellations at Lisbon, Porto and Faro, according to the SNPVAC union — around 80% of planned flights at those bases.
The airline’s own crew walked out. Cancelled at short notice? Claim €250–€600 per passenger + expenses.
Check Your ClaimAug 4 – Oct 17
🇪🇸 Barcelona Groundforce Strike
Around 1,200 Groundforce ground-handling staff at Barcelona-El Prat went on indefinite strike on 4 August, hitting check-in, boarding and baggage for about 20 airlines including Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines. The strike ended on 17 October after the CGT union signed a deal.
Catalan government guidance says a strike by staff the airline subcontracts may entitle you to compensation. Send us your flight and we’ll check.
Duty of CareSept–Oct
🇧🇪 Belgium: Brussels & Charleroi Strikes
On 9 October, ground handler Alyzia’s staff joined a national union protest, and about 140 Brussels Airport flights were expected to be cancelled — around 40% of Brussels Airlines’ schedule. Earlier, Charleroi’s air traffic controllers began nightly strikes on 16 September over night-shift pay before suspending them on 23 September for mediation.
National and ATC strikes rarely bring cash, but your airline must still rebook you or refund you, and cover meals & hotels.
Know Your RightsSept–Oct
🇫🇷 France: Pilot, Crew & ATC Action
easyJet’s French pilots struck on 13–14 September. On 29 September, air traffic controllers joined a public-sector strike, and the DGAC ordered 5% of flights cut at Paris CDG and 25% at Marseille in the evening. A five-day national pilot and cabin-crew strike planned for 17–21 October was suspended on 9 October after the government offered pension concessions.
Airline pilot and crew strikes = cash compensation. ATC strikes = no cash, but rebooking, refunds, meals & hotels are still owed.
ClaimableJune–Oct
🇮🇹 Italy Summer Strike Wave
Italy saw repeated aviation strikes all summer. The biggest day was 5 July, when ENAV controllers at the Milan area control centre, Rome airport security staff, ground handlers and easyJet cabin crew all walked out. easyJet flight crew struck again nationwide on 16 October.
easyJet crew strikes are claimable (€250–€600). For ENAV and airport-staff strikes, the airline still owes care and rebooking.
Duty of CareSince late February
🌍 Middle East Airspace Crisis
The regional conflict that began in late February has disrupted Europe–Gulf and Europe–Asia routes for most of the year. In October, attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid airport forced it to close, and several European and Gulf airlines suspended Saudi flights. EASA has extended its conflict-zone guidance for the Gulf region to 16 November.
Airlines must still offer a refund or rerouting, plus meals & hotels while you wait — even during airspace closures.
Know Your RightsFrom April 17
🇪🇸 Spain SAERCO Air Traffic Control Strike
An indefinite strike by controllers at towers run by private provider SAERCO began on 17 April and continued through the summer under government minimum-service orders. Affected airports include Seville, Vigo and the Canary Islands hubs of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.
ATC strikes don’t qualify for cash, but rebooking, refunds, meals & hotels are still owed.
Disruption RiskSince April 10
🇪🇺 EES Border Queues
The EU’s biometric Entry/Exit System became fully mandatory on 10 April. Airports and airlines reported border queues regularly reaching two hours at peak times, with some airports worse. Countries were allowed to partly suspend checks when queues grew too long.
Missed your flight in a border queue? That’s usually not the airline’s fault. But if the airline delayed or cancelled your flight, you may be owed compensation.
Strike RiskUnresolved
🇵🇹 Portugal Ground-Handling Tender
A Spanish consortium (Clece/South) won the tender to take over ground handling at Lisbon, Porto and Faro, but the current operator, SPdH/Menzies, challenged it in court. The government extended the existing licences to the end of the summer season on 25 October while the dispute continues, leaving thousands of handling jobs uncertain.
Even during ground-handling strikes, airlines must rebook you and cover meals & hotels.
These disruptions are still claimable. Under today’s rules, the deadline depends on the country — often several years after the flight.
ClaimableApril–May
🇩🇪 Lufthansa April Strike Wave
Pilots (VC) and cabin crew (UFO) brought Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo and CityLine to a standstill for five days in mid-April, with Eurowings also hit. Further walkouts followed with a cabin-crew strike on April 30 and a pilot strike on May 4–5. Frankfurt and Munich were hardest hit.
Staff strikes = compensation €250–€600 + hotels, meals and transport. Still claimable.
ClaimableFeb 12 & mid-March
🇩🇪 Lufthansa Winter Strikes
On February 12, a joint pilot and cabin-crew strike cancelled almost 800 Lufthansa flights, affecting around 100,000 passengers. A two-day pilot strike in mid-March grounded about half of the airline’s flights.
Own-staff strikes = compensation €250–€600 + expenses. Still claimable.
Check Your ClaimMarch–May
⛽ Fuel Crisis Cancellations
When jet fuel prices spiked after the Middle East conflict began, SAS cancelled around 300 flights in March and at least 1,000 in April, mostly short routes such as Norwegian domestic flights. KLM, Lufthansa and other airlines also trimmed their schedules.
Whether you’re owed cash depends on the case and how much notice you got. Don’t accept a voucher if you’re owed a refund — let us check your flight.
ClaimableFeb–March
🇮🇹 Italy Early 2026 Strike Wave
A series of aviation disruptions ran through February and March, including ground-handling and airline-crew walkouts at major Italian airports. Below-inflation pay disputes remained unresolved going into spring.
Airline crew strikes are claimable. €250–€600 per passenger.
Duty of CareRecurring
🇬🇷 Greece National Strikes
Greece saw repeated 24-hour general strikes in early 2026, with ATC staff joining walkouts that severely disrupted Athens Airport. Unions have been protesting government labour-law changes, with transport shutdowns called at short notice.
Airlines must rebook you and cover meals & hotels — even during national strikes.
ClaimableJan–March
🇪🇺 Winter Knock-On Disruptions
Storm damage, crew shortages and technical issues caused widespread delays and cancellations across major hubs including Heathrow, Schiphol, Paris CDG and Frankfurt through the first quarter of 2026.
Technical and staffing issues are the airline’s responsibility. Claims are still open.
What Airlines Don’t Want You to Know
✕Airline claim: “Strikes & airspace closures mean no compensation, you’re on your own.”
✓The truth: Strikes by an airline’s OWN staff (pilots, cabin crew) qualify for cash compensation. For ATC and airport-staff strikes you may not get cash, but the airline must still cover hotels, meals and transport. Keep your receipts.
✓Advance cancellations: Airlines cancelling 14+ days ahead avoid EU261 cash — but the Montreal Convention may still let you claim proven losses. Don’t accept a voucher if you’re owed a refund.
✓Don’t wait: From 23 October 2027, new EU rules will generally give you only nine months to claim. Older flights are still claimable today.
No insurance needed — International Law (EU261/UK261/Montreal Convention) protects you automatically.
