EU261 Calculator: Exact Euro Amount by Distance

The EU261 calculator distance formula is set by Regulation (EC) 261/2004 Article 7. The exact amounts:

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  €250: all flights of 1,500 km or less.

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  €400: all intra-EU flights over 1,500 km, plus all other flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km.

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  €600: all other flights over 3,500 km (which usually means extra-EU international).

Distance is calculated great-circle, the shortest path between the two airports, not the actual flight path. Airlines sometimes try to cite actual flown distance to drop a passenger into a lower tier. Cite the great-circle rule in your claim and use a neutral distance calculator.

Reference distances for common European routes:

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  London to Paris (LHR-CDG): 344 km → €250 tier.

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  London to Rome (LHR-FCO): 1,436 km → €250 tier.

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  London to Athens (LHR-ATH): 2,396 km → €400 tier (within EU, not intra-EU since UK left).

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  Dublin to New York (DUB-JFK): 5,118 km → €600 tier.

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  Amsterdam to Tokyo (AMS-NRT): 9,278 km → €600 tier.

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  Paris to Dakar (CDG-DSS): 4,205 km → €600 tier.

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  Frankfurt to Moscow (FRA-SVO): 2,046 km → €400 tier.

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  Madrid to Lisbon (MAD-LIS): 510 km → €250 tier.

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  Milan to Dubai (MXP-DXB): 4,861 km → €600 tier.

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  Vienna to Reykjavik (VIE-KEF): 2,856 km → €400 tier.

For airline-specific claim guides see Lufthansa EU261 claim guide and LOT Polish EU261 claim guide. For seasonal variants see compensation calculators and tools Thanksgiving edition.

For flights within the EU (both origin and destination in EU/EEA airports), the maximum is €400 regardless of distance. This means even a 5,000 km intra-EU flight (hypothetical, there are no such domestic routes, but edge cases like Canary Islands to Finland come close) tops out at €400 unless the airline is operating the flight as part of a longer extra-EU journey.

For flights that include non-EU/EEA airports (either origin or destination), the €600 tier kicks in above 3,500 km. This is the critical rule for transatlantic routes.

Article 7(2) allows the airline to reduce the compensation by 50 percent if it rebooks you on a flight that arrives less than 2 hours late (€250 tier), less than 3 hours late (€400 tier), or less than 4 hours late (€600 tier). This is a narrow defense and applies only when rebooking is faster than the thresholds listed.

The 50 percent reduction does not apply to cancellations with less than 14 days notice that are not rebooked acceptably. Airlines sometimes misapply the rule. The rebooking window must be faster than the stated threshold, or the reduction is invalid.

If your trip has multiple segments across tiers (for example, LHR-FRA-JFK), the tier that applies is the tier of the entire journey from origin to final destination, not each segment. LHR-FRA is €250 distance alone (660 km), but LHR-FRA-JFK as a single ticket is €600 because the final destination is beyond 3,500 km.

The airline must prove the segments were on separate tickets if it wants to treat them as separate journeys. If you booked LHR-FRA-JFK as one PNR and one confirmation, treat it as one journey. See baggage compensation calculator by airline for a related multi-segment issue.

UK261 (post-Brexit UK) uses the same three tiers but in pounds sterling: £220, £350, £520. Swiss aviation regulation (FOCA) applies EU261 directly for any flight originating in Switzerland, with the same euro amounts.

For further reading see EU small claims procedure cross-border and class action vs individual claim value estimator.

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  Intra-UK (LHR-EDI, MAN-BHX, etc.): €250.

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  UK to Western Europe: €250 in most cases (under 1,500 km).

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  UK to Southern Europe: €250 to €400 depending on destination.

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  UK to Eastern Europe: €400 (1,500 to 3,500 km).

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  Intra-EU core (Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Milan, Madrid, etc.): €250 mostly, €400 for longer.

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  EU to North America: €600 always.

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  EU to Asia: €600 always.

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  EU to Africa (Mediterranean): €400 typically (3,500 km boundary is tight for North Africa).

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  EU to Africa (Sub-Saharan): €600.

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  EU to Middle East: €400 to €600 depending on city (boundary runs through the Gulf).

TravelStacks handles EU261 claims at 25% of recovery, lowest in the category. Start a claim in 30 seconds. For the pillar see EU261 Passenger Rights.

For primary regulatory texts and official guidance cited in this guide, see EU Regulation 261/2004 (Eur-Lex), European Commission Air Passenger Rights.