Connecting flight and single booking: when delays pay up to 600 euros

The Kansas City flight was delayed by more than four hours. The airline American Airlines refused to pay: the last leg of the route was within the United States (case C-436/21).

The EU Court of Justice (Europäischer Gerichtshof) sided with the passenger. The right to compensation under Regulation 261/2004 depends on a single booking, not on who operated individual flights (regulation text). For you, this is the key argument in a dispute with a carrier.

In practice, this means: one order, one ticket, one total price. Then a delay of three hours or more at the final destination gives you the right to compensation from 250 to 600 € (Your Europe).

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What the EU Court of Justice ruled

💡 In short:

• A connection does not cancel compensation if the entire route was purchased as one booking
• The court looks at the first point of departure: it determines whether the EU regulation applies
• Amounts and conditions: verified on 12.09.2026 on the official EU website

The ruling was issued on October 6, 2022 (decision in case C-436/21). The court formulated a simple criterion: several flight segments on one ticket with a single total price are considered direct connecting flights, so the entire route becomes one carriage.

© Christian Alexander Tietgen · CC BYPhoto: Christian Alexander Tietgen, CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), Wikimedia Commons

The legal relationship between airlines does not matter. It is enough for a travel agency to combine the flights, issue a single invoice, and provide one ticket (ADAC analysis), and this argument settled the dispute.

How the case unfolded

A passenger bought one route from a travel agency: from Stuttgart to Zurich on a Swiss flight, then on to Philadelphia and Kansas City on American Airlines flights, with a single ticket and one total price.

The last leg within the US was delayed, and the passenger arrived in Kansas City more than four hours late and demanded 600 € (ADAC article). The airline refused: the flight was within the US, so European rules did not apply.

The dispute reached the Regional Court of Stuttgart (Landgericht Stuttgart), which referred the question to the EU Court of Justice. The answer was this: if the flights form a single carriage, you look at the first point of departure. Here that is Stuttgart, meaning EU territory. So the regulation applies to the last leg in the US as well, and the right to claim compensation remains valid until the end of the route.

How much you get for a delay

The amount is tied to the route distance, not the ticket price (Article 7 of the regulation):

• up to 1,500 km: €250 (rules on amounts)

• 1,500 to 3,500 km: €400 (same provision)

• over 3,500 km: €600 (full text of the regulation)

You are entitled to compensation if you arrive at your final destination three hours or more late (according to the EU helpdesk, 09/2026). A delay at a connection itself does not matter: only the final airport on the route counts, since that is where you end your trip.

There are other rights too: if the delay exceeds five hours, you can decline the flight and get a refund of the ticket price (EU answers). In the waiting area, the airline must provide food, drinks, and communication, and if an overnight stay is required, also a hotel. Extraordinary circumstances only exempt the airline from compensation (EU clarification). Food, communication, and a hotel must still be provided even in that case.

How to claim compensation

The process is almost the same as for a regular flight:

• Gather your documents: boarding passes, e-ticket, and a booking confirmation with a single reference number. They prove that the route was purchased as a whole.

• Record your arrival time. An airline certificate, airport display board, or flight tracking service data will work.

• Send a written claim: flight, date, route, actual time, amount, and account for the transfer.

• Wait for a written response. If it is denied, go to the arbitration service for passenger transport (Schlichtungsstelle für den öffentlichen Personenverkehr) or to court.

A service where you can check your eligibility for compensation will help you assess your chances in advance.

⁉️🤔 Frequently asked questions

Does the rule apply if the tickets were purchased separately?

No. The EU court relied specifically on a single booking, a combined price, and one ticket (EU court decision). If you bought each leg separately, the route breaks down into independent flights, and you will have to prove your right to compensation for each of them.

The airline blames bad weather. Does that release them from paying?

It depends on the weather. Ordinary rain or fog does not cancel compensation, but a storm or an air traffic controllers' strike is considered extraordinary circumstances (rules for exceptional cases). Ask for a written refusal explaining the reason and the date.

How much time do I have to file a claim?

Limitation periods vary by country. In Germany it is 3 years under §195 BGB, but you should not delay. In the first weeks after the flight, you can easily confirm your arrival time with departure board data and a certificate from the airline. From our travel experience: write to the carrier right away, while the documents are at hand.

Do I have to hire a lawyer?

No, you can write the claim yourself. Lawyers and compensation recovery services take a percentage of the amount and are useful when the airline responds with boilerplate replies for months. For a small amount, start with an arbitration service: its services are free and do not prevent you from going to court.

In short: what is worth booking

A single booking protects you during a connection: if the route was purchased as one order and you arrived at your final destination with a long delay, compensation is due even on a leg outside the EU.

Keep your boarding passes and booking confirmation, and send a claim to the airline. If there is no response or it is negative, escalate the matter. You can assess your chances and submit a compensation claim through a dedicated service.