✈️ Can I claim compensation when my flight is delayed or cancelled?

With conditions

Quick answer

Yes, usually when you arrive more than 3 hours late and the flight falls within the Albanian/ECAA regime. The amounts are 250 euro up to 1,500 km; 400 euro for intra-European flights over 1,500 km and other flights of 1,500–3,500 km; 600 euro above 3,500 km. Compensation is not automatic: you must claim it from the airline first. Two myths fall together here. The first: “compensation cannot exceed the ticket price” — wrong, the sums are fixed by distance, not by what you paid. The second: “extraordinary circumstances leave me with nothing” — wrong again, because care and ticket refund are rights separate from compensation; even where compensation is excluded, assistance can still be owed.

📋 The rules

For a delay of more than 3 hours on arrival, the passenger may claim compensation.
The amount is 250 euro for flights up to 1,500 km; 400 euro for intra-European flights over 1,500 km and other flights of 1,500–3,500 km; 600 euro above 3,500 km.
The rule covers departures from an airport in Albania, with any airline.
For arrivals into Albania the carrier must be Albanian or from the European Common Aviation Area; for arrivals into the ECAA from outside, the Albanian AAC rule refers to the Albanian carrier.
Once a delay crosses the care threshold of 2–3 hours depending on the flight, the airline must provide meals and refreshments, 2 communications and, where an overnight stay becomes necessary, hotel and transport; after more than 5 hours the passenger may abandon the journey and claim a refund.

🔓 Exceptions

There is no monetary compensation where the airline proves extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided by reasonable measures.
Care and reimbursement of the ticket are rights separate from compensation: even where compensation is excluded, assistance may still be owed.
A flight arriving into Albania on a carrier from outside Albania/the ECAA may fall outside this regime entirely; the law of the departure country should also be checked.

⚠️ Penalties & fines

Here the cost falls on the passenger who does nothing. Compensation does not land in your account by itself: the claim goes first to the airline, in writing. If it is ignored or refused, the complaint goes to the AAC, with the booking, the boarding pass, the delay notifications and the receipts attached. Keep reasonable overnight and meal receipts; luxury and alcohol are not reimbursed. And do not drop the claim for assistance because the airline says “extraordinary circumstances”: that argument attacks the compensation, not the duty to feed, inform and accommodate you.

📎 Official sources

Last verified: 2026-07-12

❓ Frequently asked

My ticket cost 60 euro. Do I only get 60 euro back?

No, compensation is not tied to the ticket price and can exceed it several times over. The sums of 250, 400 or 600 euro are set by the distance of the flight and the delay on arrival, not by what you paid.

The airline claims “extraordinary circumstances”. Do I get nothing?

Not necessarily, because that argument does not touch every right. Extraordinary circumstances can defeat the monetary compensation, but care and reimbursement of the ticket remain entirely separate rights.

What am I owed while I wait at the airport?

Once the care threshold of 2–3 hours is crossed depending on the flight, the airline owes you meals, refreshments and 2 communications. If an overnight stay is needed, hotel and transport follow.

The delay passed 5 hours. Can I simply not fly?

Yes, and that is a right separate from compensation. After more than 5 hours you may abandon the journey and claim reimbursement of the ticket instead of waiting for the delayed flight to depart.

Does the rule cover every flight landing in Tirana?

Not automatically, because who operates the flight matters. For arrivals the carrier must be Albanian or from the ECAA; a carrier outside that circle can put the case outside the Albanian regime altogether.

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