Study ranks Europe's airlines by how they handle delay compensation claims
AirAdvisor looked at 2026 claim data and found Portugal, Poland and Hungary lead on payouts, while EU rules set the delay compensation amounts.
AirAdvisor, a claims service, studied how European airlines deal with compensation claims. It reviewed 68,283 claims against 59 airlines from January to June 2026.
The final ranking covers 22 airlines. Each one had at least 100 qualifying claims, which adds up to 10,760 cases. The study did not measure how punctual airlines are. It looked at how often claims were paid and how many disputes ended up in court.
According to Travel and Tour World, Portugal leads the country ranking, ahead of Poland, Hungary, Spain and Belgium.
Euronews also explained the EU rules behind these claims. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 sets fixed amounts that depend on flight distance and delay length.
What it means for travelers
EU law gives many passengers a right to money when a flight is badly delayed. Getting that money can be harder in practice. This ranking shows which airlines tended to pay claims and which sent more disputes to court. Remember that AirAdvisor is a claims company, and the ranking is one source of data.
What to watch next
If your flight is delayed, check the delay length and the flight distance against the EU amounts. Then confirm your rights with the airline or an official government source before you file a claim.
How the story unfolded
- Travel Lemming The Best Travel Backpacks for Europe We’ve Found
Read the original reporting
- Travel Lemming – The Best Travel Backpacks for Europe We’ve Found ↗
- Travel and Tour World – Portugal Leads Poland and More in Europe’s Best Airlines for Flight Delay Compensation, Boosting Travel Confidence ↗
- Euronews Travel – Flight delay? These are the best and worst European airlines for making a compensation claim ↗
Quick questions
What happened?
AirAdvisor looked at 2026 claim data and found Portugal, Poland and Hungary lead on payouts, while EU rules set the delay compensation amounts.
How does this affect trips to Portugal?
EU law gives many passengers a right to money when a flight is badly delayed. Getting that money can be harder in practice. This ranking shows which airlines tended to pay claims and which sent more disputes to court. Remember that AirAdvisor is a claims company, and the ranking is one source of data.
What should I do now?
If your flight is delayed, check the delay length and the flight distance against the EU amounts. Then confirm your rights with the airline or an official government source before you file a claim.
Where does this information come from?
This brief is based on reporting from Travel Lemming, Travel and Tour World and Euronews Travel. Links to the original stories are listed on this page.
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