Guide
EU261, UK261 or APPR: which rules apply?
Which flight compensation rules cover your flight depends on where it left, where it landed and which airline flew it. Here is how each rule set describes its own scope.
We are not lawyers. This is legal information, not legal advice, and we are not liable for how you use it. Official sources and the decisions of regulators and courts come first. Read the disclaimer.
The short version
Four rule sets decide most flight compensation questions: Canada's Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), EU261, UK261 and the United States rules. More than one can apply to the same flight. Which ones do depends on where the flight left, where it landed and where the airline is based.
What each rule set says it covers
| Rule set | According to | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Canada, APPR | Canadian Transportation Agency | Flights to, from and within Canada |
| EU261 | Your Europe | Flights within the EU on any airline, flights from the EU to a non-EU country on any airline, and flights into the EU from outside it on an EU airline |
| UK261 | UK Civil Aviation Authority | Flights leaving a UK airport on any airline, flights arriving at a UK airport on an EU or UK airline, and flights arriving at an EU airport on a UK airline |
| United States | Department of Transportation | Denied boarding compensation covers domestic flights and international flights leaving the US. Refund rules cover flights to, within and from the US |
Four examples
- Toronto to London on Air Canada. The Canadian rules cover flights to, from and within Canada, so APPR can apply. UK261 covers flights arriving at a UK airport only on an EU or UK airline, so by the CAA's description it does not cover this flight.
- London to Toronto on Air Canada. UK261 covers flights leaving a UK airport on any airline, and APPR covers flights to Canada. Two rule sets can apply.
- New York to Paris on an EU airline. The flight arrives in the EU from outside it on an EU airline, which EU261 covers. The US rules can also apply because the flight left the United States.
- New York to Paris on a US airline. EU261 covers flights into the EU from outside it only on an EU airline, so by Your Europe's description it does not apply. The US rules do.
You cannot be paid twice
According to the Canadian Transportation Agency, you cannot receive APPR compensation if you already received compensation for the same disruption under another country's rules. According to Your Europe, EU rules do not apply if you already received benefits for the same journey under a non-EU country's law. Read each official page before you choose where to claim.
Where to go next
The flight claim guide asks where the flight left, where it landed and where the airline is based, then shows which rule sets may apply, the published amounts and deadlines, and wording you can edit and send yourself.
Sources.
Checked 02 Oct 2026. Where we could only find press reports, the text says so.
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