EU261 Right to Care: Meals, Hotels and Rerouting

EU261 Right to Care: What to Ask for at the Airport

If a covered flight is delayed or cancelled, ask the operating air carrier what assistance it will provide now. Depending on the disruption and waiting time, the EU261 right to care can include:

• meals and refreshments in reasonable relation to the wait;
• two telephone calls, emails or comparable communications;
• hotel accommodation when an overnight stay—or an additional night—becomes necessary;
• transport between the airport and the accommodation.

These duties are set out in Article 9 of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004. Ask airline staff which vouchers, accommodation or transfer arrangements are available before paying yourself. If nothing is provided, record the response and keep itemised receipts for necessary, reasonable expenses.

Right to care is immediate assistance during the disruption. It is separate from any later assessment of monetary compensation; the two questions follow different rules. For that separate issue, see the EU261 compensation and eligibility guide.

Does EU261 Cover Your Flight?

Start with the direction of travel and the operating air carrier—the airline that performs the flight. Under the current rules, EU261 generally covers:

• flights within the EU, whether the operating carrier is based in the EU or outside it;
• flights departing from the EU for a non-EU destination, regardless of the operating carrier’s base;
• flights arriving in the EU from a non-EU country when the operating carrier is based in the EU.

For these rules, the EU framework also extends to Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. Some European territories have specific treatment, so check the official route guidance if an itinerary involves an overseas territory.

Assess each direction separately. For example, an outbound flight from the EU may be covered while the return flight to the EU, operated by a non-EU carrier, may not be—even when both sectors appear in one reservation. The Regulation also sets conditions around confirmed reservations, check-in timing and certain fares.

This is only a route-level screen. Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 contains the legal scope, and the European Commission’s Your Europe air passenger rights page provides an operational route check. For the broader eligibility rules, see the EU261 compensation and eligibility guide.

When Do Meals and Refreshments Start?

For a delayed departure, the EU261 right to care begins when the operating air carrier reasonably expects the delay to reach the applicable threshold. The threshold depends on flight distance and, for some routes, whether the flight is within the EU.

Flight category	Expected departure delay
Flights of 1,500 km or less	2 hours
Intra-EU flights over 1,500 km	3 hours
Other flights between 1,500 km and 3,500 km	3 hours
Other flights over 3,500 km	4 hours

Once the relevant threshold is reached, the carrier must offer meals and refreshments in a “reasonable relation to the waiting time.” EU261 does not set a universal voucher value. What is reasonable depends on how long passengers must wait and the circumstances at the airport; a longer disruption may require further assistance rather than a single refreshment.

Article 9 also provides for two telephone calls, telex or fax messages, or emails. In current airport practice, passengers should ask the operating carrier how it will provide both food and communication assistance, especially if no voucher or instructions appear automatically.

The thresholds above concern care during a departure delay. They do not, by themselves, establish a separate monetary entitlement or automatically activate every transport option under Article 8. Those choices are addressed below. The current thresholds come from Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 and the European Commission’s air passenger rights guidance.

When Must the Airline Provide a Hotel and Transfers?

Hotel accommodation is part of the EU261 right to care when a stay of one or more nights becomes necessary, or when the disruption requires an additional stay beyond the passenger’s original plan. For a delayed departure, Article 6(1)(ii) links accommodation and airport–accommodation transport to a specific condition: the reasonably expected departure must be at least the day after the previously announced departure time. The 2-, 3- or 4-hour thresholds for meals and communications do not, by themselves, trigger hotel accommodation. Hotel care can also arise in the cancellation context.

Article 9 covers both the accommodation and transport between the airport and the place of accommodation. Ask the operating air carrier to arrange the room and both transfer legs. If staff provide no workable arrangement, document what was offered—or that no assistance was offered—before purchasing necessary, reasonable alternatives. Keep itemised receipts and avoid treating any hotel category or spending limit as universal: the Regulation does not specify one.

Tell the carrier promptly about mobility, accessibility or supervision needs. EU261 requires the carrier to give particular attention to people with reduced mobility and anyone accompanying them, certified service dogs, and unaccompanied children. Assistance should be offered as soon as possible to these passengers, so record the request and any response at the service desk or in the carrier’s digital channel.

The accommodation, transfer and priority rules are set out in Articles 9 and 11 of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004. The European Commission’s air passenger rights guidance provides the corresponding practical guidance for passengers.

Rerouting, Reimbursement or Return: How Article 8 Choices Work

Article 8 options depend on the type and duration of the disruption. When a flight is cancelled, the operating air carrier must offer a choice between:

• reimbursement of the ticket cost for the unused journey—and for any part already made if the trip no longer serves its original purpose—plus a return flight to the first point of departure at the earliest opportunity when relevant;
• rerouting to the final destination under comparable transport conditions at the earliest opportunity; or
• rerouting under comparable conditions at a later date convenient to the passenger, subject to seat availability.

Choosing one route closes the alternatives for that disruption, so ask the carrier to state each available option before deciding. “Earliest opportunity” is not limited to the operating carrier’s next flight; the Commission’s interpretative guidance says other carriers or transport modes may need to be considered when they provide an earlier reasonable route. The exact itinerary remains fact-specific.

A delayed departure follows a narrower rule. If the delay reaches at least five hours, Article 6 activates the reimbursement—and, where relevant, return-flight—option in Article 8(1)(a). It does not automatically activate every rerouting choice listed above.

If rerouting lands at a different airport serving the same town, city or region, the carrier must bear the cost of transferring the passenger to the airport in the original booking or to another nearby destination agreed with the passenger.

These choices and the alternative-airport transfer rule appear in Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004. The European Commission’s interpretative guidelines explain the practical scope of rerouting at the earliest opportunity.

What to Do When the Airline Provides No Care

Contact the operating air carrier first. Ask its airport desk, ground-handling staff or published support channel to arrange the assistance due under Article 9. Record what you requested, the time, the channel used and the response. Save screenshots of disruption notices and messages, and note the names or desk locations of staff you spoke with.

If the carrier does not arrange care, limit your own purchases to what is necessary, reasonable and appropriate for the waiting time. Keep itemised receipts rather than card slips alone. A basic meal, suitable overnight accommodation and the required journey between the airport and that accommodation are easier to document than discretionary upgrades or unrelated purchases. Individual circumstances still matter, including accessibility needs.

Submit the records through the carrier’s formal complaint channel. Include the booking reference, flight number and date, the disruption timeline, copies of your requests for assistance, and itemised receipts. The European Commission’s current interpretative guidelines, Notice C/2024/5687, explain that passengers who paid because the carrier failed to offer Article 9 care may recover expenses that were necessary, reasonable and appropriate. This remains a fact-specific assessment, not an automatic result for every purchase.

If the carrier does not resolve the matter, use the European Commission’s national enforcement body list and complaint guidance to identify the competent authority. The relevant body depends on the journey and disruption, so follow the official routing guidance rather than sending the same submission to multiple authorities.

Extraordinary Circumstances Do Not Automatically End Care

An external event beyond the operating air carrier’s control may affect a separate assessment of monetary compensation, but it does not by itself remove the duty to provide Article 9 care. Meals, communications, accommodation and airport–accommodation transport remain tied to the applicable waiting time and the passenger’s needs. The European Commission’s current interpretative guidelines, Notice C/2024/5687, state that care must be offered even when cancellation results from extraordinary circumstances.

This section does not determine whether a particular event meets that legal test. For the separate cause-based analysis, see the guide to EU261 extraordinary circumstances. At the airport, ask the operating carrier for the immediate assistance that applies to the disruption rather than waiting for the later monetary assessment.

2026 EU261 Reform: Adopted, but Existing Rules Still Apply

As of 20 August 2026, the existing EU261 framework remains the rule set to use at the airport. The European Commission’s 28 July 2026 update confirms that travellers continue to rely on the existing rules until the revised framework starts to apply. The meals, communications, accommodation, transfers and Article 8 choices described above therefore reflect the rules currently applicable.

The Council gave the revised framework final clearance on 13 July 2026. Article 3 of the adopted legislative text separates two legal dates: the Regulation enters into force on the twentieth day after publication in the Official Journal, while its provisions apply 12 months after entry into force. The Council’s official release compressed those periods into “12 months and 20 days after publication.” That combined interval describes when the revised rules apply, not when the act enters into force. Until application begins, future provisions on assistance or rerouting should not be treated as present rights.

Airport Checklist: Your Next 10 Minutes

1. Confirm the operating carrier and route. Check which airline operates the flight and whether the itinerary falls within EU261. Use the separate EU261 compensation and eligibility guide if route coverage is unclear.
2. Save the disruption record. Capture the flight number, scheduled departure, current status, announced waiting time and any reason the carrier provides. Flight status keeps the reported departure and arrival times for a flight number.
3. Ask for immediate care. Request meals and refreshments once the relevant waiting threshold is reached, plus two communications. If an overnight or additional stay becomes necessary, ask for accommodation and transport between the airport and that accommodation.
4. State any priority needs. Tell staff promptly about reduced mobility, accessibility requirements or an unaccompanied child.
5. Ask which Article 8 options apply. Where the disruption activates Article 8, have the carrier explain reimbursement, return and rerouting at the earliest opportunity or on a later suitable date. Record the option you select.
6. Document the response. Note the time, channel, desk location and response to each request. Keep screenshots and itemised receipts.
7. Keep self-arranged spending proportionate. If the carrier provides no care, purchase only what is necessary, reasonable and appropriate for the wait. A later expense assessment remains fact-specific.
8. Use official escalation routes. Review Your Europe air passenger rights, contact the operating carrier through its formal channel and, if the matter remains unresolved, consult the relevant national enforcement body.

This guide provides general information, not legal advice. The applicable response depends on the itinerary, disruption and individual circumstances.

How Transport Delay Event Contracts Fit a Separate Decision

EU261 duties and a transport delay event contract answer different questions. The operating carrier’s obligations arise under the applicable passenger-rights rules. GADUIN is an exchange for transport delay event contracts. A pre-existing contract follows its own terms, including the stated delay threshold, outcome definitions and settlement method. Holding a position does not replace the carrier’s duties, change whether EU261 covers an itinerary or alter the assistance available under Articles 8 and 9.

The contract decision is also separate from documenting airport expenses. Settlement is automatic under the contract terms using official public outcome data, rather than being determined by whether a passenger submits receipts to an airline. Before taking a position, read the threshold, covered transport event, outcome definitions, data source and settlement method in full. A position can fall in value, down to nothing, if the settled outcome differs from the outcome represented by that position. The guide to how flight delay event contracts work explains that framework in more detail.