Flight delay compensation

Flight delay compensation in Canada

Canada's Air Passenger Protection Regulations cover flights to and from Canada. Arrive three hours or more late at your destination and you may be owed CA$125 to CA$1,000, by the length of the delay and the size of the airline. Here is what the rules say, where the airlines take a claim, and a letter you can send today.

Download on the App Store What the rules say

General information, not legal advice. Not a promise of payment.

What Canada's rules say

Compensation: 3+ h late at your destination: you may be owed CA$125–CA$1,000, by delay and airline size.
While you wait: From 2 h: food and drink. A hotel if you're stuck overnight.
Refund or rebooking: From 3 h: rebooking, or the fare back if the rebooking doesn't work for you.
Connections: On one booking the 3 h counts at your final destination — a short delay that costs you the connection can still reach it.
When nothing is owed: No compensation if it was outside the airline's control, or required for safety. Outside its control also removes the meals and hotel.
Time limits: Compensation must be claimed within 1 year of the flight. The airline has 30 days to answer.

These are the lines AirwayControl shows for a route under these rules, word for word.

Which flights are covered

Flights to or from Canada.

Where the airlines take a claim

The claim goes to the airline that operated the flight. These airlines are licensed in Canada, and each takes a claim through its own page.

Air Canada: aircanada.com
Air Canada says it does not take claims by email.
WestJet: westjet.com

Links read on each airline's own site and last checked 13 August 2026.

The official page

For what the rules are and where a complaint goes when the airline says no or does not answer: otc-cta.gc.ca.

A letter you can send today

This is the letter AirwayControl writes for a flight under Canada's rules. It names the rules, asks for what they provide and asks the airline to give its reasons if it says no. It names no sum. Fill in the brackets and send it from your own email.

Dear [airline],

I am writing about flight [flight number] on [date]. I am claiming the compensation and assistance I am entitled to as a passenger on that flight.

Flight details
Flight number: [flight number]
Date: [date]
Route: [from] to [to]
Scheduled arrival: [time]
Booking reference: [reference]

[What happened: for example, "The flight arrived 3 hours 20 minutes late" or "The flight was cancelled on the day".]

I understand this flight is covered by Canada's Air Passenger Protection Regulations, and I am claiming the compensation and standard of treatment that applies. If you consider the disruption was outside your control or required for safety, please say so and explain why.

Please confirm receipt and let me know the outcome in writing. If you consider that compensation is not due, please tell me the specific reason and the evidence you rely on.

Kind regards,
[your name]

AirwayControl

Or let the app fill it in.

AirwayControl is a flight tracker for iPhone and Apple Watch. Set your flight before you leave, and it follows the day for you. If the day goes wrong, it already knows the details the letter needs.

It tells you when it matters. A notification when your flight lands three hours late or more.
It knows which rules cover your route. EU 261, UK 261 and the rules of twenty countries and regions, in plain words.
It fills in the letter. Airline, flight number, date and route come from My Flight.
You send it. From your own email, or through the airline's own claim form with every answer ready to copy.
No fee and no share. AirwayControl never takes a part of what you receive.

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Questions people ask

How much is flight delay compensation in Canada?

3+ h late at your destination: you may be owed CA$125–CA$1,000, by delay and airline size. No compensation if it was outside the airline's control, or required for safety. Outside its control also removes the meals and hotel.

What am I owed while I wait?

From 2 h: food and drink. A hotel if you're stuck overnight. From 3 h: rebooking, or the fare back if the rebooking doesn't work for you.

Which flights do Canada's rules cover?

Flights to or from Canada.

How long do I have to claim?

Compensation must be claimed within 1 year of the flight. The airline has 30 days to answer.

Is AirwayControl a claims company?

No. AirwayControl never submits or handles claims and takes no share. It tells you which rules cover your route and writes a letter that you send from your own email.

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By airline

Where each airline takes a claim, and which rules cover its flights.

By country

What the rules of each country say. The main guide covers EU 261.

General information about air passenger rules, not legal advice and not a promise of payment. Your airline decides; a complaints body decides on appeal. AirwayControl never submits or handles claims: the mail is yours, from your own account. Rules last checked 9 August 2026. Airline links last checked 13 August 2026. AirwayControl is not affiliated with any airline.

Canada's rules, official page: otc-cta.gc.ca.