How much compensation for a delayed flight from Heraklion?
| Flight distance | Example from HER | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | Athens, Thessaloniki, Rome | €250 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | London, Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Stockholm | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km | Long-haul connections on one booking | €600 |
Amounts set by Regulation (EC) 261/2004, per passenger, babies with a seat included. On UK airlines flying into the UK, the UK equivalent pays £220, £350 or £520.
Which flights qualify?
- Every flight departing from Heraklion Airport, whatever the airline, because HER is in the EU.
- Flights to Heraklion if the airline is European (EU, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland; UK rules for UK carriers).
- Delay at arrival of 3 hours or more, measured when the doors open at the destination.
- Cancellations notified less than 14 days before departure, and denied boarding because of overbooking.
No compensation is owed for extraordinary circumstances: storms, air-traffic-control strikes, security alerts or airport closures. Crew shortages and most technical faults do not count as extraordinary. The official summary is on the EU’s air passenger rights page.
Summer delays at Heraklion Airport
Heraklion handled over 10 million passengers in 2025 with one runway and an old terminal, and summer evenings are when delays pile up: aircraft arriving late from earlier rotations, slot restrictions and air-traffic-control limits across Europe. Watch the live departures board on the day, and if you have a long wait, see lounges and restaurants in the terminal.
Claim yourself or use a service?
You can claim directly on the airline’s website for free; some pay quickly, others reject the first claim. A claim service such as the one in the widget above checks the flight data, deals with the airline and goes to court if needed, in exchange for a share of the compensation that is displayed before you sign. If you claim yourself and get no reply, the national enforcement body of the country of departure (Greece, for flights from HER) handles complaints.
Compensation is separate from your extra costs. Keep receipts for meals, taxis and a hotel if the airline did not provide them, and claim them on top. If your transfer was booked with a flight number, the driver follows the delay automatically.