My Madrid–Bogotá flight landed five hours late. How much?

Over 3,500 km outside the EU, a delay of four hours or more is worth €600 per passenger.

I booked with British Airways but flew Iberia. Who pays?

The operating carrier — Iberia — even though the booking was made elsewhere.

How long do I have to claim?

It depends on the country whose courts would hear the case: three years in Germany, five in Spain, six in the UK and Ireland, two in some others. Older flights are often still claimable, so it is worth asking.

Guida compagnia aerea

Iberia compensation

Iberia's long-haul network to Latin America means delays there can reach the top €600 band — the highest EU261 pays.

Quick answer

Iberia's long-haul network to Latin America means delays there can reach the top €600 band — the highest EU261 pays.

Airline: Iberia
Main hub: Madrid
Potential compensation: €250–€600 per passenger
Route coverage: EU departures; EU-airline arrivals

Iberia deve pagare?

Iberia vola da aeroporti UE e SEE, quindi il regolamento CE 261/2004 si applica a quelle partenze indipendentemente da dove va il volo. Short-haul across Spain and Europe sits in the €250–400 bands; Madrid to the Americas sits above 3,500 km, in the €600 band. La maggior parte di quelle rotte rientra nella fascia dei 250 €, con quelle più lunghe che raggiungono i 400 €.

Cosa di solito decide il reclamo

On flights over 3,500 km, an arrival delay between three and four hours can be reduced by half, to €300.
Iberia Express and some franchise flights are still Iberia's responsibility if the ticket says so.
Technical faults discovered during routine maintenance are not extraordinary circumstances.
Codeshare flights are claimed against the airline that actually operated the aircraft.

Come inviare il tuo reclamo

Iberia takes claims through its online customer relations form. Include the booking reference and attach boarding passes for every passenger.

Se rifiutano

Le compagnie aeree spesso rifiutano un primo reclamo con un riferimento generico a circostanze eccezionali. Chiedi loro di indicare la causa specifica e le misure ragionevoli adottate. Se la risposta non è convincente o non arriva entro 14 giorni, fai ricorso all'organismo nazionale di controllo del paese di partenza — per i voli con hub a Madrid è l'ente regolatore di quello stato — oppure a uno schema di risoluzione alternativa delle controversie approvato.

Domande frequenti

My Madrid–Bogotá flight landed five hours late. How much?: Over 3,500 km outside the EU, a delay of four hours or more is worth €600 per passenger.
I booked with British Airways but flew Iberia. Who pays?: The operating carrier — Iberia — even though the booking was made elsewhere.
How long do I have to claim?: It depends on the country whose courts would hear the case: three years in Germany, five in Spain, six in the UK and Ireland, two in some others. Older flights are often still claimable, so it is worth asking.

Primary sources

Official guidance and legislation used to review this page.

Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 — EUR-Lex
Air passenger rights in the EU — European Commission
Iberia official claim information — Iberia