EU261 Right to Care: Meals, Hotel & Expenses During Delays

What is the EU261 right to care?

EU261 Article 9 requires airlines to provide care to passengers during significant delays. For delays of 2 hours or more (depending on route distance), airlines must provide: meals and refreshments proportionate to the waiting time; two free phone calls, faxes, or emails; hotel accommodation if an overnight stay becomes necessary; and transport between the airport and hotel. This right to care is separate from and in addition to your monetary compensation for the delay.

Can I buy my own meals and claim the cost back from the airline?

Yes. If the airline fails to provide meal vouchers or refreshments and you incur reasonable expenses, you can claim reimbursement. Keep all receipts. Airlines are expected to cover 'reasonable' meal expenses — a €10–15 meal is reasonable; a €100 dinner at an airport restaurant may be challenged. The right to care applies even if the delay is due to extraordinary circumstances (unlike monetary compensation, which is not payable in extraordinary circumstances cases).

My delayed flight required an overnight stay — what hotel rights do I have?

If you are stranded overnight due to a delay or cancellation, the airline must provide hotel accommodation of a standard appropriate to the route, plus transport between the airport and hotel. If the airline fails to organise this, book a reasonable hotel yourself and keep all receipts. You can claim the cost of a reasonably priced hotel (typically a 3-star or equivalent airport hotel) plus taxis. The right to hotel accommodation applies even if the delay is due to extraordinary circumstances.

Does the right to care apply to extraordinary circumstances delays?

Yes. This is a critical distinction: EU261 monetary compensation (€250/€400/€600) is NOT payable if the delay is due to genuine extraordinary circumstances. However, the right to care — meals, hotel, transport — IS payable regardless of the cause of the delay or cancellation. An airline cannot deny you meals and a hotel because of a storm, strike, or security issue. The right to care is unconditional once the delay threshold is reached.

The airline gave me a voucher for meals — but I was at an airport with no restaurants using vouchers. What can I do?

You can purchase your own food and claim the cost. Airlines must provide practical care, not just nominal vouchers that are useless in practice. If a voucher cannot be redeemed at any available food outlet, purchase food yourself and keep receipts. This is a particularly common issue at smaller airports or late at night when airline voucher systems are not operational. Submit receipts with your reimbursement claim to the airline.