Landed late? The airline may owe you cash.
Under Canada's air passenger rules, a delay or cancellation the airline caused is worth up to $1,000 per passenger, and getting bumped up to $2,400. Check your flight and we'll write the claim for you, free.
Example flights. Amounts are the minimums for large airlines when the disruption was within their control.
What you can be owed
These are minimums set by the Air Passenger Protection Regulations. They apply to any airline flying to, from or within Canada, when the disruption was within the airline's control and not required for safety, and (for a delay or cancellation) you were told 14 days or less before departure. Lateness is measured when you reach your final destination.
Your claim must reach the airline before the one-year anniversary of the flight. The airline then has 30 days to pay or explain.
| You arrived | Large airline | Small airline |
|---|---|---|
| 3 to 6 hours late | $400 | $125 |
| 6 to 9 hours late | $700 | $250 |
| 9 hours or more | $1,000 | $500 |
| You arrived | Any airline |
|---|---|
| Less than 6 hours late | $900 |
| 6 to 9 hours late | $1,800 |
| 9 hours or more | $2,400 |
Large airline: carried 2 million or more passengers worldwide in each of the last two years: Air Canada, WestJet, Porter, Flair, Air Transat and large foreign airlines.
Source: SOR/2019-150, sections 19 and 20, checked September 2026. The full chart, with deadlines
How it works
Check your flight
Answer a few plain questions. We match what happened to the regulation and tell you what it's worth, and how sure we are.
Send your claim
We write it, citing the exact rules, and show you where your airline takes claims, down to what to paste in each box.
Give them 30 days
The airline has 30 days to pay or explain. We keep track on your device and can add a reminder to your calendar.
Get paid, or push back
Refused? Paste their reply and we'll write the answer to their excuse, or prepare your complaint to the regulator.
When the airline says no
A first refusal isn't the end of a claim. These are the answers airlines give most, and what's behind them.
It was required for safety.
Safety is a real exemption, but it's the airline's to show. Your claim asks for the maintenance records behind it. Problems that come from the airline's own planning don't count. How mechanical claims work
We didn't have a crew.
Staffing is the airline's job, so a crew shortage is generally within its control. The Federal Court of Appeal upheld a $1,000 award where WestJet couldn't show a reasonable plan to replace a sick pilot (WestJet v. Lareau). How crew-shortage claims work
It was the weather.
Weather counts as outside the airline's control when it made your flight unsafe to operate, or when your flight was knocked on by earlier weather the airline took all reasonable steps to contain. The airline has to show that. The regulator has rejected a weather excuse backed only by undecoded weather reports. How weather claims work
Here's a voucher instead.
You're entitled to money. A voucher only replaces it if it's worth more, never expires, you're told its cash value in writing, and you accept it in writing. Voucher or cash
An earlier flight ran late.
A knock-on delay only counts like its original cause if the airline took all reasonable steps to stop it reaching your flight. Moving your crew or plane to rescue another flight is the airline's own decision (Lubky v. WestJet for a plane; Paridon v. Sunwing for a crew). How knock-on delays are judged
Why is it free?
Some claim companies keep up to 35% of your payout for sending the airline a request you can send yourself. LandedLate writes that request for free, and the airline pays you directly. Your money never passes through us.
When your claim is settled, you can tell us how it went. We're building those outcomes, without names, into a public record of how each airline answers claims. The more people who report, the harder it is for an airline to refuse claims it should pay.
Check my flightQuestions
How much compensation do I get for a delayed flight in Canada?
If the delay was within the airline's control and not required for safety, a large airline owes $400 for arriving 3 to 6 hours late, $700 for 6 to 9 hours, and $1,000 for 9 hours or more. Smaller airlines owe $125, $250 or $500. The delay is measured at your final destination.
Does this apply to foreign airlines?
Yes. The Air Passenger Protection Regulations cover every flight to, from or within Canada, whichever airline operates it.
How long do I have to claim?
Your claim must reach the airline before the first anniversary of the delay or cancellation. The airline then has 30 days to pay you or explain why it won't.
What if my flight was cancelled?
The same amounts apply if the cancellation was within the airline's control, not required for safety, and you were told 14 days or less before departure; if you take a refund instead of a new flight, the minimum is $400 from a large airline. Whatever the cause, you're owed a new flight. A refund is owed if the new options don't suit your travel needs or, when the cause was outside the airline's control, if it can't rebook you within 48 hours.
What if I was bumped from my flight?
If you were denied boarding for reasons within the airline's control and not required for safety, it owes $900, $1,800 or $2,400 depending on how late you arrived, and must pay within 48 hours. That's cash, not a voucher, unless you choose otherwise in writing.
Do I get compensation for a 2-hour delay?
No. Compensation starts when you reach your final destination 3 or more hours late. A 2-hour departure delay that makes you miss a connection can still take you past 3 hours at your destination.
What if I missed a connecting flight?
Lateness is measured at the final destination on your ticket, so a missed connection counts if it made you 3 or more hours late there and the first delay was within the airline's control and not required for safety. Claim from the airline that operated the delayed flight.
Do I need a claims company?
No. Claims go straight from you to the airline, and the airline pays you directly. Some claim companies keep up to 35% of the payout for sending the same request. LandedLate writes the claim for free.
Are the rules changing?
Parliament passed changes in 2023 that will remove the 'required for safety' category and make airlines prove an exceptional circumstance. The regulations to put them in force haven't been finalized yet, so today's rules still apply. We'll update the checker the day that changes.
More: the five-question flowchart · what's changing in the rules · 2-hour delays