Is a 2-hour flight delay compensated in Canada? No, but check your arrival time

Updated October 18, 2026 · Checked against the regulations as current to September 30, 2026 · By LandedLate

No. Under Canada's Air Passenger Protection Regulations, compensation starts when you reach your final destination 3 or more hours late, so a 2-hour delay pays nothing. What counts is your arrival, not your departure. If leaving 2 hours late makes you miss a connection and you reach your final destination 3 or more hours late, a large airline owes $400 to $1,000, as long as the cause was within its control and not required for safety and you were told 14 days or less before departure (sections 12 and 19). At 2 hours you are owed food, drink and a way to communicate, if the cause was within the airline's control and you were told less than 12 hours ahead (section 14). That is the law as of October 1, 2026.

Whether your own flight qualifies depends on its details: the reason the airline gave, how late you reached your destination and how much notice you had. Check it free at landedlate.ca/check.

What each hour of delay gets you

Delay	What you're owed	Section
From the start	The reason for the delay, then an update every 30 minutes	13
2 hours past departure	Food, drink and a means of communication, if the cause was within the airline's control (including safety problems) and you were told less than 12 hours ahead	14(1)
Overnight	A hotel and transport to it, on the same conditions	14(2)
3 hours past departure	A new flight, whatever the cause. A refund if it doesn't suit you (airline's control) or if the airline can't rebook you within 48 hours (outside its control)	17, 18
3 hours late arriving	$400 (large airline) or $125 (small), if within the airline's control and not for safety	19(1)

Amounts rise to $700 and $1,000 (large) or $250 and $500 (small) at 6 and 9 hours late. Every amount in one chart

When a 2-hour delay turns into compensation

Likely owed

The delay made you miss a connection on the same booking and you reached your final destination 3 or more hours late, for a reason within the airline's control and not required for safety, and you were told 14 days or less before departure.

Worth challenging

The delay grew after boarding, on the tarmac or in the air. Compare your actual arrival with the time on your ticket. Arrival counts when one of the plane's doors opens after landing to let passengers off (section 1(2)), not when the wheels touch down.

Likely not owed

You left about 2 hours late and reached your final destination less than 3 hours late.

Stuck on the tarmac

On the plane, the rules apply from the moment the doors close for take-off, or after landing if you're held on the plane: working toilets, ventilation and heating or cooling, a way to communicate if feasible, and food and drink (section 8). At an airport in Canada, the airline must let you get off after 3 hours, unless take-off is likely within 3 hours and 45 minutes and it can keep providing that care (section 9).

Questions

Does the delay count from departure or arrival?

Arrival. Compensation depends on how late you reach the destination on your original ticket (section 19(1)), and arrival means the moment one of the plane's doors opens after landing to let passengers off (section 1(2)). A flight that leaves 2 hours late but gets you there 3 or more hours late, for example because you missed a connection, can qualify if the cause was within the airline's control and not required for safety, and you were told 14 days or less before departure (section 12).

My flight arrived 2 hours 45 minutes late. Am I owed compensation?

For a delay or a cancellation, no. Compensation starts at 3 hours late at your destination, so 2 hours 45 minutes pays nothing, whichever airline it was (section 19(1)). Check the arrival time first: it counts when a door opens after landing to let passengers off (section 1(2)), compared with the arrival time on your original ticket. If you waited 2 hours past your ticketed departure, you were still owed food, drink and a way to communicate, if the cause was within the airline's control and you were told less than 12 hours ahead (section 14). Being bumped from a flight is different: for a reason within the airline's control, it pays $900 even under 6 hours late (section 20).

What am I owed at 2 hours?

If the cause was within the airline's control, including safety-related problems, and you were told less than 12 hours before departure: food and drink in reasonable quantities and access to a means of communication once you've waited 2 hours past your original departure time (section 14). For causes outside its control, such as weather, only information is required at this point: the reason and an update every 30 minutes (sections 10(3) and 13).

Can I get a refund for a 2-hour delay?

Not under the regulations. The right to a new flight, and in some cases a refund, starts when the delay reaches 3 hours (sections 10(3), 11(3) and 12(2)); a cancellation triggers it straight away. Your fare's own rules may still let you change or cancel.

The airline offered me a travel credit for a 2-hour delay. Should I take it?

If it's a goodwill gesture for a delay that doesn't qualify, accepting it costs you nothing. If your arrival ended up 3 or more hours late, check first: compensation must be paid in money unless you agree in writing to something worth more that never expires (section 21).

What if I'm stuck on the plane on the tarmac?

The airline must provide working toilets, ventilation, heating or cooling, a way to communicate if feasible, and food and drink (section 8). At an airport in Canada it must let you get off after 3 hours, unless take-off is likely within 3 hours and 45 minutes and it can keep providing that care (section 9).

Sources

General information, not legal advice.