APPR compensation chart: every amount Canadian airlines owe
Updated · Checked against the regulations as current to September 3, 2026 · By LandedLate
Under Canada's Air Passenger Protection Regulations, a large airline owes $400, $700 or $1,000 per passenger for a delay or cancellation within its control, and a small airline owes $125, $250 or $500. The amount depends on how late you reach your final destination: 3 to 6 hours, 6 to 9 hours, or 9 hours or more. If you're bumped from a flight for a reason within the airline's control, any airline owes $900, $1,800 or $2,400. These are the amounts in force on September 27, 2026.
APPR amounts at a glance
Delays and cancellations
| You reached your destination | 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 |
| Less than 3 hours late | $0 | $0 |
Lateness is measured at the final destination on your original ticket, not at departure (section 19(1)). For a cancellation, the clock runs to when your replacement flight lands.
Bumped from an overbooked flight
| You reached your destination | Any airline |
|---|---|
| Under 6 hours late | $900 |
| 6 to 9 hours late | $1,800 |
| 9 hours or more | $2,400 |
The airline must pay within 48 hours of bumping you. If it can't pay before you board the new flight, it has to confirm the amount in writing, and adjust it if you land later than expected (section 20).
If you took a refund instead of a new flight
When the cause was within the airline's control and you chose a refund rather than rebooking, you're still owed a minimum of $400 from a large airline or $125 from a small one, on top of the refund (section 19(2)).
Deadlines on both sides
| What | Deadline | Section |
|---|---|---|
| You claim compensation | Within 1 year of the delay or cancellation | Section 19(3) |
| The airline pays or explains | Within 30 days of your claim | Section 19(4) |
| Compensation for being bumped | Within 48 hours | Section 20(2) |
| A refund you're owed | Within 30 days, to the original payment method | Section 18.2 |
When none of these amounts apply
- The cause was outside the airline's control, such as weather that made flying unsafe, air traffic control instructions, a security threat or a labour disruption (section 10). You're owed rebooking, or a refund if the airline can't rebook you within 48 hours, but no compensation and no meals or hotel.
- The cause was within its control but required for safety (section 11). No compensation, but rebooking or a refund, and meals and a hotel if you were told less than 12 hours ahead. Airlines use this label broadly, and it can be challenged: crew shortages usually don't qualify.
- You were told more than 14 days before departure (sections 12(2)(d) and 12(3)(d)).
Questions
How much compensation do you get for a delayed flight in Canada?
On a large airline, $400 if you reach your final destination 3 to 6 hours late, $700 for 6 to 9 hours and $1,000 for 9 hours or more. On a small airline, $125, $250 or $500. The delay has to be within the airline's control and not required for safety, and you must have been told 14 days or less before departure (sections 12 and 19).
Is APPR compensation per passenger or per booking?
Per passenger. Every passenger on the booking who was delayed can claim the full amount for their own ticket.
What counts as a large airline?
An airline that carried two million passengers or more worldwide in each of the two previous calendar years (section 1). A small airline flying on behalf of a large one, such as a regional partner operating under the large airline's flight number, owes the large-airline amounts (section 1(4)).
Is anything owed for a delay under 3 hours?
No compensation. If the cause was within the airline's control, including safety-related problems, and you were told less than 12 hours before departure, you're owed food and drink after a 2-hour wait (section 14).
How long do I have to claim, and how fast must the airline pay?
You have one year from the delay or cancellation to claim (section 19(3)), and the airline has 30 days to pay or explain why not (section 19(4)). Compensation for being bumped is due within 48 hours of the denied boarding (section 20(2)).
Can the airline pay in vouchers or points?
Only if you agree in writing. The airline must pay money unless it offers something worth more, tells you its cash value in writing, the offer never expires, and you confirm in writing that you want it (section 21).
Sources
- Air Passenger Protection Regulations, SOR/2019-150, sections 1, 12, 14, 19, 20 and 21 (Justice Laws)
- Canadian Transportation Agency: Flight delays and cancellations, a guide (PDF)
General information, not legal advice.