Check what the rules pay
Pick the rules, the disruption and the arrival delay. No commission, you keep 100%, and no account needed: it runs in your browser.
What the rule pays
$400 CAD
3–6 hours
A 3–6 hours arrival delay within a large airline’s control is compensated at $400 CAD under APPR, if the airline told passengers about it 14 days or less before departure. If the ticket is refunded instead, APPR s. 19(2) pays $400 CAD for a large airline.
Read APPR s. 19(1)Guidance only, not legal advice. Treader is not a law firm and does not file claims. Confirm current rules with the airline and the regulator.
The same five-hour delay under three rulebooks
What each rule pays for a flight that arrives five hours late when the cause was within the airline’s control, worked out by the same rules as the checker above. Amounts are in each rule’s own currency.
| Rules | Case | Pays | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada (APPR) | Large airline | $400 CAD | APPR s. 19(1) |
| Canada (APPR) | Small airline | $125 CAD | APPR s. 19(1) |
| European Union (EU261) | Flight up to 1,500 km | €250 | EU261 Art. 7 |
| European Union (EU261) | Flight 1,500–3,500 km, or over 1,500 km within the EU | €400 | EU261 Art. 7 |
| European Union (EU261) | Flight over 3,500 km, to or from outside the EU | €600 | EU261 Art. 7 |
| United States (US DOT) | Any flight | No fixed compensation | 14 CFR Part 260 |
United States (US DOT): US rules set no cash compensation for delays or cancellations. But if the flight is cancelled or significantly changed (3+ hours domestic, 6+ international) and you decline the rebooking, the airline owes an automatic refund of the ticket and fees.
EU261 pays €600 only on flights over 3,500 km to or from outside the EU. A flight within the EU over 1,500 km pays €400 at any distance (Article 7(1)(b)). EU261 allows the airline to halve the long-haul figure when the flight arrives between three and four hours late (Article 7(2)(c)). Five hours is past that window, so the full rate applies.
Know what the rules actually pay
Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations set fixed amounts, not goodwill gestures. On a large airline, a delay on arrival pays $400 at three hours, $700 at six, and $1,000 at nine, when the cause was within the airline’s control and the airline told passengers about it 14 days or less before departure. Treader also checks EU261 and the US DOT rules, and for flights on your trip it suggests the rules from the route, which you can change.
- Delays: up to $1,000 CAD on large carriers (APPR s. 19(1))
- Denied boarding: up to $2,400 CAD when you’re bumped (APPR s. 20)
- Baggage: up to 1,519 SDR (about $2,900 CAD) plus bag fees for lost or damaged bags (APPR s. 23, Montreal Convention)
- EU and US flights assessed under EU261 and US DOT rules, in euros or US dollars
Treader is watching before you land
Log a flight on your trip once, on any plan, and both airports land on the right days. On Pro, the flight shows its live status, and delay alerts arrive while the disruption is still happening, so you know your rights at the airport, which is when rebooking and meal-voucher decisions get made. Pro is $4.99 CAD a month.
The claim writes itself from your booking
When a disruption crosses a compensation threshold, Discovery drafts the claim for you: the flight numbers, the recorded delay, the governing rule, and the letter the airline’s claims desk expects. You review it and send it. Your money stays yours, there is no percentage cut. Claim drafting comes with Discovery, $9.99 CAD a month.
The paperwork is already in your pocket
Claims die on missing evidence. On Discovery, the Travel Data vault keeps your bookings, boarding passes and receipts attached to the trip they belong to, so a claim filed three weeks after you get home still has everything it needs. Getting them in is a paste: drop the airline confirmation, the PDF or a screenshot into Paste anything and the flights file themselves, with the confirmation kept beside them.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a delayed flight worth in Canada?
On a large airline, arriving 3 to 6 hours late pays $400, 6 to 9 hours pays $700, and 9 or more pays $1,000, when the delay was within the airline’s control, not safety-related, and passengers were told about it 14 days or less before departure. Smaller airlines pay $125, $250 and $500 across the same bands. These are fixed amounts under APPR s. 19(1), not negotiable goodwill.
Does the checker tell me whether my claim will succeed?
No. It shows what each rule pays at a given arrival delay, and what changes when the cause was outside the airline’s control. Whether a particular flight qualifies depends on its facts, and the airline answers the claim first. It is guidance, not legal advice.
Is the checker free?
Yes. It runs in your browser with no account and no email address. Treader takes no commission on any claim: you send it to the airline yourself and keep 100% of what it pays.
Does Treader handle flights outside Canada?
Yes. Flights under EU261 are assessed in euros, and US flights under the US DOT rules in US dollars. For flights on your trip, Treader suggests the rules from the route and you can switch them, which matters when two could apply, such as a flight from Canada to the EU on a European airline. The UK’s own rules are not covered.
Is compensation the same as a refund?
No. Compensation is a fixed payment for the disruption itself. A refund returns what you paid for the ticket, and the rules for it are separate. The checker shows compensation; when the cause was outside the airline’s control it notes that you may still be owed rebooking or a refund.
What do I need to file a claim?
The booking, the flight’s recorded delay, and a letter citing the right rule. Treader keeps the first two automatically for flights on your trip, and Discovery drafts the third. You send it to the airline yourself, and the airline pays you directly.
Which plan do I need?
Live flight status with delay alerts is in Pro at $4.99 CAD a month. Claim drafting and the travel-document vault are in Discovery at $9.99 CAD a month. The trip planner itself is free forever.