MAD · Madrid · compensation guide
Every flight departing Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas is covered by EC261, whatever the airline and wherever it was going.
We deal with the airline for you
Three hours late on arrival, cancelled within 14 days, or denied boarding, for a reason within the airline’s control: €250 for flights up to 1,500 km, €400 to 3,500 km, €600 beyond, per passenger. Because the flight departed Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas, it does not matter which airline operated it or where it was going.
Iberia
Air Europa
Ryanair
Iberia Express
easyJet
Wizz Air Malta
NT
British AirwaysWhere flights from Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas go most often, and what a qualifying delay on each is worth. Because the flight leaves MAD, the amount is the same whichever airline flew it.
| Route | Distance | Law | Owed per passenger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madrid → Palma de MallorcaMAD–PMI | 547 km | EC261 | €250 |
| Madrid → Gran Canaria IslandMAD–LPA | 1,766 km | EC261 | €400 |
| Madrid → LisbonMAD–LIS | 513 km | EC261 | €250 |
| Madrid → RomeMAD–FCO | 1,331 km | EC261 | €250 |
| Madrid → TenerifeMAD–TFN | 1,772 km | EC261 | €400 |
| Madrid → BarcelonaMAD–BCN | 483 km | EC261 | €250 |
| Madrid → LondonMAD–LHR | 1,244 km | EC261 | €250 |
| Madrid → ParisMAD–ORY | 1,028 km | EC261 | €250 |
For an arrival three hours or more late, a cancellation inside 14 days, or denied boarding, when the cause was within the airline’s control. Each passenger on the booking claims the same amount, children included.
We hold the actual arrival times of departures from Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas from live flight-data providers, and the weather reports from the airport around each flight. Enter your flight number and date and we tell you in two minutes whether it qualifies, and whether the airline has a weather argument.
A refusal is not the end of it. We answer it in writing with the arrival data and the case law; a final refusal goes to the enforcement body or dispute scheme in Spain, and to court where that is the only route — at our cost.
The amount is fixed by law. It depends on how far the flight goes, not on what the ticket cost.
| Flight distance | UK261 (UK flights) | EC261 (EU flights) |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 kme.g. London–Dublin, Paris–Barcelona | £220 | €250 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 kmand every flight within the EU over 1,500 km | £350 | €400 |
| Over 3,500 kme.g. London–New York, Frankfurt–Dubai | £520 | €600 |
The amount can be halved when the airline re-routed you and you still arrived within two hours (short flights), three hours (medium) or four hours (long flights) of the original arrival time.
An airline does not have to pay when the delay or cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances it could not have avoided with all reasonable measures. That is narrower than airlines often say.
When the airline cites weather or air traffic control, we check the airport weather reports and the flight’s history before accepting it.
Denied boarding because the flight was overbooked is owed straight away, at the same amounts, on top of a refund or a new flight.
These are owed whatever caused the delay, even in extraordinary circumstances, and they are separate from compensation:
If you paid for these yourself, keep the receipts: the airline owes them back.
If your flights were on one booking, what counts is how late you reached your final destination. A 1-hour delay that makes you miss a connection and arrive 4 hours late is a 4-hour delay. The distance is measured from where you started to where you finished.
That’s all. Our fee is 30% including VAT, taken only from compensation we win. Nothing up front, and nothing if the claim fails.
Yes, if it reached its destination three or more hours late, was cancelled within 14 days of departure, or you were denied boarding, and the cause was within the airline’s control. Every departure from Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas is covered by EC261, whichever airline operated it.
No. Because the flight departed Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas, EC261 applies to every airline, including airlines from outside the UK and EU.
€250 per passenger for flights up to 1,500 km, €400 up to 3,500 km, and €600 beyond. Children count as passengers. It’s a fixed amount, not linked to the ticket price.
Sometimes that’s true, and then nothing is owed. Often it isn’t: we check the actual weather reports for Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas and the flight’s history before we take a claim, and answer a refusal with the evidence.
The airlines we see most often on departures from MAD include Iberia, Air Europa, Ryanair, Iberia Express, easyJet, Wizz Air Malta, NT, British Airways. A claim works the same way whichever of them you flew.
Yes, if the flights were on one booking. What counts is how late you reached your final destination, and the distance is measured from MAD to where you finished.
It depends on the country the claim is brought in: as little as one year in some, several years in most. The sooner you check, the safer.
Airport and airline names belong to their owners and are used only to identify them. Skyfare is independent of Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas and of every airline.