Compensation amounts: €250, €400 or €600?

Yes, but only in limited circumstances.

An airline may reduce the compensation by 50% if the passenger is offered rerouting to the final destination and the alternative flight arrives within the following limits compared with the original scheduled arrival time:

• 2 hours for flights of 1,500 km or less
• 3 hours for intra-EU flights over 1,500 km and all other flights between 1,500 km and 3,500 km
• 4 hours for all other flights

This reduction only applies where the passenger is already entitled to compensation, for example, following a qualifying cancellation or denied boarding.

For delays there is a separate rule: on flights over 3,500 km to or from a country outside the EU, compensation may be halved if you arrive at least three but less than four hours late (Court of Justice, Sturgeon and Others, paragraph 63).

Short flight, long delay. A domestic or short-haul flight under 1,500 km that lands four hours late for reasons on the airline's side can attract the fixed amount of €250.

Long haul. An intercontinental journey over 3,500 km that is heavily delayed can attract the fixed amount of €600, though the amount can be reduced depending on how late you actually arrived.