Meals and refreshments
Food and drink should be offered in a reasonable relation to the waiting time.
EU261 Right to Care: Meals, Hotel & Transport
When an EU261-covered disruption leaves you waiting, the airline's duty is not limited to possible compensation. Depending on the delay and journey, you may be entitled to reasonable meals and refreshments, communication, and—when an overnight stay becomes necessary—hotel accommodation and transport between the airport and accommodation.
The quick answer
Care is a practical duty while you wait. It is separate from fixed EU261 compensation.
If the EU261 waiting-time thresholds are reached, the airline should offer care appropriate to the wait. That can mean food and drink, two communications, and hotel plus airport–hotel transport when an overnight stay is necessary. Care can still matter even where the disruption was caused by extraordinary circumstances.
What the EU261 right to care includes
The obligation is about reasonable assistance during the disruption—not a cash windfall.
Hotel accommodation
If a stay of one or more nights becomes necessary, hotel accommodation should be offered.
Airport–hotel transport
Where hotel care is required, transport between the airport and the accommodation is part of the care package.
Communication
EU261 provides for two telephone calls, telex/fax messages or emails.
When does the duty to provide care start?
For delays, Article 6 uses distance-based waiting thresholds.
2 hours
Flights of 1,500 km or less.
3 hours
Intra-EU flights over 1,500 km and other flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km.
4 hours
Other flights beyond 3,500 km.
Cancellation is different from simply timing a delay. Passengers affected by cancellation are also entitled to Article 9 care in the circumstances set by EU261. Do not confuse the care trigger with the separate rules for fixed compensation.
If the disruption forces an overnight stay
The care duty expands when waiting until the next day makes accommodation necessary.
Think in a simple chain
Flight disruption
Waiting extends overnight
Waiting extends overnight
Accommodation
A hotel becomes necessary
A hotel becomes necessary
Transport
Airport ↔ accommodation
Airport ↔ accommodation
Ask the airline first
Where practical, give the airline the opportunity to arrange the hotel and transport. Keep screenshots or messages showing what was offered—or not offered.
Do not assume “extraordinary circumstances” removes care. Weather or air-traffic restrictions may defeat fixed compensation in some cases, but the EU261 duty of care can still apply while passengers wait.
What if the airline does not provide care?
Keep the response proportionate and preserve evidence.
Ask
Request vouchers, hotel or transport from the airline and save its response.
Stay reasonable
If you must arrange essentials yourself, choose necessary and proportionate options.
Keep receipts
Save itemised receipts, booking confirmations and transport records.
Request reimbursement
Submit the evidence to the operating airline. See our flight disruption expenses guide for the broader reimbursement process.
Care, reimbursement and compensation are different
One disruption can raise more than one type of passenger right.
| Right | What it addresses |
|---|---|
| Care | Immediate meals, communication, hotel and necessary airport–hotel transport while waiting. |
| Expense reimbursement | Reasonable necessary costs you paid because required care was not provided. |
| Fixed compensation | A separate EU261 payment that depends on disruption type, timing, cause and other eligibility rules. |
| Ticket refund / rerouting | Separate choices and obligations concerning how you continue—or do not continue—the journey. |
EU261 right to care FAQ
Short answers to the questions passengers most often face while waiting.
Does the airline have to provide food during a delay?
When the applicable EU261 waiting threshold is reached, meals and refreshments should be offered in reasonable relation to the waiting time.
When must the airline provide a hotel?
Where a stay of one or more nights becomes necessary because of the disruption, Article 9 provides for hotel accommodation and transport between the airport and the accommodation.
Does bad weather remove the right to meals or a hotel?
Not automatically. Extraordinary circumstances are especially relevant to fixed compensation; the duty of care can still apply.
Can I book my own hotel?
If the airline fails to provide required care and you must make arrangements yourself, keep the cost necessary and reasonable and retain evidence. Reimbursement disputes are fact-specific.
Is care the same as €250–€600 compensation?
No. Care is immediate assistance. Fixed compensation is a separate right with separate eligibility conditions.
Official basis
This guide focuses on the EU261 duty of care rather than reproducing the whole compensation regime.
Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 Articles 6 and 9 set out the delay thresholds and care items. European Commission passenger-rights guidance also explains assistance during delays and cancellations.
EUR-Lex — Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 · Your Europe — Air passenger rights
Keep the essentials—and keep the evidence.
If care was not provided, preserve receipts and airline messages. If your disruption may also qualify for EU261 compensation, check the flight separately.
