How to prove your flight delay: the evidence that wins a claim

1. Booking confirmation with the booking reference, showing every flight if you had a connection.
2. Boarding passes, paper or in your phone's wallet. They prove you were there and checked in.
3. A photo of the departures board showing your flight as delayed or cancelled, with the time visible.
4. The time the aircraft door opened at your destination. Take a photo of your phone's clock as you stand up, or note the time.
5. The reason given, in writing if possible: the app notification, a text message, or a note of what the gate staff said, with the time.
6. Receipts for meals, transport, hotel and any new ticket.
7. Messages from the airline: rebooking emails, cancellation notices, meal vouchers.

Compensation for a delay depends on how late you reached your final destination: 3 hours or more (Sturgeon, 2009). The arrival time is the moment at least one door of the aircraft opens and passengers can leave, not when the wheels touch the runway (Germanwings, 2014).

That difference matters when the delay is close to 3 hours. Flight-tracking websites often show the landing time, which can be 5 to 20 minutes earlier than the door opening. So:

• note the time on your phone when the door opens or when you leave the aircraft,
• keep any airline message giving the arrival time,
• if the delay was close to 3 hours, mention the taxiing and waiting time in your claim.

You don't have to prove why the flight was late. If the airline says the cause was extraordinary (bad weather, air traffic control, a security risk), it is the airline that must prove it, and also show that it took all reasonable measures. Your job is only to show the delay, the cancellation or the refusal of boarding, and that you had a confirmed booking and checked in on time.

Still, a note of what you were told on the day is useful. If the gate staff said "technical problem" and the airline later writes "weather", that inconsistency helps your claim.

Evidence can usually be found afterwards:

• Booking emails: search your inbox for the airline name, the booking reference or "itinerary".
• The airline app or account: past trips often keep boarding passes and flight details.
• Bank statements show you paid for the ticket.
• Flight history: flight-tracking websites keep departure and arrival times for past flights, and our own flight pages record the flights our robot saw from the airports we watch.
• Delay certificates: many airlines provide a delay confirmation on their website or on request.
• Photos on your phone from that day often show times in their details.

If you have no boarding pass, a booking confirmation plus proof that you travelled (a hotel bill at the destination, a photo, a card payment there) is often enough.

Attach the evidence to your claim to the airline, as PDFs or photos, and keep copies. Our free claim letter lists what to attach. If the airline refuses, see what to do when the airline says no. To check the amount first, use our free check.