China Airlines Compensation: How to Claim Up to €600 for Delayed or Cancelled Flights

Flew with China Airlines and your flight was disrupted? Check if you're entitled to China Airlines compensation of up to €600 per person — it's free and takes under 2 minutes.

China Airlines is the flag carrier of Taiwan, founded in 1959 and operating from its hub at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport. It flies more than 1,300 services a week to around 100 destinations across 24 countries, using a fleet of roughly 65 passenger aircraft, and has been a SkyTeam member since 2011. Its European network consists of six non-stop routes: Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Vienna, London Heathrow, Rome and Prague.

China Airlines is registered in Taiwan, which makes it a non-European carrier under EC 261/2004. Your rights depend on where the flight departed from rather than on the airline's nationality: every China Airlines flight leaving a European airport is fully covered, while flights arriving in Europe from Taipei are not. And because every one of those six routes runs beyond 8,900 km, every qualifying Europe-departing flight falls into the maximum compensation band.

This guide explains which flights qualify, how much China Airlines flight compensation you can claim, how a China Airlines refund works under EC 261, and how FlyPayout handles your claim.

First, make sure you flew the right airline

China Airlines and Air China are two completely separate companies, and passengers confuse them constantly. A claim filed against the wrong one is rejected without ever being assessed on its merits.

Detail	China Airlines	Air China
Code	CI	CA
Registered in	Taiwan	Mainland China
Hub	Taipei Taoyuan	Beijing
Alliance	SkyTeam	Star Alliance

Check the two-letter code on your booking. If it starts with CI, you were on China Airlines and this page applies. If it starts with CA, see our Air China compensation guide instead.

Why China Airlines' registration matters for your rights

China Airlines is headquartered at Taoyuan International Airport and holds a Taiwanese air operator's certificate. It is not a European carrier, so EC 261 applies on departure point alone.

Departures from Europe are fully covered. A flight from Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Vienna, London Heathrow, Rome or Prague to Taipei falls under EC 261 in full, exactly as if a European airline were operating it.

Arrivals into Europe from Taipei are not covered. A Taipei to Frankfurt or Taipei to London flight sits outside the regulation, because neither the departure point nor the carrier is European.

On a return trip, the outbound leg is claimable and the inbound is not. Taiwan has no equivalent fixed-sum regime, so the Europe-departing leg is the only one carrying an entitlement of this kind.

How much China Airlines compensation can you claim?

Under EC 261, compensation is fixed by distance:

Flight distance	Compensation
Up to 1,500 km	€250
1,500 km to 3,500 km	€400
Over 3,500 km	€600

China Airlines runs only long-haul services into Europe, and the shortest of them is more than two and a half times the 3,500 km threshold. The result is simple: every qualifying China Airlines flight departing Europe is worth €600 per passenger.

Route (departing Europe)	Approximate distance	Compensation
Vienna to Taipei	~8,965 km	€600
Prague to Taipei	~9,010 km	€600
Frankfurt to Taipei	~9,360 km	€600
Amsterdam to Taipei	~9,440 km	€600
Rome to Taipei	~9,605 km	€600
London Heathrow to Taipei	~9,780 km	€600

A family of four on a delayed Frankfurt to Taipei flight can claim €2,400, regardless of what the tickets cost or which cabin they flew.

When do you qualify for China Airlines delay compensation?

Flight delays

If your China Airlines flight departed a European airport and arrived at its final destination 3 or more hours late, you qualify for China Airlines flight delay compensation. The delay is measured on arrival, not departure, so a flight that pushes back late but recovers time in the air may not qualify.

The delay must also not have been caused by extraordinary circumstances beyond the airline's control.

Full details: Flight Delay Compensation

Cancelled flights

If China Airlines cancelled your Europe-departing flight and notified you less than 14 days before departure, you are entitled to China Airlines cancelled flight compensation at the same €600 rate, plus a choice between a full refund and rebooking. Notice of 14 days or more removes the compensation entitlement but not the refund or rebooking right.

Frequency is a serious factor on this network. Prague runs twice a week and Vienna four times, so a cancellation on either can leave you waiting three or four days for the next China Airlines departure. That gap at your final destination is what the claim is assessed on, and it is often the difference between a routine delay and the maximum payout.

Full details: Flight Cancellation Compensation

Denied boarding

If China Airlines involuntarily denies you boarding on a Europe-departing flight because it is oversold, compensation is payable immediately at the airport. The airline must seek volunteers before bumping anyone against their will.

Full details: Denied Boarding Compensation

Missed connections through Taipei

China Airlines runs a single-hub model: almost every long-haul service routes through Taipei, and most European passengers connect onward into East and Southeast Asia rather than ending their journey there.

If a delay leaving Europe caused you to miss that connection and the journey was on a single booking, compensation is calculated on the total journey distance and your arrival delay at the final destination. A Vienna to Taipei to Sydney itinerary disrupted on the first leg is assessed on Vienna to Sydney.

Full details: Missed Connection Compensation

China Airlines refund policy under EC 261

China Airlines sells fare families where the cheapest tickets carry change and cancellation penalties. Those conditions apply when you are the one changing plans.

They do not apply when the airline cancels. When your Europe-departing flight is cancelled, or delayed by 5 or more hours, EC 261 requires a full refund within 7 days, covering taxes and fees on any unused portion, plus a return flight to your departure point if you have already flown part of the trip. The alternative is rebooking on the next available flight or at a later date.

This right overrides the fare rules entirely. A China Airlines refund is owed on the cheapest restricted ticket exactly as it is on a fully flexible one.

What China Airlines must provide during disruptions

Whether or not compensation is owed, China Airlines must provide care when a Europe-departing flight is delayed:

Delay threshold	What you're entitled to
2+ hours (flights up to 1,500 km)	Meals, refreshments, 2 phone calls or emails
3+ hours (flights 1,500 km to 3,500 km)	Meals, refreshments, 2 phone calls or emails
4+ hours (flights over 3,500 km)	Meals, refreshments, 2 phone calls or emails
Overnight delay	Hotel accommodation plus transport to and from the hotel
5+ hours	Right to abandon the journey plus full refund

Every route from Europe exceeds 3,500 km, so the four-hour threshold applies. On the thinner routes the overnight hotel obligation is close to automatic, because there is simply no replacement flight the same day. If nothing is offered, cover the costs yourself, keep receipts and claim reimbursement.

China Airlines and extraordinary circumstances

China Airlines is not required to pay compensation when a disruption is caused by events genuinely outside its control: severe weather, air traffic control restrictions or strikes, security threats, and airport closures ordered by authorities.

These do not qualify: technical faults, maintenance issues, crew shortages or illness, and strikes by the airline's own staff.

Taiwan sits in one of the most typhoon-exposed positions in the world, and the season runs roughly from July to October. When a typhoon warning suspends operations at Taoyuan, that is outside the airline's control and compensation is not normally owed.

The recovery is a different question. Once the warning is lifted, how quickly aircraft and crews are repositioned, and whether passengers are rebooked promptly, is entirely within the airline's control. On a network where the next Prague or Vienna departure may be three days away, a slow recovery can add far more delay than the storm itself. That portion remains claimable, and it is worth establishing which part of your delay came from which cause.

If China Airlines rejects your claim citing extraordinary circumstances, FlyPayout verifies the defence against the actual flight data.

SkyTeam codeshares, Mandarin Airlines and Tigerair

China Airlines has codeshare agreements with several European SkyTeam carriers, including KLM, Air France and Air Europa. This matters more than it first appears.

If your ticket carried a CI code but the flight was operated by KLM or Air France, the claim goes to that airline — and because those carriers are European, your inbound leg from Taipei becomes claimable too. The operating carrier's status, not the code on your ticket, sets the scope of your rights in both directions.

The group also includes Mandarin Airlines, which flies regional and domestic Taiwanese routes, and the low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan. Neither serves Europe. If your flight number is not a CI code, the claim is filed against the operating carrier instead.

FlyPayout identifies the operating carrier from the flight number and files accordingly.

China Airlines baggage compensation

Baggage sits under the Montreal Convention. If China Airlines loses, delays or damages your checked luggage, you can claim up to 1,519 SDR — approximately €1,800 per passenger. That limit rose from 1,288 SDR on 28 December 2024 and covers destroyed, lost, damaged and delayed bags as a single per-passenger cap.

This is a limit rather than a fixed sum, so you claim your proven costs up to that ceiling. Keep receipts for anything you had to replace while the bag was missing.

Deadlines: report damage in writing within 7 days of receiving the bag, and delay within 21 days of delivery. Baggage still missing after 21 days is treated as lost.

See our guides to lost luggage, delayed luggage, and damaged luggage.

Time limits for filing a China Airlines compensation claim

Because only Europe-departing flights fall under EC 261, the limitation period is set by the European country you left rather than by Taiwan.

This varies sharply across China Airlines' six European destinations. The United Kingdom allows 6 years and Italy 2, while the Netherlands also allows 2, Germany 3 and Austria 3. A disrupted London departure is therefore claimable three times longer than the same disruption out of Amsterdam or Rome.

If your flight left a European airport within the last few years, check rather than assume the window has closed.

How FlyPayout Claims Your China Airlines Compensation

China Airlines, like most airlines, doesn't always pay compensation voluntarily. Claims may be ignored, delayed, or rejected with vague references to weather or circumstances beyond the airline's control, and pursuing a carrier headquartered outside Europe adds a layer most passengers cannot handle. FlyPayout handles the entire process for you.

Step 1: Check your flight. Enter your China Airlines flight details into our free compensation calculator. In under 2 minutes, you'll know if you're eligible for compensation and how much you could receive.

Step 2: Submit your claim. If your China Airlines flight qualifies, FlyPayout handles everything — the paperwork, the airline communication, and the case management.

Step 3: Get paid. We negotiate with China Airlines on your behalf. If they refuse to pay, our legal team takes the case to court. We only charge our fee when you receive your money.

Why Choose FlyPayout?

•      All six China Airlines routes from Europe are in the €600 band — the maximum EC 261 pays.

•      We file against the right carrier, so your claim isn't rejected for naming Air China by mistake.

•      No win, no fee — you never pay upfront.

•      Expert legal team ready to take your case to court if China Airlines refuses to pay.

•      You submit the details, we handle the case from start to finish.

Check your compensation →

Frequently Asked Questions About China Airlines Compensation

How much China Airlines delay compensation am I entitled to?

€600 per passenger, provided your flight departed a European airport and arrived 3 or more hours late. All six European routes are long-haul sectors to Taipei beyond 8,900 km, which places every one of them in the top band.

Is China Airlines the same as Air China?

No. China Airlines is Taiwan's flag carrier, flies under the CI code and belongs to SkyTeam. Air China is mainland China's flag carrier, flies under CA and belongs to Star Alliance. They are unrelated companies, and a compensation claim must be addressed to whichever one actually operated your flight.

My China Airlines flight from Taipei to Europe was delayed. Can I claim?

Not under EC 261, since China Airlines is a non-European carrier and the flight did not depart Europe. The exception is a codeshare operated by a European SkyTeam partner such as KLM or Air France, where that carrier's European status brings the inbound leg into scope. Baggage rights under the Montreal Convention apply in both directions regardless.

A typhoon closed Taoyuan and my flight was cancelled. Can I claim?

Compensation is usually not owed for the closure itself, since a typhoon is outside the airline's control. The care and rebooking obligations remain, and how quickly China Airlines got you moving once operations resumed is a separate question. On a twice-weekly route such as Prague, slow recovery can add days to your delay, and that portion can still be claimable.

Does China Airlines cancelled flight compensation apply if I was rebooked?

Yes. Being rebooked does not remove the entitlement. Compensation is assessed on how late you eventually reached your final destination, and on the thinner European routes that gap is frequently measured in days rather than hours.

How do I get a refund China Airlines owes me after a cancellation?

Under EC 261 the airline must offer a full refund within 7 days, or rebooking, at your choice. This applies regardless of what your fare rules say: even the cheapest restricted ticket is fully refundable when China Airlines is the party cancelling. A refund is separate from compensation, and accepting one does not waive the other.

I flew Tigerair Taiwan. Does this page apply?

No. Tigerair Taiwan is a separate low-cost carrier within the group and does not fly to Europe. Any claim is filed against the operating carrier rather than China Airlines.

Your China Airlines flight was disrupted. Get what you're owed.

All six China Airlines routes out of Europe run beyond 8,900 km, which means every qualifying disruption is worth the full €600 per passenger. If your flight was delayed three hours or more, cancelled at short notice, or you were denied boarding, that money is owed to you. Most passengers flying carriers headquartered outside Europe assume they have no rights. On the departing leg, they do.

Check your China Airlines flight now — it takes less than 2 minutes, and it's completely free.

FlyPayout helps passengers claim compensation for flight delays, cancellations, denied boarding, overbooking, missed connections, and baggage claims. Our service is risk-free — you only pay when we succeed.