Cancelled or delayed flight from Montenegro 2026: compensation of 250, 400 and 600 euros, meals and hotel, lost baggage and complaints to the Civil Aviation Agency

Under Montenegro's Law on Obligations and Property Relations in Air Transport, a passenger whose flight from Montenegro is cancelled or who is denied boarding against their will is entitled to compensation of 250 euros for flights up to 1,500 km, 400 euros for flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km and 600 euros for longer flights. When a flight is delayed, the airline owes you meals, drinks and, where needed, a free hotel and transport to it, and after a delay of five hours also a refund of the ticket. Since August 2025 you complain to the airline within 90 days, the airline decides within 60 days, and if it does not decide, you report the breach to the Civil Aviation Agency.

This guide explains which flights the law covers, how much compensation you get for a cancelled flight, what you are owed when a flight is delayed, how baggage damage is claimed and how to complain.

Which flights does the law cover?

• All flights departing from an airport in Montenegro, whatever the airline.
• Flights from another country to Montenegro if a Montenegrin airline operates them and you did not receive your rights or assistance in that country.
• You have these rights if you hold a confirmed booking and check in on time, or, if no time is given on the ticket, at least 45 minutes before departure.
• You have no rights if you travel free or on a reduced fare not available to the public, but you do with a ticket from a frequent flyer programme.
• If you fly from an airport in the European Union with any airline, or from Montenegro to the EU with an EU airline, EU Regulation 261/2004 also applies.

How much compensation do you get for a cancelled flight or denied boarding?

• When there are more passengers than seats, the airline first asks for volunteers and immediately pays compensation to a passenger it denies boarding against their will.
• For a cancelled flight no compensation is due if you were told of the cancellation at least two weeks before departure.
• None is due either if you were told between two weeks and seven days before departure and offered a flight leaving no more than two hours earlier and arriving no more than four hours later, or less than seven days before departure with a flight leaving no more than one hour earlier and arriving no more than two hours later.
• The airline does not pay compensation when the flight was cancelled due to extraordinary circumstances it could not avoid even with all necessary measures, and it must prove that it informed you.
• Compensation is paid in cash, by bank transfer or by cheque, and in vouchers only with your consent.
• Alongside compensation you choose between a refund of the ticket price within seven days and rerouting to your destination on the first possible or a later flight.

What are you owed when a flight is delayed?

• With a delay of two hours on flights up to 1,500 km, three hours on flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km and four hours on longer flights, the airline provides meals and drinks and two free calls or messages.
• If the new departure time is the next day at the earliest, you also get a free hotel and free transport from the airport to the hotel.
• With a delay of at least five hours you can abandon the trip and ask for a refund of the ticket price within seven days.
• For delays, Montenegrin law provides care and a ticket refund, and it ties the 250 to 600 euro compensation to cancelled flights and denied boarding.
• Under EU Regulation 261/2004 compensation is also due when you reach your final destination three hours late or more, except in extraordinary circumstances.
• If the airline moves you to a lower class, within seven days it refunds 30%, 50% or 75% of the ticket price, depending on the flight distance.

What if your baggage is lost, damaged or delayed?

• For destroyed, lost or damaged baggage, and for delayed baggage, the airline has been liable since August 2025 for up to 1,288 special drawing rights per passenger.
• For checked baggage the airline is liable even without fault, unless the baggage had a defect, and for cabin baggage only if it is at fault.
• You report damage in writing within seven days of receiving the baggage, and a delay within 21 days of the day the baggage was delivered to you.
• For valuable baggage you agree a higher liability limit with a special declaration at check-in at the latest and by paying an extra amount.
• You can file a claim for damages in court within two years of landing or scheduled landing.

How do you complain?

• You send a written complaint with the ticket and your correspondence with the airline no later than 90 days from the day the flight took place or should have taken place.
• The airline, or the airport when the complaint concerns assistance to persons with disabilities, decides within 60 days.
• If it does not decide in time, you report the breach to the Civil Aviation Agency, which provides a complaint form and the address passenger.rights@caa.me.
• If the airline rejects the complaint, you can enforce your rights by filing a claim with the competent court.
• The rights under the law cannot be excluded by contract, and if you accepted lower compensation because you were wrongly informed, you can claim the difference in court.

Airports and getting to them are described in our guide to Podgorica and Tivat airports, and entering the country in our guide to border crossings and the EES. Rights when buying goods are explained in our guide to complaints and warranties, and the sea route to Italy in our guide to the Bar-Bari ferry.

Frequently asked questions

How much compensation do I get for a cancelled flight from Montenegro? Compensation is 250 euros for flights up to 1,500 km, 400 euros for flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km and 600 euros for longer flights, unless you were informed in time or the cause was an extraordinary circumstance.

Do I get compensation if my flight is three hours late? Under Montenegrin law you get meals, drinks and a hotel where needed, and cash compensation for a delay is due if EU Regulation 261/2004 applies to the flight.

When can I ask for a refund of my ticket? Always for a cancelled flight or denied boarding, and for a delay of at least five hours, with payment within seven days.

Does the airline have to pay for a hotel if the flight is moved to the next day? Yes, the airline provides a free hotel and free transport from the airport to the hotel.

By when must I report damaged or delayed baggage? You report damage within seven days, and a delay within 21 days of the day the baggage was delivered to you.

Where do I complain if the airline does not answer my complaint? If the airline does not decide within 60 days, report the breach to the Civil Aviation Agency, and if it rejects the complaint, you can go to court.

Sources

Compensation, care, ticket refunds and the scope of application are set by the Law on Obligations and Property Relations in Air Transport (Official Gazette 18/2011, 46/2014 and 43/2018, Articles 6 to 13, 18 and 33), and the new baggage limits and complaint deadlines by the Law amending that law (Official Gazette 89/2025). The complaint form and contact are published by the Civil Aviation Agency, and rights under EU rules by the Your Europe portal. The information was checked on 27 September 2026. Fijaka is a classifieds platform; this text is not legal advice.