The EU's top court ruled in favour of three plaintiffs last week who sued United Airlines for compensation for a 223-minute delay on a flight between Brussels and San Jose in California.

The regulation, known as EU 261, applies to disruptions from technical issues caused by the airline but not to disruptions that fall outside the carrier’s control, such as extreme weather conditions or civil unrest.

Previous application of the regulation covered any flights originating and/or ending in the EU, but only applied to flights being operated by an EU-based airline.

The new ruling adjusts those parameters, broadening them to any airline that “operates the entirety of the flight” on behalf of an EU airline when that carrier takes off or lands in the EU. This includes any connections made as part of a single reservation.

In the case ruled on last week, the plaintiffs departed from Brussels but had a connecting flight in the US, which contributed to the extended delay.

The three passengers made their booking through Lufthansa via a travel agency and the court ruled that United was “acting on behalf of the contracting carrier (Lufthansa)”, and United may be liable to pay compensation as the operator of the flights.