Flight Delay Compensation in Indonesia: What You Are Owed

10 min read
A blue departure board headed "General Boarding Terminal 3" listing Citilink and Garuda Indonesia flights, several marked "Cancelled" or "Reschedule".
A departure board in Terminal 3 at Soekarno-Hatta shortly after midnight on 13 September 2022, with several flights cancelled or rescheduled. The photo illustrates the topic; it does not show a recent disruption. Image: Marwan Mohamad, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Rules checked Sunday 4 October 2026: PM 89 of 2015 is still in force, unamended.

A challenge to the delay articles of the 2009 Aviation Law is before the Constitutional Court (case 190/PUU-XXIV/2026), and judges have openly questioned whether Rp 300,000 is enough. No ruling had been reported by early October 2026. Until something changes, the figures below are what airlines owe. We will update this guide if the rules change.

Flight delay compensation in Indonesia is set by one regulation, Transport Minister Regulation PM 89 of 2015. If your airline is to blame, a delay of 30 minutes earns you a drink, two hours a snack box and the right to a refund, and more than four hours Rp 300,000. If the cause is weather or the airport, you are owed nothing beyond a seat on the next flight or a refund when the flight is cancelled. Here is what each delay is worth, what is excluded, and how to claim it.

In short

  • Who it covers: passengers on Indonesian scheduled airlines — Garuda, Citilink, Lion Air, Batik Air, Super Air Jet, Wings Air, Indonesia AirAsia, Pelita Air, TransNusa and the rest. The regulation is written for Indonesian airline companies; foreign airlines flying out of CGK work under their own conditions of carriage, which this guide does not cover.
  • Only the airline’s own delays count. Weather, airport problems and events like riots are excluded.
  • Staff should offer it. The regulation says the airline must give compensation actively, not wait to be asked.
  • Cancelled? Next flight or a full refund, whatever the cause.
  • Refused? Report it to the Ministry of Transport’s Contact Center 151.

What the airline owes for each delay

PM 89 of 2015 sorts delays into six categories (Article 3) and lists what the airline must provide in each (Article 9). The delay is measured from the scheduled time to when the aircraft actually leaves its parking stand (block-off) or parks at the destination (block-on) — not from when you board or take off (Article 4).

Category Delay What you are owed Your choice
1 30–60 minutes A light drink. —
2 61–120 minutes A drink and a snack box. Next flight or full refund
3 121–180 minutes A drink and a heavy meal. Next flight or full refund
4 181–240 minutes A drink, a snack box and a heavy meal. Next flight or full refund
5 More than 240 minutes Rp 300,000, within 3 × 24 hours. Accommodation if the delay passes 6 hours and you need it. Next flight or full refund
6 Cancellation The airline must move you to the next flight or refund the whole ticket. Next flight or full refund

Applies only when the delay is caused by the airline. Source: Articles 3, 4, 9, 10 and 12 of PM 89 of 2015.

Delayed 2 hours, 4 hours, 5 hours: what that means

A delay of up to an hour (category 1) earns a light drink and nothing else.

A 2-hour delay — anything from 61 to 120 minutes — is category 2: a drink and a snack box. From this point you also get a choice. You can wait, move to the airline’s next flight, or give up the trip and take a full refund of the ticket. At 121 minutes the snack box becomes a heavy meal (category 3); from 181 minutes you get all three — drink, snack box and meal (category 4).

The Rp 300,000 starts after four hours. A delay of exactly 240 minutes is still category 4. Category 5 begins at 241 minutes, so a 5-hour delay qualifies. Under Article 12 the money can be paid in cash, as a voucher that can be cashed, or by bank transfer, no later than 3 × 24 hours after the delay. Airlines must insure this payout, and the regulation requires the insurer to set up a payment process with “easy and simple” requirements.

After six hours, if you need somewhere to stay, the airline must provide accommodation (Article 10). The text does not say anything more specific than that — it does not, for example, mention transport to the hotel — so ask the duty officer what is being arranged.

If you are moved to another flight, including on another airline, you pay nothing extra, even if it is in a higher class. If you are moved to a lower class, the airline must refund the difference.

You may see a “50% compensation if you are flown to a nearby city” rule quoted online. That came from the delay articles of an older regulation, PM 77 of 2011, which paid half of the Rp 300,000 when the airline re-routed you to the destination nearest your own. Article 18 of PM 89 revoked those articles in 2015, and PM 89 has no equivalent. It no longer applies.

When you are not owed compensation — and why airlines say “operational”

Article 5 of PM 89 splits the causes of delay into four groups. Only the first is the airline’s responsibility (Article 6); for the other three the airline is expressly freed from paying compensation.

Cause What counts Compensation?
Airline management Late pilot, co-pilot or cabin crew; late catering; late ground handling; waiting for check-in, transfer or connecting passengers; aircraft not ready. Yes
Technical-operational (airport) Departure or destination airport cannot be used; the airport surroundings or runway disrupted, for example cracked, flooded or on fire; queues for take-off or landing, or slot times; late refuelling. No
Weather Heavy rain, flooding, lightning, storms, fog, smoke; visibility below the minimum; wind above the maximum. No
Other Anything outside the three groups above, for example riots or demonstrations at the airport. No

That split is why the reason the airline gives matters so much. The Aviation Law itself (Article 146 of Law 1 of 2009) makes the carrier liable for delay unless it can prove the cause was weather or “technical-operational”. In PM 89, “technical operational” means airport conditions — the runway, queues, slots, refuelling — not a fault with the airline’s own aircraft. An aircraft that is not ready is listed as an airline management cause, and that one is compensable.

The regulation also puts the burden on the airline: for weather or technical-operational causes it must back its explanation with an official letter from the relevant body — BMKG for weather, the airport authority or operator for airport causes (Article 5). “Operational reasons” on its own is not a cause the regulation recognises. Ask which of the four groups the delay falls under, and write down the answer.

This is exactly what the current Constitutional Court case is about. The petitioners argue that “weather” and “technical-operational” are used as a shield, and judges at the July and August 2026 hearings pressed airlines on vague operational explanations, according to Kompas.

Weather causes are common at CGK this year. Haze and volcanic ash cancelled many flights in August and September 2026; passengers got refunds and rebooking rather than the Rp 300,000 — see our report on CGK delays and cancellations.

Cancellations and refunds

A cancelled flight is category 6. The airline must either move you to the next flight or refund the full ticket price.

How fast the refund must come depends on how you paid (Article 10):

  • Cash: refunded in cash when you report to the airline.
  • Credit card: transferred back to the card account within 30 calendar days.
  • Bank transfer, virtual account, e-wallet or travel agent: the articles themselves only name cash and credit cards, but the regulation’s own inspection checklist expects non-cash purchases to be refunded by transfer within 30 calendar days. Ask the airline (or the agent you booked through) for its timeframe in writing. Airlines also set their own refund windows: Lion Air’s online form, for example, accepts claims up to three months after the travel date.

Notice. The airline must tell you of a cancellation no later than 7 calendar days before the flight, and of a rescheduled departure time no later than 24 hours before. On the day, it must tell you the reason for a delay and when you will leave — by phone, text or announcement — no later than 45 minutes before scheduled departure or as soon as it knows (Article 7). Each airline must also have staff in the departure lounge to explain the delay, and someone with full authority to make decisions on the spot — a general manager, station manager or other designated staff member (Articles 7 and 8).

Refund rules for cancellations by the government or an airport closure are often set case by case. During the Anak Krakatau closure in September 2026, for example, the Transport Minister instructed airlines to offer a full refund or free rebooking.

How to claim, step by step

  1. At the gate, ask the airline’s duty officer. Say which category the delay has reached and what PM 89 says you are owed. If you want the next flight or a refund instead of waiting, say so there and then.
  2. Ask for the reason, and for the letter. If staff say weather or airport conditions, ask whether there is a BMKG or airport letter. Note the name of the person you spoke to.
  3. Collect evidence as it happens: your boarding pass (or e-boarding pass screenshot), any delay notice, text or email from the airline, a photo of the departure board with the clock visible, and the time you actually boarded and pushed back. A screenshot of the flight on our live departures board with its scheduled and actual times also helps.
  4. For the Rp 300,000, give your bank details if the airline pays by transfer, and keep a copy of whatever form you fill in. The deadline is 3 × 24 hours.
  5. If nothing is offered at the airport, claim in writing through the airline’s own customer channel (below), with the evidence attached. Keep the ticket or case number.
  6. If the airline refuses or does not answer, escalate to the Ministry of Transport (next section).

Airline customer channels

We list only contact routes we could confirm on each airline’s own website on 4 October 2026. Where we could not, we say so — use the contact details on your booking confirmation rather than a number found elsewhere online.

  • Garuda Indonesia: We could not load Garuda’s own contact pages to confirm them. Contact the airline through its official channels — the details on your booking confirmation or garuda-indonesia.com.
  • Lion Air: WhatsApp +62 811 1938 0888 (chat only) or [email protected]. Refunds for tickets bought directly from Lion Air go through the online refund form under “Kelola Pemesanan”, within three months of the travel date. Lion Air also issues a written delay certificate (Surat Keterangan Keterlambatan) on request, which takes about seven working days and is useful for travel-insurance claims. (source)
  • Batik Air: WhatsApp +62 811 1938 0888 (chat only) or [email protected]. Its help centre says that when Batik Air changes or cancels your flight you get one free change within three days either side, or a full refund with no administration fee if no alternative suits. (source)
  • Super Air Jet: WhatsApp +62 811 1938 0888 (chat only), [email protected], or live chat at help.superairjet.com. (source)
  • Wings Air: We could not load Wings Air’s own website. Contact the airline through its official channels — the details on your booking confirmation.
  • Citilink: 24-hour contact centre 0804 1 080808, WhatsApp “Tanya Linka” 0811 1011 0808, or [email protected]. Refunds are filed at refundcustomer.citilink.co.id; Citilink’s refund page treats a delay of more than 60 minutes caused by the airline as an involuntary refund. (source)
  • Indonesia AirAsia: We could not load AirAsia’s support pages to confirm the current claim route. Contact the airline through its official channels on airasia.com.
  • Pelita Air: Customer care for scheduled-flight passengers: WhatsApp 0811 7110 800 (chat only) or [email protected]. (source)
  • TransNusa: Phone or WhatsApp +62 21 631 0888, daily 09:00–17:00 WIB, or [email protected]. (source)

If the airline refuses: where to complain

  • Ministry of Transport Contact Center 151 — call 151, WhatsApp 0811 2011 151, or email [email protected] (details as listed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation). PM 89 names 151 as the channel for delay complaints and expects airlines to resolve them within 14 calendar days; how well they do counts towards each airline’s delay-handling score, and a score below 60% for three months running can lead to a written warning and, if it continues, a freeze on new routes, route cuts and ultimately loss of the business licence (Articles 14 and 16). Include your name, the airline, the date, route and flight number, where it happened, your phone or email, and your evidence.
  • Airport Authority Region I (Otoritas Bandar Udara Wilayah I) — the ministry office that supervises CGK. Its website lists WhatsApp 0811-1980-2314 and [email protected].
  • SP4N-LAPOR! (lapor.go.id) — the national public-complaints service, which routes the report to the ministry and lets you track it.
  • Consumer bodies. BPKN, the National Consumer Protection Agency, takes complaints on 153, WhatsApp 08153 153 153, or at pengaduan.bpkn.go.id. YLKI, the consumer foundation, takes complaints through pelayanan.ylki.or.id, but only after you have complained to the airline in writing. To pursue the money as a consumer dispute, the Consumer Protection Law (Law 8 of 1999) lets you go to the Consumer Dispute Settlement Body (BPSK) in your city or regency for mediation, conciliation or arbitration, as an alternative to court.

InJourney Airports’ contact centre 172 handles questions and complaints about the airport’s own services, not airline compensation. Use it for those, not for a delay claim.

Are the rules about to change?

Not yet, but they are under pressure. Nine advocates and two law students have asked the Constitutional Court to review Articles 146, 170 and 176 of the 2009 Aviation Law, which underpin PM 89 (case 190/PUU-XXIV/2026). At a hearing on 13 July 2026 the government defended the current scheme, from snack boxes to Rp 300,000, and rejected pegging compensation to fare or distance. On 20 July the House of Representatives’ representative reminded the minister that Article 172 of the law requires compensation amounts to be evaluated at least once a year, according to Antara. On 4 August Justice Saldi Isra said it “makes no sense” for compensation to be only Rp 300,000 or a box of cakes, according to Kompas. Hearings continued into late September: on 21 September, Justice Adies Kadir said the amount was “no longer sufficient” given how high ticket prices now are, according to Tribunnews. We found no ruling as of 4 October 2026.

A ruling against the law would not change PM 89 overnight; the ministry would still have to write new rules. For a delay today, the table above is what applies.

Before you book: check how often your airline is late

Compensation is a poor substitute for leaving on time. Our airline punctuality tracker reads Soekarno-Hatta’s own flight records and shows, per airline, how many flights leave within 15 minutes of schedule, the average delay, and how many run more than an hour late, with history back to 11 January 2026. How it works is on the methodology page.

FAQ

Is there flight delay compensation in Indonesia?

Yes, but only when the airline caused the delay. Transport Minister Regulation PM 89 of 2015 sets six categories, starting at 30 minutes: drinks and food for delays of up to four hours, Rp 300,000 for delays of more than four hours, and a free rebooking or full refund once a delay passes an hour or when the flight is cancelled. Delays caused by weather, airport conditions or other events outside the airline’s control are excluded.

My flight is delayed 2 hours. What do I get?

A delay of 61 to 120 minutes is category 2 under PM 89 of 2015: the airline must give you a drink and a snack box, and you may choose to move to the next flight or take a full refund. From 121 minutes it becomes category 3 and the snack becomes a heavy meal. All of this applies only if the delay was caused by the airline.

How much compensation do I get for a 4- or 5-hour delay?

For a delay of more than 240 minutes (category 5) the airline owes Rp 300,000, paid in cash, as a voucher that can be cashed, or by bank transfer no later than 3 × 24 hours after the delay. You may also move to the next flight or take a full refund. If the delay passes six hours and you need somewhere to stay, the airline must provide accommodation. A delay of exactly four hours (181–240 minutes) is category 4: a drink, a snack box and a heavy meal, but not the Rp 300,000.

Do I get compensation if the delay is caused by weather?

No. PM 89 of 2015 frees the airline from compensation when the cause is weather (heavy rain, flooding, lightning, storms, fog, smoke, visibility below minimum, strong wind), airport and operational conditions (an airport or runway that cannot be used, take-off and landing queues, slot times, late refuelling) or other events such as riots at the airport. The airline must be able to back the reason with an official letter from BMKG or the airport authorities. Even then, if the flight is cancelled you are still entitled to a seat on the next flight or a refund.

How do I claim delay compensation from Lion Air, Batik Air or Citilink?

The rules are the same for every Indonesian scheduled airline. Ask at the gate first: the regulation says airline staff must offer what you are owed without being asked, and someone with full authority to decide on the spot must be at the airport. Keep your boarding pass, photograph the departure board with the time visible, and note the reason staff give. If nothing is offered, put the claim in writing through the airline’s own customer channel, and if it refuses, report it to the Ministry of Transport’s Contact Center 151.

Can I get a refund if my flight is delayed?

Yes, from category 2 (a delay of more than 60 minutes caused by the airline) you may choose a full refund instead of the next flight, and a cancelled flight always entitles you to a refund or rebooking. Under PM 89 of 2015 a ticket paid in cash must be refunded in cash when you report to the airline; a ticket paid by credit card must be refunded to the card within 30 calendar days. The articles do not name other payment methods, but the regulation’s inspection checklist expects non-cash purchases to be refunded by transfer within the same 30 calendar days.

Where do I complain if the airline refuses to pay?

To the Ministry of Transport’s Contact Center 151: call 151, WhatsApp 0811 2011 151, or email [email protected], with your name, the airline, flight number, date, route, where it happened and your contact details. Complaints received through 151 count towards the airline’s delay-handling score, which can lead to sanctions. For a formal tracked complaint use SP4N-LAPOR! at lapor.go.id; for a consumer dispute, BPKN (153), YLKI or your local BPSK.

Are the delay compensation rules about to change?

Not yet. As of 4 October 2026 PM 89 of 2015 is still in force and we found no amendment. The Constitutional Court is hearing a challenge to the delay articles of the 2009 Aviation Law (case 190/PUU-XXIV/2026), in which judges questioned whether Rp 300,000 is adequate, and the House of Representatives reminded the government that the law requires the amounts to be reviewed every year. No ruling had been reported by early October 2026.

See also