Das dachte ich mir auch, aber gewisse Kompensationszahlungen zahlen sie ja doch:
THE RIGHTS REFERRED TO IN THIS NOTICE APPLY IN THE FOLLOWING CIRCUMSTANCES:
• Delta Air Lines is the operating carrier of your flight;
• You are traveling on a flight departing from an airport in the EU;
• You have a confirmed reservation on a flight operated by Delta;
• You present yourself for check-in at the time indicated on your Delta ticket receipt or, if no time is indicated, no later than 2 hours before the time of departure; and
• You are traveling on a fare available directly or indirectly to the public, or on a ticket issued under a frequent flyer program
Klar, der Flug war nicht von einem EU-Flughafen. Aber in die andere Richtung gibt es sozusagen "EU261 light", nur eben nicht für Verspätungen.