Flight delay compensation UK: how much, how long and how to claim

Flight delay compensation is a fixed sum per passenger, set by distance

Flight delay compensation under UK law is £220, £350 or £520 per passenger, depending on how far the flight goes, not what the ticket cost. The amounts are in Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it forms part of UK law, known as UK261. EU261, the version that still applies in the EU, pays €250, €400 or €600.

Distance is measured by the great circle route method between your first departure airport and your final destination. The Flight Delay Compensation Calculator works this out from a list of 3,244 airports, so you do not need a separate distance website.

The intra-EU rule matters on long flights inside the EU. A flight from Paris to Réunion is over 9,000 km but, as both airports are in the EU, EU261 puts it in the €400 band. UK261 dropped this rule, so a UK flight is banded on distance alone.

How long a flight delay has to be for compensation: 3 hours at your final destination

You can claim flight delay compensation when you arrive at your final destination 3 hours or more after the scheduled arrival time. Article 6(3) of UK261 sets this in law, and the European Commission confirms the same 3 hour rule for EU261. How late the flight left does not count for compensation; how late you arrived does.

The departure delay matters for a different right: the airline's duty to look after you at the airport. That starts sooner on shorter flights.

On a journey with connections booked as one ticket, the CAA says the distance and the delay are judged from the first airport to the last. Missing a connection because the first flight was late counts if you reach the final destination 3 hours or more late. Separate bookings, often called self-transfer, are judged one flight at a time.

UK261 covers every flight leaving the UK; EU261 covers every flight leaving the EU

UK261 covers you on any airline when you fly out of a UK airport, and on a UK or EU airline when you fly into the UK. According to the CAA, it also covers flights into the EU on a UK airline. EU261 covers any flight leaving the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland, and flights into the EU on an EU airline.

The airline that counts is the one operating the flight, not the one that sold the ticket. Some groups run separate UK and EU companies, for example a UK arm and an Irish or Austrian arm, so check the operator on your booking or boarding pass.

When both laws cover a flight, you can claim once, not twice. Faro to Gatwick on TAP is covered by EU261 at €400 and by UK261 at £350. Most people claim under the law of the departure country.

Cancelled flights pay compensation when you get less than 14 days' notice

A cancelled flight pays the same fixed compensation as a delay if the airline told you less than 14 days before departure, unless the alternative flight it offered was close to your original times. Article 5(1)(c) of UK261 sets 3 cases.

When the new flight misses those limits, compensation is due, but the airline can halve it if the new flight arrives less than 2, 3 or 4 hours late for short, medium and long flights. That is where the CAA's figures of £110, £175 and £260 come from. If you take a refund instead of the new flight, the full amount applies.

Denied boarding against your will pays compensation straight away

If the airline bumps you from an overbooked flight against your will, Article 4(3) of UK261 says it must compensate you at once, as long as you checked in on time. The amounts are the same as for delays, halved if the alternative flight arrives within 2, 3 or 4 hours of the original time.

If you volunteer to give up your seat, the compensation is whatever you agree at the gate, often vouchers, but you still get a refund or another flight. Being refused for health, safety, security or missing travel documents is not denied boarding under the rules.

Extraordinary circumstances: technical faults and sick crew do not count

An airline does not have to pay compensation if extraordinary circumstances caused the delay and it could not have avoided them with all reasonable measures. The airline has to prove this, not you. According to the CAA, technical problems are not extraordinary, following Jet2 v Huzar in the Court of Appeal in June 2014 and KLM v van der Lans in the EU Court in September 2015.

A recent example: the CAA said on 9 September 2026 that delays and cancellations caused by the NATS flight planning failure on 8 September 2026, and its knock-on effects, are likely to be extraordinary. If your flight was caught up in that, care and refunds still apply, but compensation is unlikely.

If the airline blames weather or air traffic control, ask in writing which weather, where and when, and what it did to limit the delay. A short storm does not always explain a 6 hour delay.

Meals, hotels and refunds are owed whatever caused the delay

The airline must look after you during a long delay or a cancellation even when it owes no compensation. Article 9 of UK261 covers meals and refreshments in proportion to the wait, a hotel when you have to stay overnight, transport to and from it, and 2 phone calls or emails.

If the airline does not organise this, the CAA says you can arrange reasonable care yourself and claim the cost back. Keep itemised receipts; airlines are unlikely to refund alcohol or luxury hotels. After a 5 hour delay, or any cancellation, you can choose a full refund of the unused tickets instead of travelling.

Worked examples of flight delay compensation

These examples use the same rules and distances as the calculator, and assume the airline caused the problem.

1. Family of 4, London Heathrow to New York, 3 hours 30 minutes late. The route is about 5,540 km, so the full rate is £520. A delay of 3 to 4 hours on a flight over 3,500 km pays half, £260 each, so the family claims £1,040. At 4 hours late it would be £2,080.
2. Couple, London Gatwick to Faro, 3 hours 10 minutes late, technical fault. The route is about 1,688 km, in the £350 band. A technical fault is not extraordinary, so they claim £700.
3. Faro to Gatwick on an EU airline, 4 hours late. EU261 covers the flight because it left the EU, at €400, and UK261 covers it because it landed in the UK on an EU airline, at £350. The passenger claims once, usually under EU261.
4. Edinburgh to Heathrow cancelled 5 days before, new flight leaves 2 hours early and lands 1 hour 30 minutes late. With under 7 days' notice the exception needs the new flight to leave no more than 1 hour early, so compensation is due. It landed less than 2 hours late, so the airline can halve £220 to £110.
5. Dubai to Manchester on a non-UK, non-EU airline, 6 hours late. Neither UK261 nor EU261 covers a flight into the UK on that airline, so there is no fixed compensation.

How to claim flight delay compensation yourself, step by step

You claim flight delay compensation directly from the airline that operated the flight, using its online claim form or by email. Compensation is not paid automatically. The CAA recommends using the airline's own form where there is one.

1. Write down the flight number, date, booking reference, scheduled and actual arrival times, and the reason the airline gave.
2. Check the amount and the law that applies with the calculator, which also writes a claim letter citing the right articles.
3. Send the claim to the airline, with receipts for any expenses as a separate item, and ask for payment by bank transfer. Article 7(3) allows vouchers only if you agree in writing.
4. If the airline refuses, or has not replied within 8 weeks, take the claim to its alternative dispute resolution scheme, AviationADR or CEDR. ADR is free and usually decides within 3 months, according to the CAA.
5. If the airline is not in a scheme, the CAA's Passenger Advice and Complaints Team can take up your case, but it cannot force the airline to pay.
6. As a last step, you can make a small claim in court. Use the Complaint Route Finder for the exact route and time limits.

The ADR application has to be made within 12 months of the airline's final response, so do not let a rejection sit.

How long you can claim: 6 years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 5 in Scotland

You can claim flight delay compensation for flights up to 6 years ago in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and 5 years in Scotland. Article 3(9) of UK261 applies section 9 of the Limitation Act 1980, which sets 6 years in England and Wales. The CAA's ADR guidance gives 6 years, or 5 years if you live in Scotland.

The time limit is for starting a court claim, so leave enough time for the airline and ADR to reply before it runs out. A flight on 4 October 2026 can be taken to court in England until 4 October 2032. For a claim brought in an EU country under EU261, that country's own limit applies.

Claim companies take up to 35% of your compensation

Claim companies charge a share of what the airline pays, while claiming direct costs nothing. AirHelp's price list, read on 4 October 2026, shows a service fee of 35% including VAT, plus a legal action fee of 15% when a case goes to court. Flightright's costs page shows a success fee of usually 20% to 30% plus VAT, with a 14% solicitor's surcharge where it applies.

On a £520 claim, a 35% fee is £182, leaving you £338. The CAA also notes that some airlines' terms require you to claim with them directly first.

Common mistakes that cost people their compensation

• Measuring the delay at take-off. Compensation depends on how late you arrive at your final destination, not how late you leave.
• Accepting vouchers by mistake. Vouchers are only allowed with your signed agreement; ask for cash or bank transfer.
• Claiming only for yourself. Compensation is per passenger, including children with a seat, so list everyone on the booking.
• Taking the first refusal as final. Ask what the cause was and how the airline tried to avoid it, then go to ADR.
• Assuming a non-UK airline is not covered. Every flight leaving the UK is covered, whatever the airline.
• Waiting too long. ADR needs you within 12 months of the airline's final response, even though the court limit is 6 years.
• Ignoring card protection for refunds. If an airline will not refund a cancelled flight, a chargeback or a section 75 claim on a credit card can get the fare back.