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How do I get compensation for delayed or cancelled flights? Know your rights

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UK passengers can claim up to £520 per person for a delayed flight – and the rules have not changed since Brexit.

✦ Updated June 2026 – reflects UK261 post-Brexit rules  |  Source: UK Civil Aviation Authority

1. Am I eligible for compensation?

Whether you can claim depends on three things: where your flight departs or arrives, which airline operates it, and why the disruption happened.

🇬🇧 UK261 covers you if…

  • ✓  Your flight departs from any UK airport (any airline)
  • ✓  Your flight arrives in the UK on a UK-registered carrier
  • ✓  Your flight arrives in the UK on an EU carrier

🇪🇺 EU261 covers you if…

  • ✓  Your flight departs from any EU airport (any airline)
  • ✓  Your flight arrives in the EU on an EU-registered carrier
  • ✓  Flights to/from Norway, Iceland & Switzerland also qualify
💡
On routes between the UK and EU, both regimes may apply. You can choose whichever is more favourable — but you cannot claim under both simultaneously. In practice the amounts are near-identical; the only difference is currency.
⚠️
Flights not covered by UK261 or EU261 – for example a US domestic connection, or a non-EU/UK carrier flying between two non-covered countries — fall under the Montreal Convention instead. Rights are more limited: you can claim verifiable expenses, but there is no fixed compensation scale. Check the airline’s T&Cs and your travel insurance.

2. What changed after Brexit? UK261 explained

Before Brexit, UK passengers were protected by EU Regulation 261/2004 (EC261). After the UK left the EU on 31 January 2020, the government incorporated the same rights into domestic law as UK261 (formally, the Air Passenger Rights and Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019), effective from 1 January 2021.

In practice, almost nothing changed for passengers:

  • Compensation thresholds by distance are identical
  • Rights to care, refunds, and re-routing are identical
  • The 6-year claim window remains the same
  • The only material change: amounts are now in pounds sterling rather than euros
  • Enforcement is by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) rather than EU national bodies
✅
Bottom line: Brexit did not reduce your flight compensation rights. If you were eligible before 2021, the same eligibility and amounts apply today – quoted in pounds rather than euros.

3. How much compensation am I owed?

Amounts are fixed by regulation – they do not change based on your ticket price or travel class. Every passenger on the same flight is individually entitled to the same sum.

Compensation for delayed flights (arriving 3+ hours late)

Flight distance Delay at arrival UK261 (£) EU261 (€)
Under 1,500 km
e.g. London → Amsterdam		 3+ hours £220 €250
1,500–3,500 km
e.g. London → Marrakech		 3+ hours £350 €400
Over 3,500 km
e.g. London → New York		 3–4 hours £260 €300
Over 3,500 km 4+ hours £520 €600

Distance measured by Great Circle Route (straight-line). Source: UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), 2025.

📏
How is flight distance measured? Compensation bands use the straight-line (“Great Circle”) distance between departure and destination – not the route actually flown. Use a free Great Circle calculator online if you’re unsure which band applies to your route.

4. Your immediate rights while you wait

Separate from flat-rate compensation, airlines must provide duty of care from the moment your flight is significantly delayed. These rights apply even when extraordinary circumstances mean no monetary compensation is due.

2+ hours
(short-haul <1,500km)
Meals & refreshments — reasonable food and drink vouchers or direct reimbursement. Two telephone calls, emails, or faxes paid for. Regular updates on the reason for and expected length of delay.
3+ hours
(medium-haul)
Meals & refreshments as above. Airline must inform you of your right to compensation if the delay is within their control.
Overnight
(any flight)
Hotel accommodation and transport to and from it must be provided free of charge. If the airline fails to arrange this, book it yourself and keep all receipts to claim back.
5+ hours
(any flight)
Right to abandon your journey: you may request a full refund within 7 days and walk away. If you’re mid-journey, the airline must also provide a return flight to your departure point at no cost.
🧾
Keep every receipt. If the airline won’t provide meals or a hotel, pay out of pocket and claim it back — but only for reasonable costs. A meal deal and a budget hotel are fair; fine dining and a luxury suite are not.

5. Extraordinary circumstances – when airlines don’t have to pay

Airlines are exempt from flat-rate monetary compensation (but not from duty of care) if the disruption was caused by extraordinary circumstances they could not have avoided even with all reasonable measures taken.

✗  No compensation (care still applies)
  • • Severe weather (storms, fog, heavy snow)
  • • Air traffic control strikes
  • • Political instability / security threats
  • • Hidden manufacturing defects
  • • Wildcat industrial action (not airline staff)
  • • Bird strikes
✓  Compensation IS due
  • • Technical faults (normal wear and tear)
  • • Crew scheduling problems
  • • Late-arriving aircraft from a previous leg
  • • Overbooking / denied boarding
  • • Airline staff strike
  • • IT / check-in system failures

Airlines sometimes over-apply the “extraordinary circumstances” defence. If you’re told no compensation is due, ask the airline to specify the exact reason in writing. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) can adjudicate if the explanation seems questionable.

🛡️
Travel insurance can fill the gap. When extraordinary circumstances apply and the airline owes no compensation, your travel insurance policy may still cover additional expenses and onward travel costs. APH Travel Insurance includes disruption cover — check your policy’s delay and cancellation sections.

6. What if my flight is cancelled?

A cancellation entitles you to a choice of full refund or re-routing to your destination at the earliest opportunity. Depending on how much notice you received and how your rescheduled journey compares to the original, you may also be owed flat-rate compensation.

Cancelled with less than 7 days’ notice

Flight distance Departure vs. original Arrival vs. original Compensation
Under 1,500 km 1+ hours earlier Up to 2 hours later £110 / €125
Any 2+ hours later £220 / €250
1,500–3,500 km 1+ hours earlier Up to 3 hours later £175 / €200
Any 3+ hours later £350 / €400
Over 3,500 km 1+ hours earlier Up to 4 hours later £260 / €300
Any 4+ hours later £520 / €600

Cancelled 7-14 days before departure

Flight distance Re-routing condition Compensation
Under 1,500 km Departs 2+ hours earlier, arrives up to 2 hours later £110 / €125
Departs 2+ hours earlier, arrives 2+ hours later £220 / €250
Arrives 4+ hours later (any departure time) £220 / €250
1,500–3,500 km Departs 2+ hours earlier, arrives up to 3 hours later £175 / €200
Departs 2+ hours earlier, arrives 3–4 hours later £350 / €400
Arrives 4+ hours later (any departure time) £350 / €400
Over 3,500 km Departs 2+ hours earlier, arrives up to 4 hours later £260 / €300
Arrives 4+ hours later (any departure time) £520 / €600

Cancelled 14+ days before departure: no fixed-rate compensation is due, but a full refund or re-routing must still be offered.

7. Codeshare flights and being ‘bumped’

Codeshare flights

If you booked with one airline but were physically carried by another (a codeshare arrangement), you are still entitled to compensation – provided the operating carrier (the one that actually flew you) is an EU or UK carrier, or the flight departed from a UK or EU airport. The booking airline does not override the operating carrier’s obligations.

Being denied boarding (involuntary bumping)

Airlines routinely oversell flights by around 5%. If you are involuntarily denied boarding due to overbooking, your rights are identical to a cancellation – a full refund or re-routing, plus the same flat-rate compensation, plus immediate duty of care while you wait.

⚠️
Voluntary vs involuntary bumping: If you voluntarily give up your seat in exchange for vouchers or upgrades, you waive your statutory compensation rights. Read carefully before signing anything at the gate.

8. How to claim compensation – step by step

1
At the airport: ask immediatelyThe fastest resolution is at the airline desk right now. Ask for compensation, a replacement flight, and meal or accommodation vouchers. If you’re denied boarding or facing a cancellation, do not leave the desk without a written explanation of the reason.
2
Keep every piece of evidenceBoarding passes, booking confirmations, food and hotel receipts, screenshots of delay notifications, and any written communications from the airline. You will need these for a formal claim.
3
Submit a formal claim to the airlineEmail the airline’s customer services. Include: flight number, date, booking reference, your delay at arrival (not departure), and the exact compensation amount you’re claiming. Airlines must respond within a reasonable timeframe – typically 4–6 weeks.
4
Escalate to ADR or the CAAIf the airline rejects your claim or ignores you, escalate to an approved Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) body, or contact the UK Civil Aviation Authority at caa.co.uk. Both routes are free and require no solicitor.
5
Money Claim Online (small claims court)If ADR fails, file through the UK’s online small claims system for roughly £50 in court fees (recoverable if you win). Airlines tend to settle quickly once a formal Money Claim is issued. No legal representation needed for claims under £10,000.
🤝
Claims management companies (CMCs) will handle everything on a no-win no-fee basis, typically taking 25–35% of the payout. Worth considering for uncooperative airlines – but for most straightforward claims, going directly to the CAA or small claims costs nothing.

Worried about delays ruining your trip?

APH Travel Insurance covers missed departures, cancellations, and travel disruption – from the moment you leave home to the moment you return.

Get a quote →

9. How long do I have to claim?

The limitation period – the window in which you can bring a court claim – is:

  • 6 years – England, Wales, and Northern Ireland
  • 5 years – Scotland

The clock starts on the date of the disrupted flight. If you had a delayed flight in 2021, you can still claim in 2025 – but the sooner you act the better. Evidence is easier to gather, and airlines are less likely to dispute the facts of a recent event.

Sources: UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), April 2026; EU Regulation 261/2004; UK261 – Air Passenger Rights and Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019. This guide is for informational purposes. For personalised legal advice, consult a solicitor or contact the CAA directly.

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1 comment for “How do I get compensation for delayed or cancelled flights? Know your rights”

  1. John says:
    04/06/2017 at 8:54 am

    What about where the flight is cancelled way before.?
    We booked with Delta on a Virgin Atlantic codeshare.. This was our annual holiday to Florida.
    We had a Virgin flight from Manchester to Atlanta,then Delta down to Florida and return.
    We had a car booked for 14 days(through virgin) ,a rental villa booked and paid for,and plans to meet up with friends who live in Florida.
    Four months before the flight we had a message from Delta saying there was a change to our itinerary and when looke they had us leaving Florida on the Thursday as planned but getting back to Manchester on Saturday not Friday as planned.
    I rang Delta and they told me virgin had cancelled the Atlanta/Manchester flight,but couldn’t tell me why.
    (Virgin wouldn’t tell me why)
    Delta’s customer service were excellent and sorted out flights for the next day, BUT, the house we were staying in was booked so we couldn’t stay there meaning we had to book a hotel for a night. We refused to stay in some fleabag motel,so we booked a nice hotel on the beach. I had to ring virgin who had the nerve to charge me another £75 for one extra day’s car hire. Despite the fourteen days only being £600.
    So all in all Virgins cancellation cost me around £300 and I’m not entitled to any form of compensation?
    They did offer a full refund when I found out about the cancellation, so I’m supposed to cancel our only holiday of the year and take a loss of the house and car rental?
    Virgin Atlantic refuse to even tell me why the flight was cancelled,to this day and have not answered any questions posed on their Facebook page.
    Out all this I must praise Delta’s customer service who usually get very bad press.

    Reply

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