Flight delays, cancellations and denied boarding
UK Regulation 261/2004 sets fixed compensation for many disrupted flights, but airlines do not pay it automatically. We check whether it applies, claim in your name, and take it further if the airline refuses.
Which flights are covered
UK261 is the version of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 kept in UK law after the UK left the EU. According to the Civil Aviation Authority, it covers flights:
- departing from an airport in the UK, on any airline
- arriving at an airport in the UK, on a UK or EU airline
- arriving at an airport in the EU, on a UK airline
Flights that fall outside those categories may be covered by the EU regulation instead, or by neither. We check the route and the airline before anything else.
When compensation is due
- Delay: you reached your final destination at least three hours later than scheduled. Arrival is usually taken as the time at least one aircraft door opened.
- Cancellation: you were told less than 14 days before departure. Compensation may not be due if the airline offered an alternative flight within set time limits close to your original times.
- Denied boarding: you were refused boarding against your will, for example because the flight was overbooked, having checked in on time with valid documents.
Compensation is not payable if the airline can show the disruption was caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. The CAA gives extreme weather and air traffic control or airport strikes as examples. Courts in England and Wales have held that most technical faults arising in the normal running of an airline are not extraordinary circumstances.
How much
The amounts are fixed per passenger and depend on the distance between your first departure airport and your final destination, not on the ticket price.
| Flight distance | Compensation per passenger |
|---|---|
| 1,500 km or less | £220 |
| More than 1,500 km and up to 3,500 km | £350 |
| More than 3,500 km | £520 (a lower amount applies where a long-haul flight arrives between three and four hours late) |
Lower amounts can also apply after a cancellation or denied boarding if the alternative flight arrived close to the original time. Separately from compensation, the airline must offer care while you wait, such as food and drink and, where needed, overnight accommodation, and it must offer you a refund or an alternative flight after a cancellation. If a delay reaches five hours, you can choose not to travel and have your ticket refunded. Compensation must be paid in money unless you agree in writing to accept vouchers.
How a claim proceeds
- Claim to the airline. The claim goes to the airline that operated the flight, in writing, with the booking reference, flight details and what happened.
- Approved dispute scheme. If the airline refuses, or has not replied within eight weeks, and it belongs to a CAA-approved alternative dispute resolution scheme, the complaint can go to that scheme. The CAA's approved schemes are AviationADR and CEDR. The application must usually be made within 12 months of the airline's final response.
- CAA complaints team. If the airline does not belong to an approved scheme, the CAA's Passenger Advice and Complaints Team can review the complaint, although it cannot make a binding decision.
- Court. As a last resort, you can bring a small claim yourself. In England and Wales the time limit for a court claim is six years from the flight.
A decision from an approved scheme is binding on the airline if you accept it. If you do not accept it, you can still go to court. The CAA sets out the process on its alternative dispute resolution page.
What we do
- Check whether UK261 applies, the distance band, and the reason the airline has given
- Write the claim to the airline in your name, on your written authority
- Answer the airline's reply, including any reliance on extraordinary circumstances
- Take the complaint to AviationADR, CEDR or the CAA's complaints team, as the case requires
- Help you prepare a small claim within the six-year period if it comes to that
What we do not do
- Handle injury or illness suffered on a flight or a holiday, which is a regulated claims management sector
- Make claims on travel insurance, or claims against your card provider
- Bring or assist with claims that would have to be made in a court outside England and Wales
- Receive the compensation for you. The airline pays you directly.
Keep the evidence
Keep your booking confirmation, boarding passes, any messages from the airline about the delay or cancellation, and receipts for food, transport or hotels you paid for yourself. A note or photo of the time you actually arrived can help if the airline disputes the length of the delay.
Common questions
Do I need anyone to claim for me?
No. You can claim directly from the airline, and the CAA's approved dispute schemes do not charge passengers. Help is most useful when the airline has refused, the facts are disputed, or the claim needs seeing through to the end.
The airline says the delay was due to extraordinary circumstances. Is that the end of it?
Not necessarily. The airline must show both that the event was extraordinary and that it could not have been avoided by taking all reasonable measures. Most technical faults found during normal operation do not qualify, and a general reference to "operational reasons" is unlikely to be enough on its own, because it is for the airline to prove the defence. We ask the airline for its evidence and test it against the rules.
My flight was two years ago. Can I still claim?
Usually yes, because the court time limit in England and Wales is six years. The dispute schemes have shorter deadlines that run from the airline's final response, so it is still worth acting promptly.
Our status
Appeal Specialists is an independent consultancy, not a law firm. We are not solicitors or barristers and we are not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority or any other legal regulator, so you cannot complain about us to the Legal Ombudsman.
We provide non-reserved legal services only. We do not conduct litigation, file or serve court documents, or accept service of court documents for you. Where the law allows, we can speak for you at a small-claims hearing or a tribunal, but only with your agreement and, at small-claims hearings, only if you attend.
What you tell us is not protected by legal professional privilege. We never hold your money. We work on matters in England and Wales only. We do not guarantee any outcome.
All correspondence by email
We deal with everything in writing, so every point and every deadline is on the record. If you are replying to a letter from us, please quote our reference.