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Your flight was delayed or cancelled and you want to know whether the airline owes you compensation, a refund, or food, drink and a hotel while you waited. The rules come from UK law (UK Regulation 261/2004, often called UK261) and are the same in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Only the time limit for going to court differs, and that is marked for each nation.
What this guide does not cover
If your flight was part of a package holiday, your rights against the holiday company: use the package holiday checker.
Lost, damaged or delayed bags: they have their own rules. Report the problem to the airline straight away.
Being refused boarding (for example on an overbooked flight) and being moved to a lower class: they have their own rules. See the CAA's pages on denied boarding and downgrading.
Flights that UK261 does not cover (see "Is your flight covered?"): other rules, such as the EU's, may apply. This guide does not cover them.
Whether free tickets, staff travel or babies without their own seat are covered, and whether the airline can pay you in vouchers: ask the CAA or the consumer helpline for your nation.
Taking an airline based outside the UK to court, and card refunds (section 75 or chargeback) for flights: ask the consumer helpline for your nation.
You may be owed compensation if you reached your final destination 3 hours or more late, or your flight was cancelled with less than 14 days' notice.
The amount is fixed by the distance of the flight and, for the longest flights, by how late you arrived: between £220 and £520 per passenger. It does not depend on what you paid.
There is no compensation if the delay or cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances, such as weather that made flying unsafe. Ordinary technical problems with the aircraft usually do not count.
Whatever the cause, the airline must look after you while you wait: food and drink, two phone calls or emails, and a hotel with transport if you are delayed overnight.
Delayed 5 hours or more, or cancelled: you can choose a refund instead of flying.
Claim from the airline yourself. It is free. You do not need a claims company.
The questions that decide the answer
Where did the flight leave from, where was it going, and which airline operated it?
Was it delayed or cancelled? If it was cancelled, when were you told?
How late did you reach your final destination? It is measured when the plane reached the gate, not when it took off.
How far is the flight? The flight boxes on the checker page work this out from the two airports.
What reason did the airline give?
Was it one booking, or separate bookings you joined together yourself?
How many passengers were on the booking? Compensation is per passenger.
Is your flight covered?
UK261 covers you if:
your flight left from an airport in the UK, whatever the airline; or
your flight left from an airport outside the UK and landed in the UK, and the airline operating it is a UK or EU airline; or
your flight left from an airport outside the UK and landed in an EU country, and the airline operating it is a UK airline.
For the last two, UK261 does not apply if you received benefits or compensation and were given assistance in the country you flew from.
You must have a confirmed booking and, unless the flight was cancelled, you must have turned up for check-in. A journey of more than one flight booked as one booking counts as one journey, starting from the first airport.
Delays: when you get compensation
You may be owed compensation if you reached your final destination 3 hours or more late.
It is measured at your destination, when the plane reached the gate, not at take-off. A flight that leaves 4 hours late but lands 2 hours 50 minutes late gets no compensation.
Compensation is not paid automatically. You have to claim it from the airline.
How much
The amount is fixed by law. It depends on the distance of the flight (measured on the globe by the "great circle" method, to your final destination) and, for flights of more than 3,500 km, on how late you arrived. It is per passenger, not per booking, and it is not linked to the price of your ticket.
1,500 km or less: £220 per passenger.
More than 1,500 km and up to 3,500 km: £350 per passenger.
More than 3,500 km: £260 per passenger if you arrived 3 hours or more but less than 4 hours late; £520 per passenger if you arrived 4 hours or more late.
The flight boxes on the checker page work out the distance from the two airports, and the total if you enter the number of passengers.
Cancellations
If your flight is cancelled, the airline must offer you a choice: a refund, a replacement flight at the earliest opportunity, or a replacement flight at a later date that suits you.
If the airline does not arrange food, drink or a hotel after a cancellation, the CAA says you can arrange reasonable care yourself and claim the cost back. Keep every receipt.
You may be owed compensation at the same amounts as for a delay, unless:
you were told about the cancellation at least 14 days before the flight; or
you were told 7 to 14 days before and offered a replacement flight leaving no more than 2 hours before the original departure time and arriving less than 4 hours after the original arrival time; or
you were told less than 7 days before and offered a replacement flight leaving no more than 1 hour before the original departure time and arriving less than 2 hours after the original arrival time; or
the cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances.
If the replacement flight gets you to your final destination no more than 2 hours after the original arrival time (flights of 1,500 km or less), 3 hours (more than 1,500 km and up to 3,500 km) or 4 hours (more than 3,500 km), the airline can cut the compensation by half.
Extraordinary circumstances
The airline does not have to pay compensation if the delay or cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances: things that were not the airline's responsibility.
The CAA says these are likely to count: weather that made the flight unsafe; strikes by people who do not work for the airline (such as airport staff, ground handlers, air traffic control or border force); terrorism or sabotage; security risks; political or civil unrest; and hidden manufacturing defects (for example a manufacturer recall that grounds a fleet of aircraft).
Technical problems with the aircraft are usually not extraordinary circumstances. The courts have decided that ordinary technical faults, such as a part failing or wear and tear, do not count.
The airline should tell you the reason for the delay or cancellation. If you are not sure whether it was extraordinary, you can still claim and let the airline answer.
Even when there are extraordinary circumstances, the airline must still look after you while you wait.
Food, drink and a hotel while you wait
If your flight is delayed beyond its departure time by at least 2 hours (flights of 1,500 km or less), 3 hours (1,500 to 3,500 km) or 4 hours (more than 3,500 km), the airline must give you: food and drink in line with how long you wait; two phone calls or emails; and a hotel, with transport to and from it, if you are delayed overnight.
This applies whatever caused the delay, including bad weather.
If the airline does not arrange it, you can arrange reasonable care yourself and claim the cost back. Ask for itemised receipts and keep them. Airlines are unlikely to pay for alcohol, luxury hotels or luxury meals.
The claim for your expenses and the claim for compensation are often separate claims to the airline.
Refunds after a long delay
If your flight is delayed by 5 hours or more, you can choose not to travel and get a refund for the flights on your booking that you have not taken yet. Do not choose this if you still want to travel. If you choose a refund part way through a journey of connecting flights, the airline must still get you back to where you started.
Connecting flights
One booking with two or more flights: compensation is based on the distance from your first airport to your last, and on how late you reached your final destination. Arriving late at the connecting airport does not count on its own.
If a delay on your first flight makes you miss the connection, the airline must look after you while you wait for the next flight, including a hotel if you have to wait overnight.
Separate bookings you joined together yourself ("self-transfer"): if a delay makes you miss a flight on a different booking, you have no legal right to care, compensation or onward travel for that. Each flight's own rights still apply.
How to claim
Claim from the airline that operated the flight. Airlines usually have a claim form on their website, and you can use the free flight delay claim letter. Claiming is free: you do not need a claims company or a lawyer.
If you are not happy with the airline's final response, or it takes more than 8 weeks to reply, you can take it further. If the airline is a member of an ADR scheme (the CAA approves two: AviationADR and CEDR; a few airlines use a scheme in another country), go to that scheme. If it is not, go to the CAA's Passenger Advice and Complaints Team. The CAA website lists which airline uses which scheme. You can use the free ADR escalation letter.
ADR is free and in most cases gives a decision within three months. If you are not happy with the outcome, you can still go to court.
In England and Wales, before going to court, the court's rules on pre-action conduct expect a letter before claim: concise details of the claim, what you want and how you worked out any amount. The airline should reply within a reasonable time: 14 days in a straightforward case.
If it still refuses, you can take it to court: use the small claims checker for your nation.
Deadlines
Claim from the airline as soon as you can.
If the airline takes more than 8 weeks to reply, you can go to its ADR scheme or the CAA.
England and Wales: you have up to 6 years from the date of the flight to start a court claim.
Scotland: the time limit
In Scotland you have up to 5 years to take a flight compensation claim to court, not 6. Claim from the airline as soon as you can.
Northern Ireland: the time limit
This guide does not cover the time limit for a court claim in Northern Ireland. Claim from the airline as soon as you can, and ask Consumerline or Advice NI about the time limit.
Money figures
Compensation per passenger: £220 for 1,500 km or less; £350 for more than 1,500 km and up to 3,500 km; for more than 3,500 km, £260 if you arrived 3 hours or more but less than 4 hours late, or £520 if 4 hours or more late.
This guide gives no other amounts. What counts as reasonable expenses depends on the delay.
Where to go for help
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA): passenger rights guidance, the list of which airline uses which ADR scheme, and the Passenger Advice and Complaints Team for airlines that are not in an ADR scheme (caa.co.uk).
Advice Direct Scotland (consumer advice): 0808 164 6000
Consumerline (Northern Ireland): 0300 123 6262
Citizens Advice (England): 0800 144 8848
Citizens Advice (Wales): 0800 702 2020
Citizens Advice Scotland: 0800 028 1456
Advice NI: 0800 915 4604
Traps
The delay is measured at your final destination, not when you took off.
If you landed close to 3 hours late, the exact time the plane reached the gate decides it: ask the airline for it.
Compensation is per passenger, so each person on the booking may be owed it.
Bad weather or an air traffic control strike can mean no compensation, but the airline must still look after you while you wait.
Choosing a refund after a 5-hour delay ends that journey: do not choose it if you still want to travel.
Separate bookings you joined together yourself are not protected if a delay makes you miss the next flight.
Keep your booking confirmation, boarding passes and receipts.
📜 Sources (checked 25 September 2026)
legislation.gov.uk: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (UK version, UK261), Article 3(1)(a)-(b), (1A) and (2)(a) as amended by SI 2019/278 reg 8(4) (departing an airport in the UK; departing outside the UK to the UK on a Community carrier or UK air carrier, or to a Member State on a UK air carrier, unless benefits or compensation and assistance were received in that other country; a flight of more than one leg booked as a single unit treated as a whole and as departing from the first leg; confirmed reservation and presenting for check-in except on cancellation). Checked 25 September 2026.
legislation.gov.uk: UK261 Article 7(1) as substituted by SI 2019/278 reg 8(6) (£220 for all flights of 1500 km or less; £350 for all flights between 1500 and 3500 km; £520 for all other flights; distance to the last destination at which the arrival is delayed) and Article 7(2)(a)-(b) (re-routing arriving within two or three hours: compensation may be reduced by 50%). Checked 25 September 2026. Article 7(2)(c) (four hours) as checked for the flight distance boxes on 18 September 2026.
legislation.gov.uk: UK261 Article 6(1)(a)-(c) (care when delayed beyond scheduled departure by two hours or more for 1500 km or less, three hours or more for 1500 to 3500 km, four hours or more for other flights). Checked 25 September 2026.
legislation.gov.uk: UK261 Article 5(1)(c)(i)-(iii) (no cancellation compensation if told at least two weeks before, or two weeks to seven days before with re-routing leaving no more than two hours early and arriving less than four hours late, or less than seven days before with re-routing leaving no more than one hour early and arriving less than two hours late), as checked for the flight checker on 18 September 2026.
caa.co.uk: Delays (right to care after at least two / three / four hours regardless of the reason: food and drink, two phone calls or emails, accommodation and transport; own arrangements with itemised receipts; alcohol, luxury hotels or meals unlikely to be reasonable; compensation when arriving at the destination airport more than three hours late, a fixed amount not linked to the ticket price, great circle distance; £220 and £350 per person; over 3500 km £260 per person between three and four hours late and £520 more than four hours late; claim from the airline, expenses and compensation may be separate claims; escalate after the final response or after eight weeks to ADR or PACT; refund if delayed at least five hours; connecting bookings: first and last airport, care after a missed connection, final destination only, refund and return to the first departure point; self-transfer: no statutory right to care, compensation or onward transport). Checked 25 September 2026.
caa.co.uk: Cancellations (care and assistance; in the CAA's view you may organise reasonable care yourself and claim it back, keeping receipts; compensation may be due with less than 14 days' notice depending on the cause; extreme weather and airport or air traffic control staff strikes not eligible). Checked 25 September 2026.
caa.co.uk: newsroom, CAA statement on passenger compensation following NATS disruption on 21 September (airlines must offer passengers whose flights are cancelled a refund, re-routing at the earliest opportunity or re-routing at a later date). Checked 25 September 2026.
caa.co.uk: Am I entitled to compensation (extraordinary circumstances = not the airline's responsibility; Jet2 v Huzar (Court of Appeal, 2014) and KLM v van der Lans (2015): technical problems not extraordinary, except a hidden manufacturing defect or sabotage / terrorism damage; likely examples: unsafe weather, strikes unrelated to the airline, terrorism or sabotage, security risks, political or civil unrest, hidden manufacturing defects; you can claim if unsure; the airline should explain the reason). Checked 25 September 2026.
caa.co.uk: How the CAA can help (the limit to issue a court claim is 6 years from the incident in England and Wales and 5 years in Scotland; ordinary technical problems such as component failure or wear and tear are not extraordinary). Checked 25 September 2026.
caa.co.uk: Alternative dispute resolution (two approved providers, AviationADR and CEDR; some airlines use a provider in another country; free; decision in most cases within three months; list of member airlines; legal action still possible after ADR). Checked 25 September 2026.
justice.gov.uk: Practice Direction - Pre-Action Conduct and Protocols, paragraph 6 (letter before claim; reply within a reasonable time, 14 days in a straightforward case). Checked 24 September 2026 (small claims guide).
GOV.UK: Consumer rights (gov.uk/consumer-protection-rights): Citizens Advice 0808 223 1133, Welsh language 0808 223 1144 (England and Wales); Advice Direct Scotland 0808 164 6000; Consumerline 0300 123 6262 (Northern Ireland). Checked 24 September 2026 (faulty goods guide).
General advice lines: Citizens Advice (England) 0800 144 8848, Citizens Advice (Wales) 0800 702 2020, Citizens Advice Scotland 0800 028 1456, Advice NI 0800 915 4604, as verified for the small claims guides (checked 24 September 2026).
⚠ Important disclaimer: This guide covers compensation, care and refunds for delayed or cancelled flights covered by UK261, for passengers in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland as at 25 September 2026. General legal information only, not legal advice. ukworkrights.co.uk — Not a law firm.
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