Am I Owed Flight Delay Compensation?

Who this guide is for

Your flight was delayed or cancelled, you were refused boarding or moved to a lower class, or your checked bags were lost, delayed or damaged, and you want to know what the airline owes you. The flight rules come from UK law (UK Regulation 261/2004, often called UK261). Bags come under the Montreal Convention. Both are the same in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Only the time limit for going to court about a delay or cancellation 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: see our package holiday guide.
• 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: 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.
• How to make a court claim, step by step: see our small claims guide.

At a glance

• 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.
• Refused boarding against your will: the same compensation as a cancellation. Bags: complain in writing within 7 days (damaged) or 21 days (delayed).

What the rules depend on

• 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 distance between the two airports decides the band.
• 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.
• Were you refused boarding or moved to a lower class, or is the problem with your checked bags?

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.

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.
• The airline can cut the compensation by half if the replacement flight gets you to your final destination not long after the original arrival time. The limits are 2 hours for flights of 1,500 km or less, 3 hours for more than 1,500 km and up to 3,500 km, and 4 hours for more than 3,500 km.

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

• The airline must look after you 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). It 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.

Refused boarding (for example an overbooked flight)

• If the airline does not let you board a flight you have a confirmed booking on, and you checked in on time, that is "denied boarding". On time means by the time the airline gave you in writing or, if it gave no time, at least 45 minutes before the published departure time.
• The airline must first ask for volunteers to give up their seats, in return for benefits agreed with the airline. Volunteers also get the choice of a refund or another flight.
• If you are refused boarding against your will, the airline must pay you compensation straight away and look after you while you wait. That means food and drink, two phone calls or emails, and a hotel with transport if you have to stay overnight.
• The compensation per passenger is £220 for flights of 1,500 km or less, £350 for more than 1,500 km and up to 3,500 km, and £520 for more than 3,500 km. The airline can halve it if it gets you to your final destination on another flight that arrives not long after your original flight was due. The limits are 2 hours (1,500 km or less), 3 hours (more than 1,500 km and up to 3,500 km) and 4 hours (more than 3,500 km).
• You choose. You can have a refund within 7 days for the parts of the journey you have not flown, plus a flight back to where you started if the trip no longer has any point. Or you can have another flight to your destination as soon as possible, or another flight later at a date that suits you.
• Compensation must be paid in money. The airline can pay it in travel vouchers only if you agree in writing.
• There is no compensation if the airline had reasonable grounds to refuse you, such as health, safety or security, or not having the right travel documents (for example a valid passport).

Moved to a lower class (downgrading)

• If the airline moves you to a lower class than you paid for, it must refund part of the price of the ticket for that flight within 7 days. The refund is 30% for flights of 1,500 km or less, 50% for more than 1,500 km and up to 3,500 km, and 75% for more than 3,500 km.
• The CAA says the refund is usually only for the part of the journey you were downgraded on.
• If you are moved to a higher class, the airline cannot charge you extra.

Lost, delayed or damaged bags

• Checked bags come under a different law (the Montreal Convention), not the delay compensation rules above.
• The airline is responsible if your checked bag is lost or damaged. For a delayed bag it is responsible unless it shows it did everything it reasonably could to avoid the delay.
• Complain to the airline in writing: a damaged bag within 7 days of getting it back; a delayed bag within 21 days of getting it back. If you miss these deadlines you lose the right to claim. The CAA also says to write within 7 days for lost items.
• If your bag has not arrived 21 days after it should have, you can treat it as lost (sooner if the airline accepts it is lost).
• The CAA says most airlines repay the bare essentials you have to buy while your bag is delayed. Keep the receipts.
• The most an airline has to pay is 1,519 Special Drawing Rights per passenger (since 7 February 2025). Special Drawing Rights are an international unit, and their value in pounds changes every day. The CAA's baggage page still gives an older, lower figure.
• If your journey used more than one airline, you can claim from any of them. It is usually the last one.
• A court claim must be started within 2 years of the date you arrived, or should have arrived.
• If the airline says no: use its ADR scheme within 12 months of its final reply, or the CAA's Passenger Advice and Complaints Team if it is not in one. The CAA does not take a case with less than a year left to go to court.

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 the airline says no because of extraordinary circumstances and you disagree, you can use the free extraordinary circumstances challenge letter.
• 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: see our small claims guide 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.
• Bags: complain to the airline in writing within 7 days of getting a damaged bag back, or within 21 days of getting a delayed bag back. A court claim about bags must be started within 2 years of the date you arrived, or should have arrived.
• 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.
• Refused boarding against your will: the same amounts, which the airline can halve if it gets you there within 2, 3 or 4 hours (see "Refused boarding").
• Moved to a lower class: 30%, 50% or 75% of the price of the ticket for that flight, by distance.
• Lost, delayed or damaged bags: up to 1,519 Special Drawing Rights per passenger.
• This guide gives no other amounts. What counts as reasonable expenses depends on the delay.

Where to go for help

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.