Start with your route and operating airline, then separate compensation, ticket refunds and necessary expenses. A qualifying UK261 claim can reach £520 per passenger, but a long wait alone does not establish entitlement. You can ask the airline directly without using a claims company.
Check My Flight Check route coverageWhat Is UK261?
UK261 is the commonly used name for the UK's version of Regulation 261/2004. It covers qualifying delays, cancellations and denied boarding, using sterling compensation amounts. These are three separate requests, not interchangeable names for one payment:
Fixed compensation
A payment for a qualifying disruption. The applicable conditions and distance matter, not the ticket price.
Refund or replacement travel
Decide whether to continue the journey. Returning the unused fare is different from paying compensation.
Care and expenses
Help while waiting, or reimbursement of reasonable necessary costs when the airline fails to provide required care.
At the airport now? Use the free next-step planner to organise your questions and evidence without uploading passenger documents.
Which Flights Are Covered by UK261?
Check the company that operates the flight, not just the booking website or codeshare brand. The CAA coverage matrix includes UK departures, qualifying UK arrivals and arrivals in the EU on a UK carrier.
| Journey | UK261 starting point | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Departure from the UK | Any operating airline | The booking and disruption conditions still apply. |
| Arrival in the UK from abroad | UK or EU operating carrier | A non-UK/non-EU carrier does not qualify solely because it lands in the UK. |
| Arrival in the EU from outside the UK | UK operating carrier | Do not overlook this UK261 route when neither end is a UK airport. |
| EU departure to the UK | UK261 on a UK/EU carrier; EU261 may also apply | EU departure coverage is not restricted to European airlines. |
| Tirana or another Balkan departure to the UK | UK261 on a UK/EU carrier | For other carriers, check applicable local rules; ECAA is not a blanket substitute. |
For a multi-leg flight booked as a single unit, Article 3(1A) treats the journey as a whole from its first departure point. Separate tickets need separate analysis. Keep all legs and operating-carrier details together; see the protected connection and self-transfer guide.
More than one regime? Tell the airline about benefits, assistance or compensation already received abroad. The inbound scope rule has an exception for prior benefits/compensation and assistance; overlapping coverage is not permission to recover twice for the same entitlement.
UK261 Compensation Amounts
The table below concerns an otherwise qualifying arrival-delay claim. Measure the final arrival delay, keeping precise times rather than rounding. Cancellation and denied-boarding reductions are separate.
| Distance | Final arrival delay | Per passenger |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | At least 3 hours | £220 |
| Over 1,500 km up to 3,500 km | At least 3 hours | £350 |
| Over 3,500 km | At least 3 but less than 4 hours | £260 after the long-haul reduction |
| Over 3,500 km | 4 hours or more | £520 |
Article 6 sets the three-hour arrival threshold and the extraordinary-circumstances defence; Article 7 supplies the sterling bands. The long-delay reduction follows the Nelson/Sturgeon distinction for delays below four hours. For cancellation or denied-boarding rerouting, Article 7(2) separately permits 50% reductions to £110, £175 or £260 when the alternative arrives no more than two, three or four hours late respectively.
Delay, Cancellation and Denied Boarding Tests
Delayed arrival
At least three hours at the final destination can qualify. A valid extraordinary-circumstances defence requires proof of the cause and that all reasonable measures could not avoid the delay. See the UK delay evidence checklist.
Cancellation
Check notice and the offered replacement's departure and arrival times. You do not always need a three-hour arrival delay. Refund/rerouting rights can remain even when fixed compensation is excluded.
Involuntary refusal
Keep proof of a confirmed reservation, timely check-in and readiness to board. Volunteering, missing documents and reasonable health/security refusals differ from qualifying involuntary denied boarding. Use the boarding guide.
For cancellation, notice at least 14 days before departure excludes fixed compensation. With 7 to fewer than 14 days' notice, an offered replacement can exclude it if departure is no more than two hours early and arrival is less than four hours late. With less than seven days' notice, the corresponding limits are no more than one hour early and less than two hours late. A proven extraordinary-circumstances defence can also exclude compensation. Keep the actual notice and both timetables.
Do not apply one defence to every problem. The extraordinary-circumstances test for delay/cancellation compensation is not a general excuse to deny care, and it is not the same as deciding whether a boarding refusal was justified.
Care, Refunds and Replacement Travel
Departure-delay care starts at two hours for journeys up to 1,500 km, three hours above 1,500 up to 3,500 km, and four hours beyond 3,500 km. It includes reasonable refreshments, communication and necessary overnight accommodation/transport. The cause of the delay does not itself remove these duties. Ask the airline first and retain itemised receipts if required help is unavailable.
At a departure delay of at least five hours, you can abandon the journey and seek the relevant ticket refund, with a return to the first departure point where applicable. For cancellation, choose between the applicable refund, rerouting at the earliest opportunity under comparable conditions, or a later convenient flight subject to seats. Choosing a refund is not choosing continued transport. Keep any airline refusal before buying replacement travel; reimbursement is not a blank cheque.
Use CAA delay guidance and CAA cancellation guidance for the applicable choice.
UK261 vs EU261 vs ECAA
| Framework | Keep separate | Next guide |
|---|---|---|
| UK261 | Sterling amounts and UK route tests | UK complaint routes below |
| EU261 | Euro amounts and EU departure/covered arrival rules | EU passenger rights |
| ECAA/local implementation | Relevant country's rules and complaint body, not automatic EU membership | Balkan route checks |
Evidence Checklist for a UK261 Claim
- Complete itinerary and operating airline for each leg; note single booking versus separate tickets.
- Booking confirmation, boarding pass and check-in/gate attendance evidence.
- Original schedule, final arrival time, cancellation notice timestamp and replacement offers.
- Written disruption explanation and the evidence the airline relies on.
- Itemised reasonable expense receipts, currency and why each cost was needed.
- Your request, airline reference, final response and any payment or voucher already accepted.
Prepare a short timeline and label compensation, refund and expenses separately. Share documents through the airline or complaint body's official channel, not public comments; redact unrelated personal information. Our evidence guide helps organise that file.
How to Claim and Escalate
- Write to the operating airline. Identify the flight, route, dates and requested remedy. Use the airline directory or the carrier's official complaint page; keep confirmation of submission.
- Review the answer. If the explanation is generic, request relevant evidence rather than assuming every refusal is invalid. The rejection guide explains what to ask.
- Check ADR eligibility. After a final response, or eight weeks without resolution, consult the CAA's current ADR guidance and airline list. The appropriate scheme depends on the airline and complaint.
- If no participating ADR scheme applies, check PACT. The CAA Passenger Advice and Complaints Team may assist, but cannot issue a binding payment decision like an approved ADR outcome.
Use the right clock. CAA guidance describes an ADR referral window of 12 months from the final response, or last written communication where there was no response. Scheme conditions and court limitation periods are separate. Confirm the current scheme rules and seek qualified advice for older, cross-border or disputed-deadline cases; do not assume an airline email pauses a court deadline.
The CAA notes that ADR policy is under review following the April 6, 2026 legislative change, while AviationADR and CEDR remain available. Check current conditions before filing. Neither a response target nor referral to ADR guarantees payment by a particular date. See claim stages and follow-up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is UK261 the same as EU261?
No. They share many concepts, but use different scope provisions, currencies and complaint routes. Check the whole itinerary and disclose any remedy already received rather than claiming the same entitlement twice.
Can UK261 apply after a missed connection?
Yes, where the covered multi-leg journey was booked as a single unit and the relevant conditions are met. A self-transfer is different; assess each separate booking and any contractual connection protection.
Does bad weather always remove my rights?
No. A supported extraordinary-circumstances defence may exclude delay or cancellation compensation, but does not itself remove applicable care or refund/rerouting rights. Keep the airline's explanation and your receipts.
Can I claim expenses as well as fixed compensation?
They are separate requests. Identify required care the airline failed to provide, keep reasonable itemised receipts, and explain each cost. Compensation eligibility is assessed separately.
Should I complain to ADR or the CAA?
Complain to the airline first. Check its participating ADR scheme after a final response or eight weeks without resolution. PACT may help where no applicable ADR scheme exists, but its advice is not a binding payment decision.
Official Sources and Next Guides
Sources checked September 8, 2026. This is general passenger-rights information, not an individual legal opinion or a guarantee of recovery.
- Consolidated UK Regulation 261/2004: Articles 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.
- CAA denied-boarding guidance; delay, cancellation, coverage and ADR sources are linked beside the relevant sections above.
easyJet
Prepare the airline-specific request without losing your route evidence.
Ryanair
Check operating-company details and separate expenses from compensation.
Cancellation choices
Keep the original notice and offered replacement together.
Country and route guides
For mixed itineraries, check the relevant regional guide without changing the facts of your journey.
Seasonal flight planning
Plan family connections and short-break backup choices for autumn, or prepare for winter rerouting and overnight care.
October half-term flight planning Christmas and New Year rerouting