In short: Rebook free in Manage My Booking, or take a full refund. If no suitable BA flight is available within 24 hours, ask BA about other airlines or transport. Compensation of £220 / £350 / £520 (UK261) or €250 / €400 / €600 (EU261) is due if you were told less than 14 days before departure and the cause was not extraordinary. Claim on BA’s online form; disputes go to CEDR.
Which law applies to your BA flight
British Airways’ conditions of carriage cover three operating companies: British Airways Plc, BA CityFlyer and BA Euroflyer. All are UK airlines, so:
- Flights departing the UK – for example London Heathrow–Madrid or Heathrow–New York – are covered by UK261, with compensation in pounds.
- Flights into the UK from outside the UK – for example New York–London or Dubai–London – are also covered by UK261, because BA is a UK carrier.
- Flights departing the EU – for example Paris or Rome to London – are covered by EU261 (euros) and also by UK261; you can only be paid once.
BA’s notice of rights explains how to claim for flights operated by British Airways Plc or by a BA franchisee operating BA flights “in or into Europe”. Flights sold by BA but operated by a codeshare partner (American Airlines, Iberia, Qatar Airways and others) are the responsibility of the operating airline.
| Distance | UK261 | EU261 | BA example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | £220 | €250 | Heathrow–Madrid (about 1,250 km), Heathrow–Edinburgh |
| 1,500–3,500 km | £350 | €400 | Heathrow–Athens (about 2,400 km), Heathrow–Larnaca |
| Over 3,500 km | £520 | €600 | Heathrow–New York (about 5,500 km), Heathrow–Dubai |
BA’s own notice repeats that the amount is cut by 50% if you are re-routed and arrive within 2, 3 or 4 hours (depending on distance) of the original arrival time. For connections booked together, the distance is from your origin to your final destination.
Your options when BA cancels
BA’s disruption page lists the choices if your flight is cancelled:
- Rebook onto the next available British Airways flight free of charge in Manage My Booking.
- Call BA to ask whether it can book you on another airline or arrange alternative transport, if it cannot offer a suitable alternative within 24 hours.
- Request a refund. BA’s eVoucher terms state: “If we cancel your flight, you will be entitled to a full refund of your booking.” The law requires payment within 7 days – see BA refunds.
The law adds a fourth option BA does not spell out on that page: re-routing at a later date of your choosing, subject to seats.
Connections: for journeys booked on one reference (for example Mumbai–Heathrow–New York), BA says it automatically rebooks you onto the next available BA or partner flight if you miss a connection, and the oneworld Global Support teams at key airports can issue boarding passes and arrange hotels. BA will not help with a connection you booked separately with another airline.
British Airways Holidays packages have their own options: rebook on the same date or different dates, or cancel the whole package for a full refund including taxes. If you booked through a travel agent or tour operator, contact them first – see package holidays.
How often British Airways cancelled flights at UK airports in 2025:
- Flights operated
- 351,049
- On time (≤ 15 min late)
- 76.7%
- 3 hours or more late
- 0.37%
- Cancelled
- 1.23%
- Average delay
- 12.6 min
2025, at UK airports
close to the UK average (72.7%)
1 in 270 flights · better than the UK average
4,370 flights · worse than the UK average
UK average 15.1 min
Source: UK Civil Aviation Authority punctuality statistics 2025 – departures and arrivals combined, measured against the schedule at the UK airport. How we use this data
Hotels, meals and expenses
Care is owed even when the cancellation was caused by weather or air traffic control. BA says that if the next available flight is not until the following day, it will offer overnight accommodation, and that it aims to provide refreshment vouchers during delays; if it cannot, it reimburses reasonable expenses, excluding alcohol. At Heathrow, the Hotel Hoppa buses leave from Terminal 5 stops 17–18 and from the central bus station (stops 12–13) for Terminal 3.
If you had to pay yourself, BA will consider reimbursing:
- hotel accommodation where necessary;
- transport between the hotel or home and the airport;
- alternative transport (flight, train or bus) under comparable conditions, if BA could not offer a suitable alternative;
- reasonable food and drink, excluding alcohol;
- two telephone calls or internet costs.
BA does not cover consequential losses such as missed hotel stays or car rental, and says that if you choose a different departure point or destination you cannot claim the cost of travelling between them. Keep itemised receipts; the claim process is in our BA claim guide, and the legal minimum is explained in care during delays.
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When BA owes compensation for a cancellation
BA’s legal notice sets out the same conditions as Article 5 of the Regulation. You can claim if BA told you less than 14 days before departure and the cause was within its control – unless it offered a re-route that kept you close to your original times:
| Notice given | No compensation if the re-route… |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more | (no compensation in any case) |
| 7–13 days | …left no more than 2 hours early and arrived less than 4 hours late |
| Less than 7 days | …left no more than 1 hour early and arrived less than 2 hours late |
BA says it informs passengers of cancellations through the contact details given by you, the ticket purchaser or your travel agent. If an agent never passed the message on, the 14-day clock may not have started for you – keep the evidence of when you actually found out.
BA lists air traffic control decisions, political instability, adverse weather and security risks as extraordinary circumstances. Problems inside BA’s own operation – technical faults, crew shortages, or a failure of its own IT systems – are generally treated as within its control, and a strike by BA’s own staff is not extraordinary (C-28/20 Airhelp v SAS). Compensation is per passenger and is paid on top of the refund or rebooking.
How to claim and where to escalate
BA asks you to use its online compensation claim form, reached from its “Complaints and claims” page. If you cannot claim online, write to British Airways Customer Relations, EU Compensation Claims, PO Box 1126, Uxbridge, UB8 9XS, United Kingdom – BA warns postal claims take longer. To claim for passengers with a different surname, BA asks for a signed letter of authority.
If BA rejects the claim, its notice says you can refer the complaint to the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR), its CAA-approved ADR body, within 12 months. Our step-by-step BA claim guide covers the form, typical rejections and CEDR; for court, see the letter before action template.
Frequently asked questions
How much compensation do you get when BA cancels a flight?
£220 for flights up to 1,500 km, £350 for 1,500–3,500 km and £520 above 3,500 km under UK261 (€250 / €400 / €600 under EU261 for flights from the EU), per passenger, if you were told less than 14 days before departure and the cause was within BA’s control. It can be halved if your re-routed flight arrived within 2–4 hours of the original time.
Can BA put me on another airline?
BA says you can call it to discuss booking you on other airlines or alternative transport if it cannot offer a suitable alternative within 24 hours. The law requires re-routing at the earliest opportunity under comparable conditions, which is not limited to BA’s own flights.
Do I have to accept a BA eVoucher?
No. Compensation must be paid in money unless you agree in writing to a voucher, and a cancelled flight entitles you to a full refund. BA’s eVouchers expire one year after issue and cannot be exchanged for cash.
Does BA pay for a hotel if my flight is cancelled?
Yes, if the next available flight is not until the following day. BA says it will offer overnight accommodation; if you had to book your own, claim reasonable costs with receipts on its expenses form.
BA said the cancellation was due to weather. Can I still claim?
Not for compensation, if bad weather genuinely caused your flight’s cancellation and BA could not avoid it. You are still owed a refund or rebooking, meals and a hotel if needed. Ask BA for specifics if the weather explanation seems doubtful.
The British Airways name belongs to its owner; EU261 Flight Delay is an independent information site and is not affiliated with British Airways. Information only, not legal advice.
Sources
- Help with delays, cancellations and refunds – British Airways
- Denied boarding, downgrading, flight cancellation and long delays – notification of rights – British Airways
- Complaints and claims – British Airways
- Using an eVoucher – FAQs and terms – British Airways
- General Conditions of Carriage for Passengers and Baggage – British Airways
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as retained in UK law – Article 3 (scope) – legislation.gov.uk
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as retained in UK law – Article 7 (compensation) – legislation.gov.uk
- Cancellations – UK Civil Aviation Authority
- Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) – UK Civil Aviation Authority
- UK flight punctuality statistics 2025 – UK Civil Aviation Authority
We check every rule against the sources above. Spotted an error? Tell us – see our editorial policy.