In short: Every flight departing from a UK airport is covered by UK261, whatever the airline: £220–£520 per passenger for a delay of 3 hours or more at arrival, a cancellation with less than 14 days’ notice or denied boarding – unless the airline proves extraordinary circumstances. Flights into the UK are covered on UK and EU airlines (from the EU, EU261 applies to any flight leaving the EU). Complain to the airline first, then to an ADR scheme or the CAA, then the small claims court.
Which flights are covered
| Your flight | Rules | Which airlines |
|---|---|---|
| From a UK airport to anywhere | UK261 | Any airline |
| From an EU airport to the UK | EU261 (UK261 too on a UK airline) | Any airline |
| From outside the UK and EU to the UK | UK261 | UK or EU airlines only |
Whatever the cause, from 2 hours’ delay the airline must also provide meals and drinks, and a hotel if you are stuck overnight; after a cancellation or a 5-hour delay you can choose a refund. Care and refunds.
Check your flight from the United Kingdom
Two minutes, free, no sign-up.
How much: example routes from the United Kingdom
Compensation per passenger for a 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation on the busiest UK routes (CAA 2025):
| Route | Distance | Outbound | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Heathrow – New York (Jf Kennedy) | 5,540 km | £520 | £520 on a UK/EU airline |
| London Heathrow – Dublin | 450 km | £220 | €250 (EU261) |
| London Heathrow – Amsterdam | 370 km | £220 | €250 (EU261) |
| London Heathrow – Frankfurt Main | 654 km | £220 | €250 (EU261) |
| London Heathrow – Munich | 941 km | £220 | €250 (EU261) |
| London Heathrow – Madrid | 1,243 km | £220 | €250 (EU261) |
| Manchester – Dublin | 265 km | £220 | €250 (EU261) |
| London Heathrow – Paris (Charles De Gaulle) | 347 km | £220 | €250 (EU261) |
| London Heathrow – Geneva | 754 km | £220 | €250 (EU261) |
| London Heathrow – Zurich | 788 km | £220 | €250 (EU261) |
How to claim in the United Kingdom
- Claim from the airline in writing – its online form or a letter (complaint letter generator). Keep your booking, boarding pass and receipts.
- National enforcement body: Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) – Passenger Advice and Complaints Team (PACT) – If the airline belongs to a CAA-approved ADR scheme, your complaint goes there; PACT takes complaints about other airlines but cannot make a binding decision. It deals with flights departing from the United Kingdom.
- Alternative dispute resolution: Two CAA-approved ADR providers: AviationADR and the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR). They are free to use. You can apply after the airline’s final response, or if it has not replied within eight weeks of your written complaint, and within 12 months of the final response.
- Court: the small claims court (England and Wales), simple procedure (Scotland) or the small claims procedure (Northern Ireland).
- Time limit: 6 years in England and Wales (Limitation Act 1980, s.9, applied by UK261 Art. 3(9) and Dawson v Thomson Airways [2014] EWCA Civ 845); 5 years in Scotland (Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973, s.6); 6 years in Northern Ireland (Limitation (Northern Ireland) Order 1989, art. 4).
Prefer not to do it yourself? A claims company does the work for a share of the compensation – see claim companies compared.
Airlines from the United Kingdom
- British Airwayscustomer, cancelled, how, delayed,, refunds
- easyJetcustomer, cancelled, how, delayed,, refunds
- Jet2.comcustomer, cancelled, how, delayed,, refunds
- TUI Airwayscustomer, cancelled, how, delayed,, refunds
- Virgin Atlanticcustomer
- Loganaircustomer
- Eastern AirwaysT3
Customer service: British Airways, easyJet, Jet2.com, TUI Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Loganair.
Airports in the United Kingdom
- London Heathrow (LHR)1.51 min ATFM/arrival
- London Gatwick (LGW)1.33 min ATFM/arrival
- London Stansted (STN)0.26 min ATFM/arrival
- Manchester (MAN)1.11 min ATFM/arrival
- London Luton (LTN)0.33 min ATFM/arrival
- Birmingham (BHX)0.33 min ATFM/arrival
- Edinburgh (EDI)0.58 min ATFM/arrival
- Bristol (BRS)0.04 min ATFM/arrival
- East Midlands (EMA)0.07 min ATFM/arrival
- Glasgow (GLA)0.00 min ATFM/arrival
- Leeds Leeds Bradford (LBA)3,375,533 pax
- Liverpool (LPL)3,360,118 pax
- Newcastle (NCL)0.59 min ATFM/arrival
- London London City (LCY)0.24 min ATFM/arrival
- Belfast Belfast International (BFS)0.00 min ATFM/arrival
- Bournemouth (BOH)635,698 pax
- Aberdeen (ABZ)0.02 min ATFM/arrival
- Cardiff (CWL)329,007 pax
- Glasgow Glasgow Prestwick (PIK)281,108 pax
- Southampton (SOU)0.00 min ATFM/arrival
- Norwich (NWI)122,001 pax
- Grimsby, Lincolnshire (HUY)105,446 pax
- Inverness (INV)100,085 pax
- Teesside (MME)99,470 pax
UK punctuality by airport: UK flight delay statistics.
Delay causes, busiest routes and seasonal patterns: flights to the United Kingdom · European delay statistics.
Strikes in the United Kingdom
No strikes affecting flights in the United Kingdom are announced in our strike calendar at the moment.
A union must win a postal ballot before industrial action is lawful, and then give the employer at least 10 days’ notice (reduced from 14 days by the Employment Rights Act 2025 for notices from 18 February 2026). A successful ballot now covers action for 12 months. There are no minimum service levels: the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 was repealed on 18 December 2025. Many UK strikes are called off after a new pay offer.
Strike days at the United Kingdom’s airports since 2024
EUROCONTROL recorded no arrival flow restrictions due to industrial action at the United Kingdom’s airports between January 2024 and 30 September 2026. Strikes by air traffic controllers elsewhere and by airline staff are not included. Check a specific day.
Good to know
- UK261 covers departures from airports in the United Kingdom, which in UK law means Great Britain and Northern Ireland – Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man are not part of it, so check carefully before relying on UK261 for a flight from the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
- For a flight into the UK from outside the UK and EU, UK261 applies only if a UK or EU airline operates it.
- Give the airline eight weeks to answer before going to ADR or the CAA, and apply to ADR within 12 months of its final response.
- In EUROCONTROL’s 2025 data most arrival flow-control delay at Heathrow and Gatwick was weather-related.
- In Scotland the limit is 5 years, not 6 – if you live in Scotland, treat five years as your deadline.
Frequently asked questions
How much compensation can I get for a delayed flight in the United Kingdom?
Under UK261, £220 for flights up to 1,500 km, £350 for 1,500–3,500 km and £520 for longer flights (£260 if a long-haul flight arrives 3–4 hours late), per passenger, if you arrive 3 hours or more late and the airline cannot prove extraordinary circumstances.
Where do I complain in the United Kingdom if the airline refuses to pay?
To Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) – Passenger Advice and Complaints Team (PACT), the national enforcement body for the United Kingdom (If the airline belongs to a CAA-approved ADR scheme, your complaint goes there; PACT takes complaints about other airlines but cannot make a binding decision). It handles complaints about flights departing from the United Kingdom. Alternative dispute resolution: Two CAA-approved ADR providers: AviationADR and the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR). They are free to use. You can apply after the airline’s final response, or if it has not replied within eight weeks of your written complaint, and within 12 months of the final response.
How long do I have to claim in the United Kingdom?
6 years in England and Wales (Limitation Act 1980, s.9, applied by UK261 Art. 3(9) and Dawson v Thomson Airways [2014] EWCA Civ 845); 5 years in Scotland (Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973, s.6); 6 years in Northern Ireland (Limitation (Northern Ireland) Order 1989, art. 4).
I live in the United Kingdom but my flight left from another country. Where can I claim?
Your rights depend on the flight, not on where you live. For a flight between two EU countries you can sue in the courts for the place of departure or the place of arrival (CJEU C-204/08 Rehder); for cross-border cases the European Small Claims Procedure works by post and online. The enforcement body to complain to is the one in the country where the incident happened.
Information only, not legal advice. Enforcement bodies and dispute schemes as listed by the European Commission and the UK CAA, checked November 2026.
Sources
- Alternative dispute resolution – UK Civil Aviation Authority
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it applies in the UK (UK261) – Article 3, scope – legislation.gov.uk
- Interpretation Act 1978, Schedule 1 (definitions of “United Kingdom” and “British Islands”) – legislation.gov.uk
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it applies in the UK – Article 7 (compensation in pounds) – legislation.gov.uk
- Limitation Act 1980, section 9 – legislation.gov.uk
- Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973, section 6 – legislation.gov.uk
- Limitation (Northern Ireland) Order 1989, article 4 – legislation.gov.uk
- Employment Rights Act 2025 – trade union and industrial action changes – Acas
- Air passenger transport by reporting airport (avia_par), 2024 – Eurostat
- Airport arrival ATFM (flow-control) delay data, 2024–2025 – EUROCONTROL Aviation Intelligence Unit
- Eurostat – air passenger transport routes between partner airports and main airports (2024) – Eurostat
- EUROCONTROL – airport arrival ATFM delays (open performance data) – EUROCONTROL
- UK flight punctuality statistics 2025 – UK Civil Aviation Authority
- C-204/08 Rehder v Air Baltic (jurisdiction: place of departure or arrival) – EUR-Lex
We check every rule against the sources above. Spotted an error? Tell us – see our editorial policy.