How to claim flight delay compensation

Step 1: check you are covered

Compensation applies when you arrive more than 3 hours late and the cause was not an extraordinary circumstance. Use the calculator and see which law applies.

How much can you claim?

Under UK261, the Civil Aviation Authority sets compensation by flight distance for a delay of more than 3 hours at arrival:

Sources: UK CAA: delays and Your Europe: air passenger rights. Checked 15 October 2026. The EU page states its €300 band for delays of 3 to under 4 hours on flights over 3,500 km operated from the EU or by an EU airline; the airline may reduce a re-routed passenger's compensation by 50% in some cases.

Step 2: collect your details

You will need your booking reference, flight number, date, the route and how late you arrived. Keep your boarding pass and any messages the airline sent. Keep receipts for meals, transport or accommodation you paid for while waiting.

Step 3: claim in writing with the airline

The CAA says compensation is not automatic. Use the airline's own claim form, or email first if it has no form. Say clearly that you are claiming under UK261 or EU261, give the flight details and say what amount you are claiming for each passenger.

Step 4: if the airline says no

The airline should explain why it rejected your claim. If you disagree, you can take it to the airline's alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme. The CAA approves two UK providers, AviationADR and CEDR, and ADR is free; you do not need a claims company. You can go to ADR if the airline has not replied within 8 weeks of your written complaint, and you must submit within 12 months of its final response. See the CAA's ADR page.

Step 5: if the airline is not in an ADR scheme

The CAA's complaints team may help, but it cannot impose a solution and only considers complaints from businesses that are not in an approved ADR scheme. If you still disagree you can take legal action, which the CAA says has a time limit of 6 years in England and Wales and 5 in Scotland. See how the CAA can help.

When you cannot claim

There is no compensation if the delay was caused by extraordinary circumstances, which the CAA describes as things that are not the airline's responsibility. Its examples include weather that makes a safe flight impossible, strikes that are unrelated to the airline (for example airport staff, ground handlers, air traffic control or border force), terrorism or sabotage, security risks, political or civil unrest, and hidden manufacturing defects. The CAA says an ordinary technical fault is not an extraordinary circumstance, and refers to court rulings including Jet2 v Huzar (2014) and KLM v van der Lans (2015). See the CAA's "Am I entitled to compensation?" page.

Frequently asked questions

Guidance last checked 15 October 2026. Independent and not affiliated with the CAA, the European Commission or any airline.