Last updated: August 2026
Under UK261, you’re owed £220 to £520 per person if your flight lands three hours or more late through the airline’s fault. Cancellations pay out on a different basis again, depending on how much notice you were given before departure.
Compensation for a delayed flight, by distance
This applies once your flight departs a UK airport, or arrives in the UK on a UK or EU-registered airline, and lands three hours or more late for a reason that’s the airline’s fault. Compensation is set by distance, regardless of what you paid for the ticket.
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| Arrival delay | Compensation per person | |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1,500km | 3+ hours late | £220 |
| 1,500km to 3,500km | 3+ hours late | £350 |
| Over 3,500km | 3 to 4 hours late | £260 |
| Over 3,500km | 4+ hours late | £520 |
If you’re delayed five hours or more, you can choose not to travel at all and get a refund instead of waiting for the replacement flight.
When you’re entitled to food, drink and a hotel while you wait
This right is separate from cash compensation, and it kicks in at a shorter delay. Once you’ve waited long enough, the airline has to provide meals and drinks, plus a hotel and transfers if you’re stuck overnight.
| Wait before care kicks in | |
|---|---|
| Under 1,500km | 2+ hours |
| 1,500km to 3,500km | 3+ hours |
| Over 3,500km | 4+ hours |
Cash compensation and the right to food, drink and a hotel are two separate entitlements. You can still be owed the care above even when a cash payout isn’t due, since the distance and delay thresholds that trigger each one aren’t identical.
Compensation for a cancelled flight, by notice period
Cancellation compensation depends on how much warning you were given, not simply on how late the replacement flight lands. There are three separate rules here, and they don’t reduce to the same table as the delay figures above.
- 14 or more days’ notice. No compensation is due, whatever your replacement flight’s timing turns out to be.
- 7 to 13 days’ notice. You’re due a fixed amount by distance, but only the full amount if your replacement flight’s timing shifts enough. It has to arrive 2 or more hours late on short-haul routes, 3 or more on medium-haul, or 4 or more on long-haul, measured against your original booking. Miss that threshold and you get roughly half instead: £110 rather than £220 on the shortest routes, £175 rather than £350 on medium-haul, and £260 rather than £520 on the longest.
- Under 7 days’ notice. You get nothing if your replacement flight departs no more than an hour early and lands less than two hours after your original arrival time. Outside that, you’re owed the same amounts as the delay table above, based on distance and how late you actually land.
See the CAA’s cancellations guidance for the full notice-based rules.
When you don’t get compensation: extraordinary circumstances
Airlines don’t have to pay cash compensation for a delay or cancellation caused by something outside their control. The list is specific, and it rules out fewer situations than most passengers assume.
- Weather that makes it unsafe to fly
- Strikes the airline itself didn’t cause, including by airport staff, ground handlers, air traffic control or border force
- Terrorism or sabotage
- Security risks
- Political or civil unrest
- Hidden manufacturing defects
Weather and mechanical faults can look identical from the departure lounge: a plane that isn’t leaving. The law treats them as opposites. One clears the airline of paying, the other doesn’t.
“Airlines often blame a technical fault when a flight is delayed, hoping passengers won’t push back. The Court of Appeal settled this in Jet2 v Huzar back in 2014: if something breaks on the plane, that’s the airline’s problem to fix and pay for, not a reason to withhold compensation.”
Kate Acaster, Chief Editor, Flight Tribe
A mechanical problem with the aircraft is the airline’s responsibility to plan for. It doesn’t count as an excuse, and if your delay or cancellation came down to a technical fault, you’re still owed compensation under the figures above.
How to claim flight delay or cancellation compensation
None of this arrives automatically. You have to claim it, and there’s a set order to follow if the airline doesn’t pay up straight away.
- Contact the airline directly and submit your claim, including your booking reference and flight details.
- Give the airline up to eight weeks to respond.
- If your claim is rejected or you hear nothing back, escalate it to the airline’s Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme.
- If the airline isn’t registered with an ADR scheme, take your claim to the CAA’s Passenger Advice and Complaints Team instead.
Claims can be made up to six years after the flight in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and five years in Scotland, under the Limitation Act 1980, following the Court of Appeal’s ruling in Dawson v Thomson Airways. Airlines can’t shorten that window in their own terms and conditions.
More on cancellations and refunds
For the rules on cancelling and refunding your own booking, see our guides on can you cancel a British Airways flight and can you cancel a Virgin Atlantic flight. We also cover are Wizz Air flights refundable, the TUI cancellation policy and the Jet2 cancellation policy. And read up on how to cancel an easyJet flight and can you cancel a Ryanair flight.
For wider travel planning advice, from booking timing to school-holiday pricing, see our full travel advice hub.
How much compensation can you claim for a delayed or cancelled flight? FAQs
What is UK261?
UK261 is the law that entitles you to compensation and care when your journey is disrupted by an airline. It covers flights departing the UK, or arriving in the UK on a UK or EU-registered airline, delayed three hours or more or cancelled through the airline’s fault.
Do I get compensation if my flight is delayed by bad weather?
No. Weather that makes it unsafe to fly counts as an extraordinary circumstance, so cash compensation isn’t due, though you’re still entitled to food, drink and a hotel if you’re waiting long enough.
How long do I have to claim flight delay compensation?
Six years from the date of the flight in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and five years in Scotland. That’s under the Limitation Act 1980, following the Court of Appeal’s ruling in Dawson v Thomson Airways.
Can I claim if I missed a connecting flight because of the first delay?
Yes, as long as both flights were booked on a single reservation. If you arranged the connection yourself on separate tickets, the CAA treats that as your own risk, not something the airline has to cover.
Is compensation different from a refund?
Yes. A refund gives you back what you paid for a flight you didn’t take. Compensation is a separate fixed payment for the disruption itself, and you can be owed both at once.
What counts as extraordinary circumstances?
Events outside the airline’s control, such as unsafe weather, strikes by airport staff or air traffic control, terrorism, security risks, political unrest and hidden manufacturing defects. A technical fault with the aircraft itself doesn’t count, following the Court of Appeal’s ruling in Jet2 v Huzar.
Who do I claim compensation from?
The airline that operated the flight, not the travel agent or the airline you booked through, if that’s different.
Kate Acaster is Chief Editor at Flight Tribe. She writes about practical travel planning, budget airlines, baggage rules, city breaks, beach holidays and good hotels that do not cost daft money.
Kate has travelled through Europe, South America and beyond, usually with a notebook, a half-formed plan and a strong opinion on airport snacks. At Flight Tribe, her work focuses on helping UK travellers understand what is included, what costs extra, and whether a trip is worth booking at the price shown.
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