Boarding passChecked against UK261
Owed per passenger
£–
Fill in the pass to see it.
Is the airline paying you for that delay?
Type your route and how late you landed. The pass shows what UK law says the airline owes each passenger, and the letter below asks for it. Free, no account.
Claim it yourself: the letter
Most airlines have a claim form on their website; paste this into it, or email it to customer relations. It uses what you put on the pass. Nothing you type here leaves your browser.
To: [airline] customer relations Flight compensation claim: [flight number] on [date of the flight], booking [booking reference] Flight [flight number] from [route] on [date of the flight] arrived at our final destination more than four hours late. Under Article 7, as applied to delays of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it applies in the UK (UK261), I am claiming compensation of £[amount] per passenger. Passenger: [full names as booked] If you believe an extraordinary circumstance caused the disruption, please tell me what it was and the evidence that it could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. Please reply within 14 days with your decision. If you reject the claim, please give your final answer in writing and name the alternative dispute resolution scheme you belong to, so I can refer it. Yours faithfully, [your name]
Or let us chase it for £29
We’re opening a service that sends the claim, chases the airline and takes it to the dispute scheme if they say no, for a flat £29 a passenger, paid only if the airline pays. It isn’t open yet.
If the airline says no
- Ask for its final answer in writing. If it hasn’t replied in eight weeks, you can go to the next step anyway.
- Take it to the dispute scheme the airline belongs to. If it belongs to none, the CAA’s Passenger Advice and Complaints Team will look at it.
- After that, the small claims court.
From the CAA’s guidance on claiming, read 8 November 2026.
Questions
How much flight delay compensation am I owed in the UK?
Under UK261, £220 per passenger for flights of 1,500 km or less, £350 for 1,500 to 3,500 km, and £520 for longer flights, when you reach your final destination three hours or more late. On flights over 3,500 km that land between three and four hours late, it is £260. The amount is fixed and has nothing to do with what the ticket cost.
Which flights does UK261 cover?
Every flight leaving a UK airport, whoever flies it, and flights into the UK from outside the EU when a UK or EU airline operates them. Flights leaving an EU airport fall under the EU’s own version of the rules.
What if my flight was cancelled?
If the airline told you 14 days or more before departure, it owes a refund or a new flight but no compensation. With less notice, it owes compensation unless it put you on a flight close to your original times.
When can the airline refuse to pay?
When the cause was an extraordinary circumstance it couldn’t have avoided: weather unsafe to fly in, air traffic control, strikes outside the airline, security risks. The CAA says technical problems are generally not extraordinary, and the airline’s own crew shortages and strikes aren’t either.
How far back can I claim?
Claims are usually brought within six years in England and Wales (the Limitation Act 1980 sets six years for contract claims) and five years in Scotland. Claim as soon as you can: airlines answer recent flights faster.
Do I need a claims company?
No. You can claim from the airline yourself for free, and the letter on this page does it. Claims companies chase the airline for you and usually keep a share: AirHelp’s fee is 35% including VAT. We’re opening a service that chases it for a flat £29 a passenger, charged only if the airline pays.
What if the airline says no?
Give it eight weeks or its final answer, then take it to the dispute scheme the airline belongs to, or to the CAA’s Passenger Advice and Complaints Team if it belongs to none. After that, the small claims court.