Flight delay compensation in the UK: how much can you claim?
If your flight reached its final destination more than three hours late, the airline may owe each passenger a fixed sum of £220, £350 or £520 under UK261 – on top of any meals or hotel it had to give you. Here is how the rules work, in plain English.
- Reached your destination 3+ hours late? You may be owed compensation.
- £220, £350 or £520 per person (UK261), based on flight distance.
- Not owed if the delay was caused by extraordinary circumstances, such as bad weather.
- You can claim for flights up to 6 years back in England and Wales.
Check your claim – it's free
Tell us your flight. If it qualifies, you sign online and our London team deals with the airline. You only pay if we win.
| Flight distance | UK261 | EU261 |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | £220 | €250 |
| 1,500 – 3,500 km | £350 | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km | £520 | €600 |
How long does a flight have to be delayed for compensation?
The key number is three hours, and it is measured at your final destination, not at departure. If you took off two and a half hours late but the pilot made up time and you landed two hours late, no compensation is due. If you left on time but a later problem meant you arrived three hours and ten minutes late, you may be owed it.
"Arrival" means the moment at least one aircraft door opens and passengers can get off – not when the wheels touch the runway. The European Court of Justice decided this in 2014 (Germanwings v Henning), and the rule carried over into UK law.
Flight delay compensation for 1 hour or 2 hours
A delay of one or two hours does not give you a right to compensation on its own. What it can give you is care: for a flight under 1,500 km, the airline must offer food and drink once you have been delayed two hours past the departure time. For longer flights, care starts at three hours (1,500–3,500 km) or four hours (over 3,500 km).
If you were on a connecting journey booked as one ticket, a short delay on the first flight that made you miss the second one counts by the time you finally reached your last airport.
How much flight delay compensation will I get?
The amount is fixed by distance and is the same whatever you paid for the ticket. It is per passenger, so a family of four on a long delay can claim four times. Children with their own paid ticket count; babies travelling free of charge are not covered.
- Under 1,500 km (for example London Gatwick to Amsterdam, about 360 km): £220.
- 1,500 to 3,500 km (for example Manchester to Tenerife, about 3,050 km): £350.
- Over 3,500 km (for example London Heathrow to New York, about 5,540 km): £520, or £260 if you arrived between three and four hours late.
Check your claim – it's free
Tell us your flight. If it qualifies, you sign online and our London team deals with the airline. You only pay if we win.
When the airline doesn't have to pay
Airlines can refuse compensation if the delay was caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. The CAA lists the main examples: weather that makes flying unsafe, strikes by people outside the airline (airport staff, ground handlers, air traffic control, Border Force), security risks, political unrest, and hidden manufacturing defects.
Technical faults found during normal operation are generally not extraordinary. The Court of Appeal decided this in Huzar v Jet2.com (2014), and the European Court agreed in KLM v van der Lans (2015). Even when the airline is not at fault, it still has to give you care while you wait.
How to claim flight delay compensation
Compensation is not paid automatically. You can claim directly from the airline, usually through an online form. If it says no, or does not give a final answer within eight weeks, you can take it to the airline's alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme, or to the CAA's Passenger Advice and Complaints Team if the airline is not signed up to one.
Or let us do it. Tell us your flight and we check it for free. If it qualifies, you sign online and our London team deals with the airline – you only pay if we win.
Questions people ask
Is flight delay compensation per person?
Yes. Each passenger on the booking can claim, including children with their own paid ticket. Babies travelling free of charge are not covered.
Do I get compensation for a 2 hour flight delay?
Not compensation. You need to reach your final destination more than three hours late. A two-hour delay on a flight under 1,500 km does give you the right to food and drink from the airline.
Can I claim if the delay was due to weather?
Usually not, because weather that makes flying unsafe is an extraordinary circumstance. But a delay blamed on the weather somewhere else earlier in the day, or on a knock-on technical problem, may still be claimable. It is worth having it checked.
Does the ticket price change how much I get?
No. The amount depends on the flight distance (and, for long flights, on whether you were three to four hours or more than four hours late), not on what you paid.
How far back can I claim for a delayed flight?
Up to 6 years in England and Wales, and 5 years in Scotland. The Court of Appeal confirmed the six-year limit in Dawson v Thomson Airways (2014).
How much do you charge?
Checking your flight is free. If we win, our fee is 25% of the compensation, with no VAT. If you don't get paid, you pay nothing. If a claim has to go to a solicitor or court, the fee is 45%, and no court action starts without your OK.
Check your claim – it's free
Tell us your flight. If it qualifies, you sign online and our London team deals with the airline. You only pay if we win.
More flight compensation guides
Sources
Checked against official guidance on 2 November 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.
- CAA – Delays (UK261)
- CAA – Am I entitled to compensation? (extraordinary circumstances)
- CAA – Alternative Dispute Resolution (which airlines are signed up)
- CAA – CAP 1275: compensation, technical faults and time limits (Dawson v Thomson Airways, Huzar v Jet2)
- legislation.gov.uk – Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it applies in the UK
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