UK flight compensation is the British copy of the European rule, paid in pounds. If your flight departs the United Kingdom, or a UK airline brings you into the UK, and you arrive three hours late or more because of the airline, the fixed sums are £220, £350, or £520. The fare you paid does not set the figure.
Which flights are covered
Coverage is about the airport and the airline, not your passport. A flight leaving the UK is covered whichever carrier operates it. A flight into the UK is covered when the operating airline is a UK carrier. A US airline flying London to New York is covered because it departs the UK. The same US airline flying New York to London is not a UK261 departure.
British Airways, easyJet, Jet2, Virgin Atlantic, and Ryanair flights out of the UK all sit under the same rule. The law does not rank them. Nothing on this page is a finding about how any one airline handles a claim. It is the test the regulation uses for every carrier.
The amounts
| Distance | Amount |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | £220 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | £350 |
| Over 3,500 km | £520 |
On a long flight the higher band can be reduced if you still arrive less than four hours late. A cancellation told to you 14 days or more ahead usually does not pay this sum, though you still choose a refund or another flight. The UK Civil Aviation Authority sets the structure out in plain language. The European original is EC 261/2004, which the UK retained.
Weather, air-traffic restrictions, and similar events outside the airline's control are the usual reason a claim is refused. Care, meaning food and a hotel when the wait runs long, can still be owed. The fuller delay test is in flight delay compensation.
Questions
I flew British Airways from New York to London. Is that UK261?
Often yes, because BA is a UK airline arriving in the UK. A foreign airline on that same route is a different analysis. Check the operating carrier on the ticket, not only the name on the booking site.
Is this a refund?
No. A refund returns the fare when you do not travel. These sums are for the disruption.