If your flight’s delayed or cancelled you might be entitled to compensation under EU rules. But only if it was due to something within the airline’s control.
If you’re flying with an EU-based airline, or flying from an EU airport, The European Union’s (EU) Denied Boarding Regulation means you’ll be given assistance by your airline if you’re stranded at the airport. These rights continued after the UK left the EU in January 2021.
The airline has to help you if your fight is cancelled or delayed beyond a certain time. And this means you don’t have to claim on your travel insurance.
If you’re travelling with a non-EU based airline from a non-EU destination, the airline doesn’t have the same duty to look after you.
If that’s the case, check the airline’s conditions of carriage instead to see what compensation you’re entitled to.
You need to meet the following criteria:
The regulation includes all European discount and no-frills airline.
You’ll be offered care and assistance, including:
Carriers must pay special attention to the needs of disabled passengers and unaccompanied children.
You can choose not to travel and get a full refund of your ticket cost if the delay lasts for five hours or more (but the flight isn’t cancelled).
You might be able to claim compensation as well as getting assistance at the airport.
How much compensation you get depends on how late the flight is and the distance you’re travelling.
Your flight must be more than three hours late for EU regulations to apply.
Flight length | Arrival delay | Compensation (based on April 2022 exchange rate)[1] |
---|---|---|
Short haul - a flight under 932 miles (for example, London to Venice) | Three hours or more | £220 (265 euro) |
Medium haul - a flight that's between 932 and 2,174 miles (for example, London to Athens) | Three hours or more | £350 (422 euros) |
Long haul - a flight that is over 2,174 miles (for example, London to New York) | Three to four hours | £260 (313 euros |
Long haul | Four hours or more | £520 (627 euros) |
If your flight’s cancelled altogether, you’ll be given the choice to either get a refund for all parts of the flight ticket you haven’t used, or choose an alternative flight (which includes care and assistance while you wait).
You might be able to claim compensation for the cancellation too. It depends on how much notice you had and the distance of your flight. Compensation ranges from £220 to £520, depending on whether its a short, medium or long-haul flight.[1]
You can’t claim compensation if the delay or cancellation was due to something outside the airline’s control, for example:
[1]Civil Aviation Authority figures April 2022. Sterling figures are based on a 19 April 2022 exchange rate of 1.21 euros = £1 and rounded to the nearest pound.