UK261: United Kingdom Flight Delay Compensation Explained

I’ve written extensively about the European Union’s generous laws (known as EC261) when it comes to cash compensation for delayed and canceled flights. In this post, I figure it’s worth addressing how the United Kingdom has a similar scheme, often referred to unofficially as UK261.

In reality, it’s nearly identical to what you’ll find in the European Union. That’s because the UK used to be part of the European Union, but post-Brexit, the UK adopted its own policy on flight delay compensation, which is basically identical. If you’re familiar with EC261, then you probably don’t need to even read about this, but I’ll still cover the details.

I recently shared my (frustrating) experience trying to claim this compensation with American, which is a perfect reflection of how the rules might be published a certain way, but actually getting airlines to honor the rules is a different story.

What is UK261 flight delay compensation?

The UK has consumer friendly rules that dictate what airlines owe passengers in the event of flight delays or cancelations. This can include everything from cash compensation, to hotels, to meal vouchers. This is in line with the most generous travel protection that you’ll find anywhere in the world.

United Kingdom flight delay compensation basics

Under what circumstances are you entitled to compensation in the United Kingdom if your flight is delayed or canceled? As you might expect, this can be difficult to understand at times, since rules differ based on the airline you’re flying with, the cause of the delay, etc. In this post I’ll go over all the details.

Which airlines & countries are covered by UK261?

UK261 rules apply in the following situations:

• If you are traveling from a United Kingdom airport on any airline
• If you are traveling to a United Kingdom airport on an airline based in the Untied Kingdom

In other words:

• If you’re flying from London to Newark, UK261 would apply regardless of whether you’re traveling with British Airways or United
• If you’re flying from Newark to London, UK261 would only apply on British Airways, and not on United (since United isn’t a United Kingdom-based airline)

Let me emphasize that EC261 is essentially the identical policy for the European Union. This also means that if you’re flying a European Union based airline out of the United Kingdom, you’d more or less be covered under the same system (though the exact compensation amounts would differ mildly, just based on currency fluctuation).

How much money is UK261 compensation?

The amount of cash compensation you’re entitled to under UK261 varies based on the length of the flight… sort of:

• If your flight covers a distance of under 1,500km (930 miles), you’re entitled to £220 compensation if you’re delayed by at least three hours
• If your flight covers a distance of 1,500-3,500km (930-2,200 miles), you’re entitled to £350 compensation if you’re delayed by at least three hours
• If your flight covers a distance of over 3,500km (2,200 miles), you’re entitled to £260 compensation if you’re delayed by three to four hours, and £520 compensation if you’re delayed by at least four hours

There are a couple more details to be aware of:

• A delay is calculated based on the time that you arrive at your gate and the doors open, rather than based on when you touch down at your destination
• Furthermore, the delay is calculated based on how late you reach your final destination; if you’re flying from London to Chicago to Miami, and your London to Chicago flight is delayed by an hour and causes you to miss your connecting flight and arrive in Miami at least four hours late, you’d be entitled to the full cash compensation

Which delays qualify for UK261 compensation?

If you’re looking for compensation through UK261, you’re entitled to that for any delay or cancelation that isn’t due to “extraordinary circumstances.” UK261 dictates that the following things would be considered extraordinary circumstances:

• Weather conditions incompatible with the safe operation of the flight
• Strikes (unrelated to the airline such as airport staff, ground handlers, air traffic control, or border force)
• Acts of terrorism or sabotage
• Security risks
• Political or civil unrest
• Hidden manufacturing defects (a manufacturer recall that grounds a fleet of aircraft)

This means that things like a mechanical problem, a late inbound aircraft, a crew related delay, a strike at the airline, etc., wouldn’t be considered extraordinary circumstances, so UK261 compensation would apply.

Do flight cancelations qualify for UK261 compensation?

Not only does the above compensation apply if your flight is delayed, but it also applies if it’s canceled. UK261 compensation applies in the event that your flight is canceled within 14 days of departure. If your flight is canceled further out than that, then the compensation wouldn’t apply.

Furthermore, as is the case with delays, extraordinary circumstances are excluded from being eligible for compensation.

How do you claim UK261 compensation?

Claiming UK261 compensation is potentially the tricky part, as airlines often do everything in their power to get out of paying this compensation. There are two general ways you can approach this:

• You can contact the airline to try to claim UK261 compensation, and some airlines have forms on their websites through which this can be done
• You can use a third party service that helps consumers with this, though they usually take a significant cut; I’ve never used one of these so can’t personally vouch for any, but you can easily find them online

I’d always recommend doing everything in your power to request the compensation directly, so you can keep the entire amount. If you’re going to claim UK261 compensation, there are a few things to keep in mind:

• This isn’t something you need to do at the airport, so don’t take this up with airport staff, but rather take it up with customer relations after the fact
• I’d recommend keeping as much documentation as possible, including taking pictures of the flight status page reflecting the delay, keeping boarding passes, etc.
• Expect that airlines may try to do everything in their power to get out of paying this compensation; this can include claiming that there were “extraordinary circumstances,” just not responding for a long time, etc.

Does UK261 cover hotels & meals?

Not only does UK261 offer cash compensation in the event of a delay or cancelation, but it also offers passengers other forms of assistance, including:

• Hotel accommodation in the event of an overnight delay, including transport to and from the hotel
• Meals and refreshments
• Two telephone calls or emails

This should be offered proactively in the event of a significant delay or cancelation. There’s no promise of how efficiently any of this will be offered, though. For example, if you have a flight canceled at an outstation (non-hub airport), you might have two agents trying to work on hotels for hundreds of passengers, which could take hours. So be prepared to be patient.

What’s also nice is that the duty of care applies even if the delay or cancelation is due to extraordinary circumstances. So if your flight is delayed overnight due to weather, you’d still be owed a hotel room and meals.

What about delayed & lost bags with UK261?

UK261 doesn’t directly dictate what compensation is required for delayed and lost bags. Instead, the Montreal Convention sets minimum standards for compensation in these regards. Generally speaking:

• You’re limited to $1,700 in compensation in the event of lost luggage
• You can be reimbursed for necessary expenses due to delayed luggage, though you’ll only be reimbursed at the rate of 50% for things you can continue to use (like clothes), while toiletries and single-use items will be reimbursed at 100%
• Airlines have a lot of discretion regarding what they consider reasonable and necessary expenses

Bottom line

The European Union is known for its generous rules for passengers with delayed and canceled flights, known as EC261. The United Kingdom has its own version of these rules, often referred to as UK261, which are basically identical.

Under these rules, you’re entitled to up to £520 in cash compensation in the event that you’re traveling on a long haul flight, and arrive at your destination at least four hours behind schedule. While there are some terms to be aware of, in many ways the rules are as good as they sound. Actually getting an airline to pay, especially in a timely manner, could be a different story, though.

Have you ever been able to get UK261 compensation? If so, what was your experience like?