London Gatwick Airport Delays and Cancellations - Your Right to Compensation

The UK's air passenger laws (UK 261) protect everyone flying out of UK airports, wherever they are headed, and many passengers flying from London Gatwick Airport headed for the UK too.

So even though London Gatwick Airport (LGW) isn't in the UK, these laws are still worth knowing about. There's a similar EU law called EC 261 which covers flights between London Gatwick Airport and the EU.

Both laws say that passengers are owed compensation when airlines cause flights to be delayed, cancelled or overbooked. The compensation amounts are set by the law and could be as much as £520 or €600 per person, and you usually claim for flights from the past 3 years.

Of course, EC 261 and UK 261 aren't the only passenger rights law available, but unfortunately, others are not so comprehensive. Read more about the other global rights that apply at London Gatwick Airport.

Which London Gatwick Airport Flights are Protected by UK 261?

Regardless of whether you’re flying for business or leisure, on your own or with the family — UK passenger rights mean that all paying passengers can claim up to £520 compensation when flights are delayed by 3 hours or more.

To work out if your delay is eligible you need to work out how late your flight was when it arrived at your final destination. That's because these laws are based on how delayed you were reaching your destination, compared to the scheduled time. It's not necessarily about the hours waiting because of delays in London Gatwick Airport.

The laws are about airlines fairly compensating passengers when they cause them to be delayed. Because of this, there's one fairly important exception where they don't have to pay compensation: extraordinary circumstances. These are situations outside of an airlines' control. For example, an issue at London Gatwick Airport, or unsafe flying conditions. Because the airline isn't responsible for these circumstances, they don't have to compensate for them — however, they still need to take steps to avoid delayed flights from London Gatwick Airport taking off later than necessary.

Read more about flight delay compensation.

We know London Gatwick Airport cancelled flights cause real travel chaos, especially when they happen at the last minute. That's why it's important to be aware of air passenger rights, so you know what you're entitled to.

Under UK air passenger rights, the airline must offer you an alternative flight to your destination, or a refund, if that's what you'd prefer.

If your flight was cancelled at late notice — anything under 14 days before you were due to depart — you may also be entitled to up to £520 per person for the inconvenience.

The airline can avoid paying compensation if they were able to offer you an alternative flight which would get you to your destination at a very similar time to your original arrival time.

Airlines also don't have to pay compensation if they were forced to make cancellations as a result of a situation outside of their control. This is referred to as extraordinary circumstances, and includes situations such as unsafe flying conditions and incidents at airports like drone sightings or airport staff strikes.

The law is complex, and there are always exceptions and special cases, so the easiest way to be sure how much compensation you’re owed, is to use our free compensation check.

Unfortunately we can't always avoid delays or London Gatwick Airport cancellations — but we can tell you exactly what to do to improve your chances of getting compensated.