Regulation UK 261: everything you need to know

• You could get up to $600 in compensation.

• UK 261 covers delays, cancellations, and overbooking.

• UK 261 applies to everyone, not only UK citizens!

Few things test your patience like a delayed or cancelled flight. Luckily, air passenger rights laws exist for when things go wrong.

Since Brexit, UK 261 regulation protects your rights and compensates you when airlines cancel flights, delay them over 3 hours or overbook and deny boarding. You might also be eligible for compensation if the disruption is the airlines’ fault.

No win, no fee!

We only take a fee after we've successfully got you compensation. For more info, check out our affordable fees.

Airlines don’t make claiming UK 261 compensation easy and they’re not exactly keen to pay out. You can file claims by yourself via the airline’s website, but the process is often slow, complicated, and stressful. 

That’s where we come in. Our 400+ expert AirHelpers are here to handle the hard part — chasing the airline, managing the paperwork, and even going to court if needed. 

All you need to do is enter your flight details in our easy-to-use compensation checker and we’ll get you your money.

There are 3 main reasons why you might be able to claim between $270 and $600 compensation from the airline.

• Long delays of flights (over 3 hours) can be compensated when the delay affects your arrival time (not the time the plane takes off).

• Flight cancellations might be eligible for compensation if the airline informed you less than 14 days before departure.

• Denied boarding means the airline stopped you boarding even though you had a valid ticket and arrived at the gate on time. Its most common when the airline overbooked the flight.
  

Good to know: The amount you’re entitled to doesn’t depend on your ticket price — it’s based on flight distance.

Almost all flights in or out of the UK are covered, and could qualify for UK 261 compensation.

Remember! Flights may also be covered by other regulations. For example, flights to or from the EU are also protected by EU passenger rights.

The easiest way to find out if your trip is covered is to use the AirHelp Eligibility Check.

Disruptions that are outside the airline’s control, like volcanic eruptions or air traffic control strikes, aren’t eligible for UK 261 compensation.

However, there are less clear areas where a UK 261 claim might be successful. I.e. when other airlines were prepared for bad weather, but yours was delayed, you could be owed compensation.

AirHelp keeps up to date with cases in the UK Supreme Court and the English Court of Appeals as well as any changes to UK 261 law — which now develops separately from EU law following Brexit. So we know when your claim is stronger than you think.

Strikes by airline staff? They're eligible for compensation. Here's a quick guide:

UK 261 — modelled on its European counterpart, EU 261 — is one of the most comprehensive passenger rights laws in the world. As well as monetary compensation, it also specifies how the airline treats you.

Yes! If your flight is canceled, you have the right to a full or partial refund on your original ticket or to be re-routed on the next available flight to your destination. You’re also entitled to compensation for the loss of your time.

And if you’re delayed by more than 5 hours, you can choose not to travel and still get a full refund for the unused ticket.

If you accept an alternative flight or a higher class ticket, the airline cannot charge you any additional payment. On the other hand, if you’re downgraded to a lower class ticket, you can get reimbursed for 30%–75% of the original ticket price.

If your flight is delayed or canceled, or you’re denied boarding, you have other rights under UK 261 rules.

Airlines must display the information explaining all your UK 261 passenger rights. It’s probably at the check-in counter but, if not, you can find the Department for Transport guide to your rights online.

There are two ways to claim compensation under UK 261 — direct via the airline or via an independent expert like AirHelp.

Start a claim with AirHelp

1. Fill out your flight details and we check eligibility.

2. Submit your documents — we tell you exactly what you need.

3. Sit back and wait for your money!

We handle everything for you, from start to finish so it’s as easy as possible to get your money.

AirHelp has over 400 team members who can help you with air passenger rights, laws and regulations. Since 2013, we’ve helped 2.7 million passengers get the compensation they're entitled to.

AirHelp believes in making justice affordable. It's why we offer a no-win, no fee policy, so you don’t pay us anything up front — even if your case goes to court.

If we win, our standard fee is 35% of your compensation, leaving you free to spend the rest of the money on whatever you want. If we go to court for you and win, we take just an additional 15%.

Every airline wants something different. But to make everything simple we'll tell you exactly what's required for your case when you start the claim.

Typical documents include your booking confirmation and boarding passes (mobile or paper).

Getting compensation can take anything from a few weeks to a few months or longer — it depends on the airline's response and whether your claim needs to go to court. We’ll keep you up-to-date every step of the way.

Your right to UK 261 compensation expires in 6 years under UK law.