UK261: Flight Delay and Cancellation Compensation in the UK After Brexit

When the UK left the EU, it copied the EU's air passenger rules into domestic law. The result, usually called UK261, works almost exactly like the European original – the main visible difference is that compensation is paid in pounds. If you fly to or from Britain, here is what that means in practice.

Is my flight covered?

UK261 protects you on:

• any flight departing from a UK airport, whatever the airline;
• flights arriving in the UK operated by a UK or EU airline;
• flights arriving in the EU operated by a UK airline.

Your nationality and where you bought the ticket do not matter. What matters is the route and the airline that actually operates the flight.

A few examples help:

When a flight is covered by both regimes, you can only be compensated once for the same disruption. Pick the one that is easier to pursue – usually the scheme of the country where you live or where the airline is based. Our EU261 guide explains the European side.

Compensation amounts in pounds

Compensation is a fixed sum per passenger and does not depend on the ticket price. It is due when you arrive at your final destination more than three hours late, or when your flight is cancelled at short notice or you are denied boarding against your will.

On a connecting booking, the distance is measured from the first departure airport to the final destination, and only the delay at the final destination counts. If you booked separate tickets yourself (a "self-transfer"), each flight is treated on its own, and nobody has to get you onward when you miss the second one.

The same notice rules as in the EU apply to cancellations: if you were told more than 14 days before departure, there is no compensation, and shorter notice can still be exempt if the replacement flight is close enough to your original times.

When the airline does not have to pay

Like EU261, UK261 excuses airlines from compensation where the disruption was caused by extraordinary circumstances – bad weather, air traffic control restrictions, security alerts and similar events outside the airline's control. After a failure of a NATS air traffic control flight-planning system on 8 September 2026, for example, the CAA said the disruption – including knock-on delays – was likely to count, while stressing that every case depends on its facts.

Routine technical problems and the airline's own staffing problems generally do not. If an airline rejects your claim on these grounds, ask it to explain the specific cause.

Care, refunds and rerouting

Whatever caused the delay, the airline must provide care once your departure is delayed by at least:

• 2 hours for flights under 1,500 km,
• 3 hours for flights of 1,500–3,500 km,
• 4 hours for longer flights.

That means food and drink proportionate to the wait, two calls or emails, and a hotel plus transfers if you are stuck overnight. If nothing is offered, pay reasonable costs yourself and keep the receipts.

When a flight is cancelled you choose between a refund, which should arrive within seven days, and rerouting to your destination. If a delay reaches five hours you can decide not to travel and get your money back for the unused flights; on a connecting trip the airline must also return you to where you started. Think carefully before choosing this – once you take the refund, the airline no longer has to get you to your destination.

How to claim

1. Write to the airline. Compensation is not paid automatically. Use the airline's claim form and include your booking reference, flight details, what happened, and receipts for any expenses (these sometimes need a separate claim).
2. Wait for a final answer – up to eight weeks. If the airline rejects your claim or has not replied within eight weeks of your written complaint, you can escalate.
3. Use ADR if the airline belongs to a scheme. Most large airlines flying in the UK are members of an approved alternative dispute resolution body. The CAA currently lists AviationADR and CEDR; some European airlines use a German body, Schlichtung Reise & Verkehr. ADR is free for passengers, and if you accept the decision, the airline must follow it. You must normally bring the complaint within 12 months of the airline's final response.
4. Otherwise, go to the CAA. If the airline is not in an ADR scheme, the CAA's Passenger Advice and Complaints Team (PACT) can review your complaint and take it up with the airline. PACT cannot make binding decisions.
5. Court remains an option, for example through the small claims track. The CAA uses a six-year window (five in Scotland) for how far back an incident can be.

ADR and PACT are free, which is worth remembering before signing up with a claims management company that keeps part of the payout.

What could change

UK261 now develops separately from EU261. The EU adopted a reform of its rules in 2026, which applies from October 2027; that reform does not change UK law. The UK government has discussed its own changes in the past, but nothing in this guide had been altered by new UK legislation when we last checked. We will update this page if that changes.

Last checked: 29 October 2026. This guide is general information, not legal advice.