UK261 regulations give you the right to claim between £220 and £520 per passenger when your flight is delayed by 3 hours or more, cancelled at short notice, or you are denied boarding. SkyRefund handles UK261 claims on a no win, no fee basis, with a 98% success rate.
UK261 is the UK's post-Brexit version of the EU air passenger rights framework. It protects passengers on flights departing from the UK, and on certain flights arriving in the UK, depending on the airline operating the flight.
This article explains exactly which flights are covered, how much you can claim, and how long you have to make a claim. If you already know your flight details, you can check your compensation eligibility in two minutes.
Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council (known as UK261) are the United Kingdom's air passenger rights laws and regulations that protect passengers in case their flight is delayed, cancelled, or they are denied boarding. They outline when airlines must provide compensation, assistance, and care to passengers.
UK261 is the UK's retained version of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, which remained in force after Brexit with minor legal adaptations. In practice, passenger rights in the UK largely mirror those that applied under EU261 before the UK left the European Union. The main difference is the amount of compensation passengers are entitled to. Under UK261 passengers can claim between £220 and £520 in case of flight disruptions.
The regulation is enforced in the UK by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). You can read more about how UK261 fits alongside other international regulations in our passenger rights overview.
Your rights depend on the type of disruption. UK261 contains three legally distinct entitlements, and it is worth keeping them separate: monetary compensation compensation up to £520, a refund of the price of your ticket or rebooking, and the right to care covers meals, accommodation, and transport while you wait.
If your flight arrives at its final destination 3 hours or more late, you may be entitled to compensation between £220 and £520, provided the delay was within the airline's control. The three-hour threshold comes from the Court of Justice of the European Union in Sturgeon v Condor and Böck v Air France (C-402/07 and C-432/07, 2009), which remains part of UK retained case law.
UK261 also sets obligations that apply at the airport before you depart, based on the expected length of the delay. Airlines have to provide care during your wait at the airport, starting at 2 hours for shorter flights. That assistance includes food, drinks, and access to communication such as phone calls or emails.
If the delay reaches 5 hours or more, you gain an additional right. You may choose not to travel and request reimbursement of the ticket price for the parts of the journey you did not fly. This right applies even when flight delay compensation is not owed.
When a flight is cancelled, the airline must offer you a choice between a full ticket refund or re-routing under comparable transport conditions. This is separate from compensation, and you can be entitled to both.
To be eligible for cancellation compensation up to £520, the cancellation should be within the airline's control, and you have to be informed within 14 days of departure. Additionally, your replacement flight has to meet specific conditions depending on when the airline cancelled the flight
The airline only escapes paying when its replacement flight meets both limits for your notice period. Failing either one is enough for you to claim.
Regardless of compensation, airlines must provide care and assistance while you wait. This includes food, drinks, accommodation if an overnight stay is required, and transport between the airport and the hotel. When informing you of a cancellation, the airline must also explain the alternative travel options available to you.
When a flight is overbooked, airlines will ask for volunteers to give up their seat. Passengers who choose to do that will be offered a replacement flight and assistance during their wait, but they fortify their right to monetary compensation under UK261.
If not enough volunteers come forward, airlines will choose passengers and deny them boarding involuntarily. If this happens to you, you're entitled to a replacement flight, assistance, and monetary compensation up to £520.
SkyRefund's aviation lawyers advice not to give up your seat voluntarily as the airline has to provide you with a new flight in any case, but you can also be compensated for your inconvenience.
Not every disrupted flight qualifies. Coverage depends on where the flight departs from, where it arrives, and which airline operates it.
| Flight type | Airline | UK261 coverage | Example route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Departing a UK airport | Any airline | Covered | London → New York (British Airways/American Airlines) |
| Arriving in the UK | UK-licensed or EU airline | Covered | Paris → London (Air France) |
| Arriving in the UK | Non-UK, non-EU airline | Not covered | New York → London (United Airlines) |
The key point is that all flights departing from the UK are covered, regardless of the airline. For flights arriving in the UK, coverage depends on whether the airline is licensed in the UK or the EU.
If your journey involves multiple legs booked under a single reservation, UK261 treats the trip as one journey, and eligibility is assessed on your arrival at the final destination. If you arrive more than 3 hours late at the final point in your journey, you might be eligible for a missed connection compensation.
Compensation amounts are fixed and depend on the distance of the flight, not on the ticket price. The same amounts apply to delays, cancellations, and denied boarding, as long as the eligibility conditions are met.
| Flight distance | Compensation per passenger | Example flights |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | £220 | Manchester → Amsterdam (490 km) |
| 1,500–3,500 km | £350 | Glasgow → Malaga (2,130 km) |
| Over 3,500 km | £520 | London → New York (5,550 km) |
These amounts apply per passenger, even when several people are travelling under the same booking. Distances are measured using the great-circle method, from the departure airport to the final destination.
Compensation may be reduced by 50% where the airline offers re-routing/rebooking, and you reach your final destination within a set window of the original scheduled arrival time. Those windows are two hours for flights up to 1,500 km, three hours for flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km, and four hours for flights over 3,500 km. Outside those windows, the full amount is due. The right to compensation is different from the right to re-routing and accepting a rebooked flight doesn't cancel your right to monetary compensation.
You can use our free flight compensation calculator to check what amount your flight is due based on the distance.
You can claim UK261 compensation directly with the airline, or let SkyRefund handle the legal and administrative work for you. We only charge a fee if your claim succeeds.
Enter your flight details into the flight compensation calculator to confirm your flight is covered by UK261 and see what it is worth.
You will need your boarding pass, booking confirmation, any correspondence from the airline about the disruption, receipts for additional expenses such as meals or a hotel, and proof of involuntary denied boarding if it applies.
Submit your claim to SkyRefund. Our legal team assesses the case, contacts the airline, and pursues the claim on your behalf. If the claim succeeds, you receive your compensation.
This lets you pursue your rights with no upfront cost and no legal complexity.
Airlines are not required to pay compensation when extraordinary circumstances cause the disruption. These are events outside the airline's control that could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. The definition comes from Wallentin-Hermann v Alitalia (C-549/07, 2008), which established that a problem must be outside the airline's actual control, not merely inconvenient or unexpected.
Common examples include:
Routine technical problems are generally not extraordinary circumstances because maintenance is part of running an airline.
Even when compensation is not due, extraordinary circumstances do not remove all your rights. The airline must still provide care at the airport. For the detail on where airlines dispute these claims, see our guide to extraordinary circumstances and your right to compensation.
UK261 covers more than compensation. It also grants rights that apply during a disruption regardless of whether compensation is owed.
Airlines must provide care to passengers when a flight is significantly delayed or cancelled. This applies even in cases of extraordinary circumstances, which is why a weather cancellation still entitles you to a hotel room. Depending on the waiting time, this may include:
Airlines must provide assistance once a delay reaches:
| Flight distance | Delay before assistance is due | Example flight |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | 2 hours | Glasgow → Dublin (300 km) |
| 1,500–3,500 km | 3 hours | London → Athens (2,430 km) |
| Over 3,500 km | 4 hours | Manchester → Dubai (5,660 km) |
If the airline fails to provide care, keep your receipts and claim the cost back. Our guide explains when airlines must provide food, accommodation, and transport in full.
UK261 gives priority protection to passengers with reduced mobility, unaccompanied children, and passengers with special needs. In the event of a delay, cancellation, or denied boarding:
These protections apply regardless of the cause of the disruption.
UK261 also protects passengers placed in a lower travel class than the one they paid for. If this happens, the airline must reimburse a fixed percentage of the ticket price within seven days:
| Flight distance | Reimbursement | Example route |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | 30% of the ticket price | London → Paris (350 km) |
| 1,500–3,500 km | 50% of the ticket price | Glasgow → Malaga (2,130 km) |
| Over 3,500 km | 75% of the ticket price | New York → London (5,550 km, British Airways) |
You have 6 years to bring to claim in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, under the Limitation Act 1980, and 5 years in Scotland, under the Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973. The time limit is set by national limitation law, not by the regulation itself.
This means you can still claim compensation for a flight that was disrupted several years ago, as long as it falls within that window and the eligibility conditions are met. Time limits differ in other countries, so if your flight was covered by another regulation, check our guide to the time limit for claiming flight compensation.
Airlines may request supporting documents such as booking confirmations or boarding passes. Claiming sooner makes the process smoother and reduces the risk of missing paperwork.
SkyRefund has helped over 1,600,000 passengers claim what they are owed since 2017, with a 98% success rate. We disclose that figure, where most competitors will not.
Our aviation law experts handle the entire claims process under UK261, EU261, and other international legal frameworks, so you do not have to negotiate with airlines or deal with legal procedure. SkyRefund works on a no win, no fee basis, and our standard fee is 35% of the total compensation recovered.
To get started, use the flight compensation checker. It shows what you could be entitled to without doing the maths yourself, and once you have confirmed your eligibility you can submit a claim and leave it with the SkyRefund team.
UK261 compensation is £220 for flights up to 1,500 km, £350 for flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km, and £520 for flights over 3,500 km. The amount depends on the distance of the flight, not the price of your ticket, and it is paid per passenger.
Yes. UK261 is the retained UK version of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 and remains fully in force. It was carried into UK law when the transition period ended, with minor adaptations, and compensation was fixed in sterling rather than converted from euros each time.
They are near-identical in structure, but not the same law. UK261 pays £220, £350, and £520, while EU261 pays €250, €400, and €600. The scope also differs: UK261 covers flights departing the UK and flights arriving in the UK on a UK or EU carrier, whereas EU261 covers departures from the EU and arrivals in the EU on an EU carrier. Some routes are covered by both, and you claim under one only.
You have six years in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and five years in Scotland. These limits come from national limitation law rather than from UK261 itself, so a flight disrupted several years ago may still be claimable.
Usually not. Severe weather is treated as an extraordinary circumstance, which removes the airline's obligation to pay compensation. Your right to care survives, so the airline must still provide meals, and accommodation and transport if you are delayed overnight. Keep your receipts if the airline fails to arrange this.
Only if the airline is UK or EU licensed. A British Airways or Virgin Atlantic flight from New York to London is covered. The same route on a US carrier such as United or Delta is not because arrival-side coverage depends on the operating airline. Flights departing the UK are covered regardless of the airline.
Reviewed by Tsvetelina Botseva, Legal Counsel at SkyRefund
Last reviewed: 28 August 2026
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