Claim flight delay compensation: how UK261 actually pays out
TIP · Free 30-second check whether your delayed or cancelled flight qualifies for £220-£540 compensation under UK261/EU261.
Delayed three hours? Cancelled at the gate? Bumped because the flight was oversold? Under UK261 (and the near-identical EU261 rules for flights touching Europe) you might be entitled to between £220 and £540 per passenger in cash — separate from your refund, and yours to keep whether the airline rebooked you or not.
The problem: airlines hope you don't claim. The forms are deliberately obtuse, the rejection rate on self-filed claims is high, and "we'll get back to you" emails go nowhere.
What you can claim
Compensation under UK261/EU261 covers:
- Flights cancelled less than 14 days before departure
- Flights delayed 3+ hours on arrival
- Being denied boarding due to overbooking
- Missing a connecting flight because of an upstream delay
Payouts are tiered by flight distance:
- Short-haul (under 1,500km) — £220 per passenger
- Medium-haul (1,500–3,500km) — £350 per passenger
- Long-haul (over 3,500km) — £520–£540 per passenger
That's per passenger. A family of four hit by a delayed Manchester-to-Tenerife flight can be owed £1,400.
The honest catch
"Extraordinary circumstances" — strikes by third parties, severe weather, lightning strikes, security alerts — exempt the airline. That covers about 30% of disruptions. The other 70% (mechanical issues, crew shortages, late inbound aircraft, operational decisions, knock-on delays) are airline-fault and you're owed money.
Check eligibility in 30 seconds
Type your flight number + date below — AirHelp checks the historical delay/cancellation record and tells you immediately whether you've got a claim worth pursuing. Free to check, free to file. They take a percentage of any payout — you only pay if they win.
How it works with AirHelp
You upload your boarding pass + flight details. They check the flight history, verify eligibility against UK261/EU261, then file the claim on your behalf — including legal action if the airline refuses to pay. Average wait is 8-12 weeks; some cases settle in days.
Their fees
AirHelp takes ~35% of the compensation if they win. No win, no fee — you never pay out of pocket. If you've got the time and patience to handle it yourself (and the airline hasn't already refused you), you'll keep more by filing direct via the airline's website. But the trade-off is real: AirHelp's win rate on disputed claims is much higher than self-filing because they take airlines to court routinely.
When to use them, when to DIY
Use AirHelp if:
- The airline has refused your direct claim
- You don't have time / inclination for paperwork
- The flight was 3+ years ago (close to the 6-year UK limit)
- You're claiming for several passengers — the admin scales
Try direct first if:
- You've got documentation + the time
- The airline has explicitly admitted fault
- It's a clear-cut 3+ hour delay on a UK/EU carrier
Strike compensation specifically
Airline staff strikes (cabin crew, pilots) count as airline fault and DO qualify for compensation. Air-traffic-control strikes and ground-handler strikes are "extraordinary circumstances" and don't. AirHelp's strike-specific tool tracks which historical strikes are eligible: check strike compensation.
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