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Regulations regarding delayed flight compensation
Everything started with the European Regulation (EC) No. 261/2004, called also the Flight Compensation Regulation. Its introduction was one of the biggest wins for air passengers in Europe, forcing airlines to pay compensation in case of a cancelled flight. In 2009, the regulation started also covering flight delays of at least 3 hours.
Thankfully for the British residents, the EU regulation was adapted into the UK law after Brexit. The new law is called 'The Air Passenger Rights and Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019’.
Flying outside of the UK and EU? Your flight might also be covered!
Delayed flight compensation : How much can I get?
This depends on the distance between your point of origin and your point of arrival.
| Distance of your flight | Compensation |
|---|---|
| Flights shorter than 1,500 km | Get £220 per passenger |
| Flight between 1,500 and 3,500 km | Get £350 per passenger |
| Flights of over 1,500 kilometres within the EU | Get £350 per passenger |
| Flights of over 3,500 kilometres outside of the EU | Get €600 per passenger |
Remember that in order to get the compensation, your flight must have been delayed by at least 3 hours.
Can I get compensation if my flight was cancelled?
Generally, if your flight was cancelled fewer than 14 days in advance, you are eligible for cancelled flight compensation. However, there are some additional criteria that must be met. See the table below for details.
| Cancellation notice | Alternative flight | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer than 7 days in advance | Departs 1h+ earlier or arrived 2h+ later | Yes |
| 7-14 days in advance | Departs 2h+ earlier or arrived 4h+ later | Yes |
| Fewer than 14 days in advance | No alternative flight offered | Yes + refund |
It’s also worth noting that if you have not been offered an alternative flight or the alternative flight does not meet your schedule, you are eligible for a flight refund.
If your flight has been cancelled fewer than 14 days before the departure date and you have not been offered an alternative flight, you are entitled to both a refund and compensation.
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Can I get flight delay compensation for a flight outside of the UK or EU?
Yes, but only in some cases.
If you are flying with a British or European carrier, it doesn’t matter where you go — you are always entitled to flight delay compensation if your flight was delayed by at least 3 hours.
However, if you are flying with an airline not headquartered in the UK or EU, you can only get flight delay compensation if the delay happens on your flight from UK/EU.
See the table below for more details.
| Type of flight | Example | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Flying with a British carrier | Tokyo to London with British Airways | Yes |
| Flying with a EU carrier | Amsterdam to London with KLM | Yes |
| Flying with a non-UK/non-EU carrier from the UK | London to Tokyo with Japan Airlines | Yes |
| Flying with a non-UK/non-EU carrier to the UK | Tokyo to London with Japan Airlines | No |
Can the airline deny me flight delay compensation?
Unfortunately, many airlines still decide to deny passengers their delayed flight compensation. They often believe that the passenger — especially one not aided by a legal professional — will not decide to pursue the case to court.
At Flight-Delayed.com, we have legal teams in 9 countries and over 10 years of experience in getting passengers the money they are owed. In many cases, we are able to process the flight delay compensation claim faster thanks to our knowledge of the industry and airlines; and if mediation doesn’t work, we will fight for you in court. All this is handled on the ‘no win, no fee’ basis — you don’t have to pay us anything until the airline issues your flight delay compensation.
However, keep in mind that there are also the so-called extraordinary circumstances in which the airline can rightfully deny the flight delay compensation:
Bad weather, such as thick fog, heavy rain, or thunderstorms.
A strike, most often specifically within the aviation industry.
HOWEVER! A strike of a specific airline/their crew is not considered an extraordinary circumstance!
Political circumstances, such as a terrorist attack or general security risk due to political unrest.
Natural disasters, including volcanic eruptions and hurricanes.
A collision between the aircraft and birds or other foreign objects.
An unruly or ill passenger.
Flight delays caused by the airport staff, such as extraordinarily long queues to security checks.
How long do I have to submit my flight delay compensation claim in the UK?
The United Kingdom has some of the longest periods to submit a delayed flight compensation claim — you have to 6 years to do so.
If the UK is not part of your itinerary, different local regulations may apply. For example, in France, you have 5 years to submit your delayed flight compensation claim, but in Poland, you have only 1 year.
When claiming delayed flight compensation, the passenger has the right to choose between three laws: the law in force in the country where the passenger is flying from, the law in force in the country where the passenger is flying to, and the law in force in the country where the airline used is headquartered.
For example, if you are flying with Eurowings from France to the UK, three laws apply:
German law, as Eurowings is a German airline — up to 3 years to submit a flight delay compensation claim.
French law, as France is the point of departure — up to 5 years to submit a flight delay compensation claim.
British law, as the UK is the point of arrival — up to 6 years to submit a flight delay compensation claim.
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Cancelled or delayed flight compensation: Can additional expenses also be reimbursed?
Yes! Not only could you be entitled to flight delay compensation, but you could also get your money back for unexpected expenses. Additional expenses can include unexpected hotel bookings due to very lengthy delays or sudden cancellations, food in airport restaurants, as well as spendings on taxis or car rentals.
If you decide to submit your flight delay compensation claim with Flight-Delayed.com, you can upload all the bills to our online system. We’ll carefully review them and include them in your case against the airline.
How long will it take to get my delayed flight compensation?
Thanks to our extensive experience in the industry and good relationship with many airlines, we are able to process your flight delay compensation claim fast and get it the much-needed attention. If our legal team manages to settle your claim directly with the airline, you can expect the payout within a few weeks or months.
Unfortunately, if the airline is unresponsive or the case has to be taken to court, the process of getting your flight delay compensation might take significantly longer, up to a few years. However, rest assured that we will always keep you well informed on any updates regarding your flight delay claim and fight for your rights until the very end.
We have won 98% of court cases against airlines and work exclusively on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis.
How to claim flight delay compensation?
With over 10+ years of experience, full focus on flight claims, legal teams in 9 countries, and a 98% success rate in courts, Flight-Delayed.com is the best option when it comes to claiming compensation for a delayed or cancelled flight.
Our process is as streamlined as possible — you can submit your claim using our Claim Calculator and then upload all your documents into your online account. We also keep everything mobile-friendly — you can go through the whole process using only your phone!
After your delayed flight compensation claim is submitted, we will take care of the legal work for you. This includes any paperwork, mediation with the airline, and eventual court case. As we work on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis, we’ll only collect our fee after the airline issues your delayed flight compensation.
Learn more about our fees on our Price List page or simply start the claiming process right away.
Why claim with Flight-Delayed.com
1m passengers helped
9 legal teams in 9 countries
98% of court cases won
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