Air travel

Your air passenger rights: A simple guide

When you travel by air, you have certain legal rights that protect you if something goes wrong with your flight. These come from EU Regulation 261/2004 and the UK’s version of the same rules, often called UK 261. This guide explains the basics, so you know what support to expect if your flight is cancelled, delayed, overbooked, or affected by a problem with your booking.

When the rules apply:

You are covered by these rights in two main situations:

• Departs from the UK or EU, regardless of the airline; OR

• Arrives in the UK or EU on a UK or EU‑based carrier.

If your journey meets either of these conditions, the airline must follow the rules.

If your flight is cancelled

If your flight is cancelled, you must be offered a choice between a refund or rebooking.

A refund should be paid within seven days. You can ask for your money back if your flight does not operate or if you face a delay of five hours or more and decide not to travel. Choosing a refund means the airline no longer has to provide food, drinks or hotel accommodation.

If you prefer to continue with your journey, you can ask the airline to rebook you on the earliest available flight or on a later date that suits you. The new flight should offer a similar standard of travel to your original booking. Airlines usually will not cover extra travel costs, such as trains or car hire, unless this has been agreed in advance.

If your flight is delayed

If your flight is delayed, the airline must offer care and assistance once the delay reaches certain lengths. For short flights, this starts after two hours. For medium distance flights, it begins after three hours, and for long haul journeys, after four hours.

Care usually includes food, drinks and access to communication. If an overnight stay is needed, the airline must provide hotel accommodation and transport. Keep your receipts if you have to pay for anything yourself.

When you are told about the cancellation

The rules take into account how much notice you were given. If the airline informs you more than 14 days before departure, you are not entitled to compensation. Reduced compensation applies for notice between seven and 14 days. The highest levels apply when you are told less than seven days before your flight.

Compensation for delays and cancellations

Compensation may be owed if you arrive three hours or more later than planned or if your flight is cancelled at short notice. The amount is fixed and depends on your flight distance, notice period and how late you arrive at your final destination.

However, you will not receive compensation if the disruption was caused by something the airline could not avoid. These are known as extraordinary circumstances and include severe weather, air traffic control strikes, unsafe airspace, natural disasters or security threats. Routine technical faults with the aircraft usually do not fall into this category.

How much compensation can I claim?

If your flight is under 1,500 kilometres, you can claim £220 per person. 

If your flight is between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometres, you can claim £350 per person.

If your flight is over 3,500 kilometres, your compensation depends on the delay on arrival:

Arriving between 3 and 4 hours late: £260 per person

Arriving more than 4 hours late: £520 per person

Travel agents and booking websites

Your legal rights are always against the airline. This means they are responsible for refunds, rebooking and compensation. However, issues with travel agents and online intermediaries can still occur. These might include not passing on important updates, giving incorrect information or delaying refunds already paid by the airline. In some cases, you may need to contact both the airline and the intermediary to sort out the problem.

Who enforces these rights?

Across Europe, each country has a National Enforcement Body that oversees air passenger rights. In the UK, this role is carried out by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Some countries take a more active enforcement approach than others. Many individual disputes are handled by Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) bodies where airlines are signed up to an ADR scheme.