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EU Regulations

Know where you stand at 42,000 feet

Since 2004, passengers have had greater rights if their flight goes wrong. We’re here to help you understand why.

Up to £520 compensation

Expert support when you need it

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100% no win, no fee

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Flying in the face of disruption

Since the EU 261 regulation was passed in 2004, all European passengers have been better protected against severe flight disruption.

Whether it’s long delays, cancellations, missed connections or flight re-bookings, if you’re inconvenienced, you can be compensated.

Covered across the continent

If you have a valid ticket and booking confirmation, start or end your trip in the EU or fly with an airline headquartered in the EU, you’re covered by Regulation 261/2004

It doesn’t even matter if you’re:

Booked on a package holiday
Using a low-cost airline
On a business trip
A child on a paid ticket
Or flying on free or reduced tickets under customer loyalty or promotional programmes

You’re going places…Airlines shouldn’t stand in the way.

In short, EU Regulation 261/2004 is in place to protect passengers against any inconvenience an airline has the power to prevent.

In full: “Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 February 2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights.” Specifically, it covers the below:

It’s intended for anyone who’s suffered delayed or cancelled flights, overbooking or denied boarding
It promotes access to basic services in the event of flights cancelled or delayed for several hours
It grants the right to request a seat on another flight, or to withdraw from the scheduled flight if it is cancelled or delayed by more than 5 hours
It obliges airlines to inform their passengers of flight delays, cancellations and their rights
It’s intended for anyone who’s suffered delayed or cancelled flights, overbooking or denied boarding
Depending on the circumstances, and certain conditions, it could result in compensation of between £220 and £520 per person

4 routes to compensation

Delayed arrival

If your flight arrives at its final destination more than 3 hours late

Cancelled flights

If you’re informed your flight’s cancelled less than 14 days before departure

Denied boarding

If your flight is overbooked and you are not offered a seat on board

Flight re-routed

If you reach your final destination over 3 hours late due to a missed connecting flight — even if only the flights were operated by different airlines.

Airmiles have never been more valuable

If you’ve flown in the EU, or with an EU airline in the past 6 years and meet the regulation criteria, you could land hundreds in compensation.

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Up to

£220

for flights up to 1,500 km

eg. London to Edinburgh

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Up to

£350

for flights 1,500km to 3,500km

eg. London to Athens

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Up to

£520

for flights over 3,500km

eg. London to Tokyo

These amounts can be reduced by 50% if your airline offers an alternative flight which meets specific time criteria relative to the original schedule.

The right to know your rights

Every airline must clearly and completely inform passengers of their rights.

This can be in the form of warnings when you buy your tickets, written notices if your flight is delayed or updated information on their website.

If you’re unaware of your rights, question the flight.

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Top tip

A voucher — an airline’s favourite (and cheapest) pay-out — does not negate their need to pay compensation.

Wait a minute…

This is all very well and good. But what about while you’re at the airport?

The same EU Regulation states that if your flight is disrupted, you’re owed more than any potential compensation, regardless of whether the airline is responsible for the situation or not. Below you can see your entitlements based on the length of the delay and the distance of your flight:

Short distance

up to 1500km

If your departure is delayed over 2 hours or your flight is cancelled.

Free drinks and food, 2 telephone calls, emails or faxes

Medium distance

between 1500 and 3500km

If your departure is delayed over 3 hours or your flight is cancelled.

Free drinks and food, 2 telephone calls, emails or faxes

Long-haul

over 3500km

If your departure is delayed over 4 hours or your flight is cancelled.

Free drinks and food, 2 telephone calls, emails or faxes

In the case of overbooking, you’re immediately entitled to all additional benefits. And with flight delays and cancellation, even more. If you’re stuck at the airport for longer than 5 hours, you have every right to cancel flights. If your flight is postponed until the following day, the airline must put you up in a hotel for the night.

And what about ‘extraordinary circumstances’?

If you’ve ever made a claim, you’ll be familiar with these two words. Often seen as an airline’s get-out-of-jail-free card, they can be the legal loophole any airline needs to save some money. Some of the most common include:

Bad weather conditions

Air traffic control

Crew sickness

Public strikes

Lightning strikes

Bird strikes

However, these situations do not automatically exempt airlines from paying up. According to the ECJ ruling of 11 June 2020 (Case C-74/19), they must prove that they took all possible measures to re-route affected passengers at the earliest opportunity.

Now you know

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Flights leaving and arriving in the UK/EU

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