EU261 · UK261 · EI
Aer Lingus flight compensation
Aer Lingus owes €250, €400 or €600 depending on distance when you arrive three hours or more late, or your flight is cancelled at short notice, for a reason within its control. Claim through its post-travel requests page first; if it refuses, escalate free to the enforcement body of the country you departed from, which for flights from Ireland is the Irish Aviation Authority.
Checked against its sources
Typical amounts
€250 · €400 · €600
£220 · £350 · £520 under UK261. On a flight over 3,500 km outside the EU the amount can be halved if you arrive no more than four hours late, Art 7(2)(c).
Regulator
Where you departed
Home regulator: Irish Aviation Authority (competent for flights departing Ireland). Otherwise complain to the body where your flight departed, or for a flight into the EU from outside, the arrival country: see enforcement bodies.
Registered in
Ireland
An EU carrier, so EU261 also covers its flights into the EU from outside, including North American arrivals Art 3(1)(b). Some regional and UK-based flights are operated by other carriers, so check the operating carrier.
Where to send it
- Claim first
- Use the post-travel form on Aer Lingus’ requests and enquiries page.
- UK flights
- Aer Lingus is not on the CAA’s list of airlines in an approved ADR scheme, so on a UK flight the CAA’s Passenger Advice and Complaints Team may help (its view is not binding).
- Germany
- Aer Lingus is not on the member list of Schlichtung Reise & Verkehr (formerly söp) dated 1 July 2026.
- Anywhere else
- The enforcement body of the country you departed from, or for a flight into the EU from outside, the arrival country Art 16. Free to use.
Before you accept a refusal
Our advice, not a description of how Aer Lingus handles claims.
- On long-haul offers, check the arithmetic: the 50% reduction in Art 7(2) applies only where the arrival delay is within the limit for the distance (four hours on flights over 3,500 km).
- If the refusal cites air traffic control restrictions, a strike or weather, ask which event affected your flight and how. Under Art 5(3) the airline has to show the circumstance was extraordinary and could not have been avoided even with all reasonable measures.
- Claim from the airline that operated the flight, shown as “operated by” on the booking. It may not be the one whose name is on the ticket.
- The deadline for going to court is set by the country whose courts hear the claim, not by the airline: see time limits by country.
Claim it yourself first
- Write to Aer Lingus quoting the article. “I am claiming under Article 7 for a delayed arrival on [flight] on [date].” Free, and you keep the whole amount. Use the template.
- Give them 28 days and diary the deadline.
- Refuse a voucher offered in place of cash.
- Escalate free to the enforcement body of the country you departed from, if they refuse.
- Only then consider a claims service.
Doing it yourself costs nothing and keeps the full amount.
Questions
How much compensation can I claim from Aer Lingus?
The amount depends on flight distance, not on the airline or your fare: €250, €400 or €600 under Article 7(1), or £220, £350 or £520 under UK261. Aer Lingus flies long-haul, so all three bands occur; on flights over 3,500 km the amount can be halved where the arrival delay is no more than four hours.
How do I claim compensation from Aer Lingus?
Use the post-travel form on Aer Lingus' requests and enquiries page, quoting Article 7 and your flight number, and allow 28 days. If it refuses, escalate free to the enforcement body of the country you departed from.
Which regulator covers Aer Lingus?
It depends on where the flight departed, not on the airline. The Irish Aviation Authority handles flights departing Ireland; for a flight from another EU country, complain to that country's body, and for a flight into the EU from outside, to the arrival country's body (Article 16).