UK261 · EU261 · BA
British Airways flight compensation
British Airways owes £220, £350 or £520 under UK261, or €250, €400 or €600 under EU261 on flights from the EU, 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 complaints and claims page; if it refuses a UK claim, the free escalation is CEDR, its approved ADR scheme.
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: UK Civil Aviation Authority, but for UK flights BA belongs to CEDR, so a refused claim goes there rather than to the CAA. For a flight from the EU, complain to the enforcement body of the departure country: see enforcement bodies.
Registered in
United Kingdom
Not an EU carrier. A BA flight from the UK to the EU is a UK261 claim because it departs the UK; a flight from the EU is an EU261 claim. Into the UK from outside, UK261 covers it as a UK carrier.
Where to send it
- Claim first
- Use the compensation form on BA’s complaints and claims page.
- UK flights
- British Airways belongs to CEDR, a CAA-approved scheme. A refused claim on a UK flight goes there, free, rather than to the CAA.
- Germany
- British Airways 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 British Airways handles claims.
- A flight departing the EU is an EU261 claim in euros; a flight departing the UK is a UK261 claim in sterling. Check which one the offer is in.
- 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 blames a systems or IT failure, ask what made it extraordinary and unavoidable: under Art 5(3) that is for the airline to prove.
- 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 British Airways 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 CEDR for a UK flight, or to the enforcement body of the EU 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 British Airways?
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. British Airways 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 British Airways?
Use the compensation form on British Airways' complaints and claims page, quoting Article 7 and your flight number, and allow 28 days. If it refuses a claim on a UK flight, escalate free to CEDR, its approved ADR scheme; for a flight from the EU, to the enforcement body of the departure country.
Which regulator covers British Airways?
For UK flights, the UK Civil Aviation Authority, but because British Airways belongs to the CEDR scheme, a refused claim goes to CEDR rather than to the CAA. For a flight departing an EU country, complain to that country's enforcement body (Article 16).