British Airways flight delay compensation
British Airways owes £220, £350 or £520 under UK261, or the euro equivalents under EU261, per passenger for an arrival three or more hours late, a short-notice cancellation, or denied boarding. The sum is fixed by distance and is separate from any refund.
Work out what British Airways owes you →What British Airways owes, by distance
| Distance of the flight | Compensation per passenger |
|---|---|
| Under 1,500 km | £220 |
| 1,500–3,500 km, or any UK domestic flight over 1,500 km | £350 |
| Over 3,500 km between the UK and elsewhere | £520 |
When it applies: Arrival 3+ hours late, cancellation notified less than 14 days ahead, or denied boarding. The figures come from UK Regulation 261 (retained EU law) and are per passenger, including children on their own ticket.
How to claim, in four steps
- Work out what British Airways owes. Enter the route, the date and how late you arrived. A flight from London is often covered by two statutes at once, and the calculator shows which of them pays more.
- Write the demand. The letter is dated, cites UK Regulation 261 (retained EU law) by article, and is addressed to British Airways Plc. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
- Send it to British Airways. Use “Complaints and claims — Help and contacts” below, and keep a copy of what you submitted. A claim that exists only in a phone call cannot be proved afterwards.
- Escalate to the UK Civil Aviation Authority. If British Airways refuses or says nothing, the calculator writes the chaser and then the escalation letter, naming that regulator and citing the article the airline ignored.
Where to send it — British Airways's own claim pages
If you cannot claim online, British Airways accepts post at Customer Relations, EU Compensation Claims, PO Box 1126, Uxbridge UB8 9XS, United Kingdom. A posted letter with proof of delivery is the strongest record you can create.
The refusals British Airways sends, and what answers them
“Technical fault / unexpected maintenance issue”
Not extraordinary, and settled as such. Ask the airline to name the defect.
“Strike” (when the strikers are the airline's own staff)
A strike by the airline's own crew is ordinary business. Make it say whose strike.
“Weather” with no detail
Ask for the METAR or TAF for that hour, and whether other flights landed.
“We already refunded your ticket”
A refund and compensation are separate entitlements; one does not cancel the other.
Silence
Silence is not a defence. Set a deadline and name the regulator.
Each of these has a settled answer in case law — the UK261 page sets out the judgments, names the cases, and quotes what the airline has to prove instead.
Other things that go wrong on a British Airways flight
- When the airline blames a technical fault — when British Airways blames a technical fault
- Airline strike compensation — when British Airways cancels because of a strike
- “Extraordinary circumstances” — what actually counts — when British Airways calls it weather or “extraordinary”
- Your flight was cancelled — when British Airways cancels your flight outright
- Should you use a claim company? — when British Airways ignores you — and why you still do not need a claim company
- You missed your connection — a missed connection on a British Airways itinerary
- Denied boarding and overbooking — being bumped from an overbooked flight by British Airways
- They moved you to a lower class — being moved to a lower class by British Airways
- Your bag did not arrive — a bag British Airways delayed or lost
- Stuck at the airport: what the airline owes you now — meals and a hotel while British Airways leaves you waiting
Worked examples from London
- London → Paris — which law applies in each direction, and the amount
Questions
Where is the British Airways compensation claim form?
British Airways takes claims through its own page: Complaints and claims — Help and contacts. Submit it yourself and keep a copy or a screenshot of what you sent — a claim with no record is hard to chase. You do not need a claim company to use it.
How do I claim compensation from British Airways for a delayed flight?
Check what the flight is owed — it depends on distance and on how late you arrived, not on the fare. Then send British Airways a written claim through its form, citing UK Regulation 261 (retained EU law), and give it the time it asks for to answer. If it refuses or goes quiet, escalate to the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
How much does British Airways pay for a delayed flight?
£220 for under 1,500 km, £350 for 1,500–3,500 km, or any UK domestic flight over 1,500 km, £520 for over 3,500 km between the UK and elsewhere under UK Regulation 261 (retained EU law). The band is set by the distance of the flight, not by what the ticket cost.
Does British Airways have to pay if the delay was a technical fault?
Usually yes. A technical problem inherent in normal operations is not an extraordinary circumstance, so it does not excuse British Airways from paying. The judgments that establish this are set out on the UK261 page.
Do I have to accept a voucher?
No. Article 7(3) permits payment in vouchers only with your signed agreement, so you can decline one and ask for a bank transfer instead.
How long do I have to claim against British Airways?
Six years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; five in Scotland.
Open the calculator with British Airways selected →
Claiming from British Airways in practice
| How long British Airways takes to reply | British Airways publishes no target. That silence is itself useful: with no stated deadline, set your own in the letter and escalate when it passes. |
| How it pays | Bank transfer, or by post if you claim on paper. |
| Worth knowing | If you cannot claim online, BA accepts post at Customer Relations, EU Compensation Claims, PO Box 1126, Uxbridge UB8 9XS. |
Which band your route falls into, from LHR
Distance decides the amount, and it is measured as the great-circle distance between the two airports — not the miles flown. These are real distances from British Airways's main base, so you can see where the thresholds sit before you measure your own route.
| From LHR to | Distance | Band |
|---|---|---|
| LHR → Paris (CDG) | 347 km | £220 |
| LHR → Barcelona (BCN) | 1,148 km | £220 |
| LHR → Rome (FCO) | 1,443 km | £220 |
| LHR → Athens (ATH) | 2,426 km | £350 |
| LHR → Tel Aviv (TLV) | 3,588 km | £520 |
| LHR → Dubai (DXB) | 5,497 km | £520 |
| LHR → New York (JFK) | 5,540 km | £520 |
| LHR → Bangkok (BKK) | 9,577 km | £520 |
If British Airways refuses or says nothing
The regulator for British Airways is the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) (caa.co.uk). Take the claim there once the airline has had its chance to answer and has either refused or gone silent — bring the dated letter, the airline's reply, and your booking reference. Stage 3 of the calculator writes the escalation letter that names this body.
How long you have: Six years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; five in Scotland.