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British Airways cancelled flight compensation

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Quick answer

When British Airways cancels your flight you always get the choice between a full refund and re-routing, plus meals and a hotel while you wait. Compensation of £220, £350 or £520 per passenger is due on top if British Airways told you less than 14 days before departure and did not offer a replacement flight within the legal time windows — unless it proves extraordinary circumstances.

Operating carrier

British Airways BA / BAW · United Kingdom

UK-licensed carrier — UK261 applies to its flights departing from the UK and to its flights into the UK. EU261 applies to its flights departing from the EU.

Applicable regimes: BA CityFlyer

Where to send your claim

Postal address
British Airways Customer Relations, EU Compensation Claims, PO Box 1126, Uxbridge, UB8 9XS, United Kingdom
Dispute-resolution scheme
CEDR

Cancellation compensation on typical British Airways routes

  • London → New York (5,540 km)£520
  • New York → London (5,540 km)€600
  • London → Paris (348 km)£220
  • London → Athens (2,427 km)£350
  • Madrid → London (1,244 km)€250
  • London → Dubai (5,498 km)£520

Due when {airline} informed you less than 14 days before departure and no replacement flight met the legal time windows.

Direct answer

Short answer
If British Airways told you of the cancellation less than 14 days before departure and did not re-route you within the legal windows, UK261 compensation is due per passenger unless British Airways proves an extraordinary circumstance.
Amount
£220–£600per passenger on British Airways’s typical routes, by distance
Why
Compensation depends on when British Airways informed you and what it offered (Article 5); the amount is fixed by distance. Refund or re-routing and care are due whatever the cause.
What can change it
  • You were told 14 days or more before departure: no fixed compensation, but refund or re-routing
  • British Airways re-routed you within the legal windows (2 h early / 4 h late with 7–14 days’ notice; 1 h / 2 h under 7 days)
  • British Airways proves an extraordinary circumstance for your flight — weather, ATC, a third-party strike — and that it could not avoid the delay
  • Another airline operated the aircraft: the operating carrier owes the compensation, not British Airways
Check your flight
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Official source
Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as retained in UK law (assimilated law) — UK Government — legislation.gov.ukLast checked against the source on 23 September 2026

Can British Airways passengers claim compensation?

Yes. British Airways holds a UK licence, so Regulation 261 covers its flights departing from the EU/EEA, the UK or Switzerland and its flights into them: £220–£520 per passenger for an arrival delay of 3 hours or more, a cancellation announced under 14 days ahead, or denied boarding — unless the airline proves an extraordinary circumstance.

Does this apply to your flight?

British Airways flight affected?

A few short questions — no flight number needed yet. You get a preliminary result on the facts you give; the full check confirms it from the itinerary.

Already known from this page

  • British Airways
  • Cancelled

When were you told about the cancellation?

British Airways cancellations: what is specific

BA cancels short-haul Heathrow flights for ATC restrictions, weather and crew availability, and sometimes announces schedule thinning weeks in advance. Announced 14 days or more ahead, a cancellation carries no compensation but BA must refund or rebook you — including on another airline where it cannot rebook you promptly, which matters on routes BA flies once a day.

Inside 14 days, compensation is due unless the replacement flight BA offered met the legal windows or the cause was extraordinary. BA’s own staff strikes, IT outages and aircraft problems are not extraordinary; ATC and severe weather can be. BA belongs to CEDR, whose decisions it has agreed to follow, so a refused claim with a vague reason is worth escalating.

The three questions that decide a British Airways cancellation claim

  1. When did British Airways tell you? Informed 14 days or more before departure: no compensation, but a refund or re-routing and care. Less than 14 days: compensation is due unless a replacement flight met the windows below or the cause was extraordinary. British Airways must prove when and how it informed you — keep its cancellation e-mail or app notification with the timestamp.
  2. What replacement did British Airways offer? Between 7 and 14 days’ notice, no compensation if the re-routing departed no more than 2 hours early and arrived less than 4 hours late; under 7 days’ notice the margins shrink to 1 hour early and 2 hours late.
  3. Why was it cancelled? Weather, air-traffic-control restrictions, security and external strikes are extraordinary; British Airways’s technical problems, crew shortages, rotation planning and its own staff’s strikes are not.

Some short-haul flights are operated by BA CityFlyer (CJ) or BA Euroflyer (both UK AOCs). Check the operating carrier on your boarding pass: the rules follow the airline that flew the aircraft, not the one that sold the ticket.

What you always get, whatever the reason

Compensation may depend on the cause, but three rights never do. British Airways must offer you the choice between a full refund of the unused ticket (within 7 days, in cash or bank transfer — a voucher only with your agreement) and re-routing to your final destination at the earliest opportunity or on a later date of your choice. While you wait for the re-routing British Airways must provide meals, refreshments, two calls or e-mails and, when an overnight stay becomes necessary, a hotel and transport to it. If it leaves you to arrange this yourself, keep receipts and claim the reasonable amounts.

How much British Airways owes when compensation is due

£220, £350 or £520 per passenger under UK261, set by the distance of the flight (or of the whole journey on one booking). British Airways may halve the long-haul amount to £260 when the replacement flight it offered arrived within the reduction windows (2 hours late for short flights, 3 hours for medium, 4 hours for long).

How to claim a cancellation from British Airways

  1. Keep the cancellation notice, the original booking and the details of any replacement flight offered (departure and arrival times).
  2. Ask British Airways in writing for the reason for the cancellation.
  3. Submit the claim through British Airways’s official channel (https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/delayed-or-cancelled-flights/compensation), or by post to British Airways Customer Relations, EU Compensation Claims, PO Box 1126, Uxbridge, UB8 9XS, United Kingdom, stating the notice date, the replacement offered (or not) and the amount per passenger.
  4. If British Airways refuses or stalls for 8 weeks, escalate to CEDR, then to the courts within the limitation period of the departure country.

Prepare the claim letter

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Frequently asked questions

Do I get compensation if British Airways cancelled my flight two weeks in advance?

Not fixed compensation: cancellations announced 14 days or more before departure are exempt. British Airways still owes you the choice between a full refund and re-routing, and care if you travel on the replacement flight.

Can British Airways give me a voucher instead of a refund?

Only with your written agreement. The refund must be paid in cash, by bank transfer or card within 7 days. You can decline a voucher and insist on money.

Is a strike a valid reason for British Airways not to pay?

A strike by British Airways's own pilots, cabin crew or ground staff is not an extraordinary circumstance, so compensation is due. Strikes by air-traffic controllers or airport staff outside British Airways's control are extraordinary, but the refund, re-routing and care rights still apply.

British Airways rebooked me on a flight the next day — is that compensable?

If you were informed less than 7 days before departure, compensation is due unless the replacement departed at most 1 hour early and arrived less than 2 hours late — a next-day flight almost always exceeds that. British Airways also owes a hotel and meals for the night.

British Airways cancelled my flight two days before — how much is due?

The fixed amount by distance — £220, £350 or £520 (€250–€600 for EU departures) — unless the alternative BA offered departed at most 1 hour early and arrived less than 2 hours late, or BA proves an extraordinary circumstance. You also choose between a refund and re-routing.

BA offered me a flight the next day — do I still get compensation?

Yes. A next-day flight is far outside the legal re-routing windows, so the cancellation carries compensation unless the cause was extraordinary. BA must also provide a hotel and meals for the night.

Sources

  1. Court of Justice of the European UnionCase C-28/20 Airhelp v Scandinavian Airlines — a strike organised by the airline's own staff is not an extraordinary circumstance
  2. Court of Justice of the European UnionCase C-11/11 Air France v Folkerts — compensation for connecting flights depends on the delay at the final destination
  3. Court of Justice of the European UnionJoined Cases C-195/17 etc. Krüsemann v TUIfly — a "wildcat strike" by airline staff is not an extraordinary circumstance
  4. Court of Justice of the European UnionJoined Cases C-402/07 and C-432/07 Sturgeon v Condor and Böck v Air France — passengers of flights delayed by three hours or more may claim compensation
  5. Court of Justice of the European UnionCase C-549/07 Wallentin-Hermann v Alitalia — technical problems are not, as such, extraordinary circumstances
  6. European CommissionInterpretative Guidelines on Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (2016/C 214/04)
  7. European Parliament and CouncilRegulation (EC) No 261/2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights
  8. UK Civil Aviation AuthorityAlternative dispute resolution (ADR) for aviation complaints
  9. UK Civil Aviation AuthorityDelays and cancellations — your rights
  10. UK Government — legislation.gov.ukLimitation Act 1980, section 5 — six years for actions founded on simple contract (England and Wales)
  11. UK Government — legislation.gov.ukRegulation (EC) No 261/2004 as retained in UK law (assimilated law)
  12. UK Government — legislation.gov.ukThe Air Passenger Rights and Air Travel Organisers' Licensing (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (SI 2019/278)

Last legally reviewed: 17 September 2026 · Content updated: 17 September 2026

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