British Airways rejected your claim: what to do next

How British Airways refuses, and what each refusal is worth

BA’s refusals arrive by e-mail from Customer Relations, usually within four to six weeks, and — unlike many airlines — they normally name a cause. That is useful: a named cause can be tested. The three you will see most:

• “Air traffic control restrictions” or “adverse weather at Heathrow.” Both can be extraordinary, but only for a flight they actually affected. Ask BA for the restriction reference or the weather report and the time window, and whether other BA departures on the same route operated. A regulation that ended two hours before your slot does not explain your delay; neither does weather at the destination the day before.
• “The delay was caused by the late arrival of the inbound aircraft.” A rotation problem is BA’s scheduling. It is only extraordinary if the original cause of the inbound delay was, and BA then has to show it could not have swapped aircraft or crew — at Heathrow, where BA bases most of its fleet, that is a high bar.
• “Operational reasons” or “circumstances beyond our control” with no detail. Not a legal category. Reply that the burden of proof is on the carrier and ask for the specific cause; BA usually supplies one at that point.

BA also refuses on scope grounds when the flight was operated by a partner (American Airlines, Iberia, Qatar) under a BA flight number; that refusal is correct, and the claim goes to the operating airline under the rules that apply to its flight.

Escalating a British Airways refusal

BA is a member of CEDR, the approved ADR scheme, and has agreed to be bound by its decisions. CEDR accepts a case after BA’s final response, or after eight weeks without a substantive reply, and decides on the documents within about 90 days; it is free for passengers (CEDR’s scheme rules, March 2026: only a claims-management company that loses pays a £25 fee). Submit the booking, the boarding passes, BA’s refusal and your reply asking for the cause; CEDR asks BA for its evidence, which is where vague refusals collapse.

For BA departures from an EU airport, the enforcement body of the departure country — AESA in Spain, the DGAC in France, the LBA in Germany — is the alternative route, and CEDR can still be used because BA is a member.

Court

A county-court small claim (up to £10,000 in England and Wales) can be issued within six years of the flight; BA routinely settles once a claim is issued with the correct legal basis. State the arrival delay, the distance band, the article of the retained Regulation and the case law on the cause BA named. The rejection guide covers the four standard refusals and what beats each.

Read the rejection against the law

British Airways can lawfully refuse the £220, £350 or £520 compensation in only a few situations: the arrival delay was under 3 hours; the cancellation was announced 14 days or more ahead; a replacement flight met the legal time windows; the flight was outside the scope of UK261; or an extraordinary circumstance caused the disruption and reasonable measures could not have avoided it. Anything else — “operational reasons”, “we are not responsible”, a reference to British Airways’s own conditions — is not a defence.

Ask for the cause, in writing

Under Article 5(3) the burden of proof lies with British Airways. Reply to the rejection asking: what exactly caused this flight’s disruption; at what time and airport any restriction applied; whether other British Airways flights operated; and, for a knock-on delay, what caused the first delay in the rotation. An answer that cannot name a specific cause is an answer that fails the burden of proof.

Escalate to CEDR

After British Airways’s final answer, or 8 weeks without one, escalate to CEDR. An approved ADR scheme issues decisions that bind the airline; a national enforcement body investigates and can fine the airline, though it does not always award your money. Either is free to you and needs only the claim, the rejection and your reply.

The court route and the deadline

A small claim in the country of departure (or of British Airways’s seat) is the final step and often the one that produces payment. The limitation period depends on that country — from one to six years — so a rejection should never be left to run the clock. Horvera’s country pages list the period for each departure country.

What to send when you go back to British Airways

• the booking reference, flight number and date;
• the scheduled and actual arrival times, or the cancellation notice with its timestamp;
• the distance band and the amount claimed per passenger (£220, £350 or £520);
• the case law on the cause British Airways named (technical: Wallentin-Hermann, van der Lans; own strike: Krüsemann, Airhelp v SAS; crew: TAP C-156/22);
• a deadline of 14 days before escalation.