London Gatwick flight compensation
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Quick answer
Every departure from London Gatwick is covered by UK261 — £220, £350 or £520 per passenger depending on distance — whatever the airline. Gatwick is the world's busiest single-runway airport, so ATC flow restrictions and weather are the most common defences; BA belongs to CEDR; easyJet, TUI and Wizz Air to AviationADR.
Rules for flights departing London Gatwick Airport
Every flight departing from London Gatwick Airport is covered by UK261, regardless of the airline. Amounts are in pounds sterling.
Flights into London Gatwick Airport from outside the UK are covered only when operated by a UK- or EU-licensed airline.
Location: LGW / EGKK · 51.1487, -0.1857 · United Kingdom
Care and re-routing when leaving London
Delayed at the gate: meals, refreshments and two calls or e-mails from 2 h of delay on flights up to 1,500 km, 3 h up to 3,500 km (and on every intra-EU flight over 1,500 km), 4 h beyond — plus a hotel and transport when the departure moves to the next day. Owed whatever the cause.
Cancelled or denied boarding: the choice between a refund of the unused ticket within 7 days and re-routing to your destination at the earliest opportunity or on a later date of your choosing, with care while you wait.
Delayed 5 h or more: you may give up the journey and take a full refund of the unused ticket, with a return flight to your departure point if the trip has lost its purpose.
Gatwick runs the busiest single runway in the world. When fog, wind or ATC staffing cuts the arrival rate, the delay cascades through every rotation for the rest of the day — and a knock-on delay is only extraordinary when the first cause in the chain was.
Enforcement body
UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)
Approved ADR schemes: AviationADR (https://www.aviationadr.org.uk — Ryanair, easyJet, TUI Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Wizz Air and others) and CEDR (https://www.cedr-assist.com/consumer/aviation/ — British Airways, BA CityFlyer, Cathay Pacific, SAS). Airlines not in a scheme, including Jet2: CAA Passenger Advice and Complaints Team (PACT).
Example routes from London
- Barcelona (BCN) · 1,109 km£220
- Amsterdam (AMS) · 364 km£220
- Málaga (AGP) · 1,645 km£350
- Dublin (DUB) · 485 km£220
- New York (JFK) · 5,569 km£520
- Tel Aviv (TLV) · 3,557 km£520
- Gran Canaria (LPA) · 2,879 km£350
- Geneva (GVA) · 715 km£220
Can I claim compensation for a flight from London?
UK261 applies to every airline on this route: £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. Refund, re-routing and care are due whatever the cause.
Does this apply to your flight?
Flying from London?
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
- From London (LGW)
What happened to your flight?
Why Gatwick delays are different
Gatwick operates a single runway at very high utilisation. When fog, wind or ATC staffing cut the arrival rate, delays cascade across easyJet’s and BA Euroflyer’s rotations. Airlines regularly cite “ATC restrictions” for these; they must prove the specific restriction and that they could not have avoided the delay (for example by using a spare aircraft or crew). Knock-on delays later in the day are only extraordinary if the original cause was.
Airlines at Gatwick
- easyJet (UK, Europe and Switzerland entities) — AviationADR member.
- British Airways / BA Euroflyer — CEDR member.
- Wizz Air UK — AviationADR member.
- TUI Airways — AviationADR member; package holidays also carry Package Travel Regulations rights.
- Vueling, Norwegian, Aer Lingus, Emirates, Qatar Airways — covered on departures; escalation via the CAA’s PACT team where no ADR scheme applies.
Connections
Gatwick is largely point-to-point. If you booked two separate tickets (for example easyJet into Gatwick and Norwegian out), a delayed first flight that makes you miss the second is not covered — only the first flight’s own delay counts.
Escalation
Claim from the airline first; then CEDR/AviationADR or the CAA PACT team; then the county court within 6 years.
Sources
- UK Civil Aviation AuthorityAlternative dispute resolution (ADR) for aviation complaints
- UK Civil Aviation AuthorityDelays and cancellations — your rights
- UK Government — legislation.gov.ukRegulation (EC) No 261/2004 as retained in UK law (assimilated law)
Last legally reviewed: 12 September 2026 · Content updated: 12 September 2026
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