London Heathrow flight compensation
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Quick answer
All flights departing London Heathrow are covered by UK261, whatever the airline: £220 for routes up to 1,500 km, £350 up to 3,500 km and £520 beyond. Flights into Heathrow from outside the UK are covered only when operated by a UK or EU airline. The Civil Aviation Authority is the enforcement body; most Heathrow airlines belong to the CEDR or AviationADR schemes.
Rules for flights departing London Heathrow Airport
Every flight departing from London Heathrow Airport is covered by UK261, regardless of the airline. Amounts are in pounds sterling.
Flights into London Heathrow Airport from outside the UK are covered only when operated by a UK- or EU-licensed airline.
Location: LHR / EGLL · 51.4707, -0.4599 · 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.
Heathrow operates at close to full runway capacity, so weather and air-traffic flow restrictions turn into delays and "capacity" cancellations faster than at any other UK airport. A general reference to restrictions at Heathrow is not a defence: the airline has to show the restriction that applied to your flight.
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
- New York (JFK) · 5,540 km£520
- Paris (CDG) · 348 km£220
- Amsterdam (AMS) · 370 km£220
- Frankfurt (FRA) · 654 km£220
- Dubai (DXB) · 5,498 km£520
- Edinburgh (EDI) · 534 km£220
- Athens (ATH) · 2,427 km£350
- Singapore (SIN) · 10,883 km£520
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 (LHR)
What happened to your flight?
Heathrow-specific issues
Heathrow runs at close to full runway capacity, so weather (fog, strong winds) and air-traffic-control flow restrictions quickly translate into delays and “capacity” cancellations. Airlines can invoke these as extraordinary circumstances only where they prove the restriction affected your specific flight; a general “ATC restrictions at Heathrow” line without detail should be challenged.
British Airways is the dominant carrier and belongs to CEDR; Virgin Atlantic uses AviationADR. Non-UK, non-EU carriers (American, United, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines) are covered only on flights departing Heathrow — their inbound flights are outside UK261, although the airline’s own conditions of carriage and the Montreal Convention may still give you rights to provable losses.
Connections through Heathrow
If your ticket includes a connection at Heathrow on a single booking — for example Edinburgh–Heathrow–Singapore on British Airways — the delay is measured at your final destination and the compensation band uses the straight-line distance from Edinburgh to Singapore (£520). On separate tickets, each flight stands alone.
Care at Heathrow
After 2, 3 or 4 hours of delay (depending on distance) the airline must provide meal vouchers and, if you are stranded overnight, a hotel and transport. If it does not, keep receipts: Heathrow-area hotel and meal costs are routinely reimbursed as “reasonable expenses”.
Escalation for Heathrow flights
- Claim from the operating airline in writing.
- If refused or ignored for 8 weeks, use the airline’s ADR scheme (CEDR for BA; AviationADR for Virgin Atlantic and most others) or the CAA’s PACT team if the airline is not in a scheme.
- County court (small claims) 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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