easyJet rejected your claim: what to do next

When easyJet says no

easyJet’s rejection e-mails are short and usually cite one of three grounds: “air traffic control restrictions”, “adverse weather” or “operational reasons”. The first two can be extraordinary but only if they affected your flight — ask easyJet for the time of the restriction, the airport it applied to and whether other easyJet departures operated. “Operational reasons” is not a cause at all; reply that the burden of proof is on the carrier and ask for the actual reason.

The escalation route depends on which easyJet operated the flight, which is printed on your boarding pass. easyJet UK is a member of AviationADR, an approved ADR scheme whose decisions bind the airline; you can go to AviationADR after easyJet’s final answer or eight weeks of silence. easyJet Europe (Austrian licence) belongs to the Austrian apf scheme, and easyJet Switzerland’s flights fall under the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation. For a flight that departed from an EU airport you may also complain to that country’s enforcement body whichever easyJet flew it.

Court is the last step: a small claim in England and Wales for UK departures, or the departure country’s small-claims procedure. easyJet regularly settles once a claim is issued with the correct legal basis, so cite the arrival delay, the distance band and the case law on the cause it named.

Read the rejection against the law

easyJet 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 easyJet’s own conditions — is not a defence.

Ask for the cause, in writing

Under Article 5(3) the burden of proof lies with easyJet. Reply to the rejection asking: what exactly caused this flight’s disruption; at what time and airport any restriction applied; whether other easyJet 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 AviationADR

After easyJet’s final answer, or 8 weeks without one, escalate to AviationADR. 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 easyJet’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 easyJet

• 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 easyJet 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.