Zurich to London flight compensation

Which rules apply on this direction

Flights from Zurich Airport (ZRH) to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) depart Switzerland, so Regulation 261/2004 as applied in Switzerland applies to every airline that operates the route. The great-circle distance is 788 km (up to 1,500 km), which puts the fixed compensation at €250 per passenger for a delay of three hours or more at arrival, a cancellation announced less than 14 days ahead without a close replacement, or involuntary denied boarding.

Whatever the cause, care starts earlier than compensation on this short-distance flight: after 2 hours of delay at Zurich Airport the airline owes meals and communication, and after 5 hours you may abandon the trip and demand a refund of the unused ticket.

Airlines on the route and whether they are covered

• SWISS (LX, Swiss licence): covered on this direction (CH261 applies to every airline departing Switzerland).

• British Airways (BA, UK licence): covered on this direction (CH261 applies to every airline departing Switzerland). Member of CEDR Aviation.

Departing from Zurich Airport

Zurich has a night curfew and a runway layout that forces a different configuration in fog and strong winds, so late-evening departures are the most likely to be cancelled outright. Skyguide capacity limits are external to the airline; SWISS crew and technical problems are not.

Zurich is SWISS’s hub: on a single booking a delayed feeder into Zurich that loses the long-haul connection is assessed over the whole journey, from the first departure airport to the final destination.

Airport guides: Zurich Airport · London Heathrow Airport — the causes airlines cite at each end, the enforcement body, and the other routes with their own page.

Return direction

The return, London → Zurich, departs the United Kingdom, so it falls under UK261 (retained Regulation 261/2004) on every airline instead of Regulation 261/2004 as applied in Switzerland: £220 per passenger.

The two directions are paid in different currencies: euros on this leg, pounds on the return.

Escalation also moves to the United Kingdom: complaints go to UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) (United Kingdom) rather than Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA / BAZL); the dispute-resolution scheme is AviationADR; the limitation period for a court claim is 6 years instead of 2 years; a court claim is brought before the County court — Money Claim Online (small claims track).

Where to escalate

Claim from the airline first. If it refuses or does not answer, the competent enforcement body for this direction is Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA / BAZL) (Switzerland). FOCA handles complaints administratively; it cannot award compensation. Civil claims go to the ordinary courts.

Court claims in Switzerland are subject to a limitation period of 2 years (Art. 14 of the Air Transport Ordinance (LTrV, SR 748.411), applied to Art. 7 compensation by the Basel-Stadt Appeals Court (BEZ.2016.3, 29 June 2016), case law).

A court claim goes to the Civil court (simplified procedure) after the conciliation authority. Conciliation authority first (Schlichtungsbehörde / autorité de conciliation), then the civil court in the simplified procedure.

About this route

Zurich–Heathrow is operated by SWISS and British Airways. From Zurich the Swiss application of the Regulation covers every airline (delay compensation is interpretation-dependent for Swiss courts); the London return is UK261 for both.