About This Letter
A flight delay or cancellation compensation letter is the most effective way to claim up to £520 per person for flights delayed by more than three hours, cancelled without adequate notice, or where boarding was denied. Under UK Regulation 261/2004 and EU Regulation 261/2004, passengers on flights departing from a UK or EU airport, or arriving in the UK on a UK or EU carrier, are entitled to fixed compensation regardless of the ticket price paid.
Airlines routinely reject or ignore compensation claims, citing extraordinary circumstances even when the delay or cancellation was caused by factors within their control, such as technical faults or crew scheduling issues. A formal written claim letter that cites the correct regulation and the specific compensation amount you are owed is far more effective than an online claim form.
PostRight generates a professionally worded flight delay or cancellation compensation letter citing UK261 and EU261, the specific compensation tier applicable to your flight, and a clear deadline for the airline to respond. Your letter is printed and posted via Royal Mail. Airlines process thousands of compensation claims through online portals designed to minimise payouts. A formal letter arriving by post, citing the regulation correctly and including a specific compensation figure, is processed through a different internal channel and gets taken more seriously.
Are You Owed Compensation?
UK Regulation 261/2004 (UK261) gives you the right to fixed compensation when your flight is delayed by three hours or more at your final destination, or cancelled with less than 14 days' notice. The regulation applies to flights departing from any UK airport, regardless of the airline, and to flights arriving in the UK on a UK or EU carrier.
To qualify, your delay must be measured at your final destination, not at a connecting airport. If you arrived more than three hours late, you are likely entitled to claim.
Not all delays qualify. Airlines can avoid paying compensation if the delay was caused by extraordinary circumstances genuinely outside their control, for example severe weather that makes it unsafe to fly, or an air traffic control strike. However, technical faults, crew scheduling problems, and late-arriving aircraft are not extraordinary circumstances and do not allow the airline to refuse your claim.
Flight Cancelled? What You Can Claim
UK261 covers cancelled flights as well as delays. If your airline cancelled your flight, you can usually claim the same fixed compensation of £220, £350 or £520 per passenger, plus either a full refund or a replacement flight. Our letter works for both: when you fill in your flight details, choose "Flight cancelled" and the letter is worded for a cancellation.
Whether compensation is due depends on how much notice the airline gave you:
| When you were told | Compensation |
|---|---|
| Less than 7 days before departure | Due, unless the replacement flight left no more than 1 hour early and arrived less than 2 hours late |
| 7 to 14 days before departure | Due, unless the replacement flight left no more than 2 hours early and arrived less than 4 hours late |
| More than 14 days before departure | Not due, but you can still get a refund |
If the replacement flight gets you to your destination close to your original arrival time, the airline can halve the compensation. That applies if you arrive within 2 hours on flights under 1,500 km, within 3 hours on flights of 1,500 km to 3,500 km, and within 4 hours on longer flights.
As with delays, the airline does not have to pay compensation if the cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances, such as severe weather or an air traffic control strike. Your right to a refund or a replacement flight applies either way.
If you only want your ticket money back, see our guide to writing a cancelled flight refund letter. You can claim the refund and the compensation at the same time.
How Much Can You Claim?
The amount you can claim under UK261 is fixed by law and depends on the distance of your flight. It is paid per passenger and is not affected by the price you paid for your ticket.
| Flight distance | Compensation |
|---|---|
| Under 1,500 km | £220 per passenger |
| 1,500 km to 3,500 km | £350 per passenger |
| Over 3,500 km (delayed more than 4 hours) | £520 per passenger |
These amounts are the same whether you paid £30 or £300 for your ticket. Airlines cannot reduce them by offering vouchers or travel credits. You are entitled to cash under UK261 Article 7.
What to Include in Your Letter
A strong compensation letter needs to include specific information so the airline cannot delay your claim by asking for details you should have provided upfront. Include all of the following:
Your flight number and the date of travel. Your booking reference. Your scheduled departure and arrival times, and your actual arrival time at your final destination. The total length of the delay. The legal basis for your claim: Regulation UK261/2004. The exact compensation amount you are claiming. A clear 14-day deadline for the airline to respond and pay.
Keep your letter factual and specific. Airlines process large volumes of claims and a letter that includes all the required information is harder to reject on procedural grounds.
What Happens If the Airline Refuses
If the airline rejects your claim or does not respond within a reasonable time, you have several escalation options.
Most UK airlines are members of an approved Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme. The two main schemes are CEDR Aviation and AviationADR. Both are free to use and can award compensation without you needing to go to court. You can escalate to the airline's ADR scheme after 8 weeks if you have not received a satisfactory response, or sooner if the airline issues a final rejection.
If the airline is not a member of an ADR scheme, or if ADR does not resolve your claim, you can bring a claim in the small claims court. In England and Wales you can do this online through Money Claim Online at gov.uk. The court fee is modest and you can claim up to £10,000 on the small claims track. Airlines do respond to court claims, and you have up to 6 years from the date of the flight to bring proceedings.
Claiming from Specific Airlines
The same UK Regulation 261/2004 rules apply regardless of which airline delayed or cancelled your flight. The compensation amounts (£220, £350, £260, or £520 per passenger) are fixed by law and cannot be reduced because your ticket was cheap or because the airline has its own internal policy. The sections below explain how to address your letter to four of the most commonly claimed-against airlines, and what to expect from each.
Claiming Flight Delay Compensation from EasyJet
easyJet is one of the UK's most frequently claimed-against airlines. The legal entity to address your letter to is easyJet Airline Company Limited, Hangar 89, London Luton Airport, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU2 9PF.
easyJet is a member of AviationADR, the CAA-approved dispute resolution scheme. If easyJet does not respond properly within 8 weeks of your written claim, you can escalate to AviationADR for free.
easyJet often rejects initial claims by citing "extraordinary circumstances", commonly air traffic control delays, weather, or bird strikes. Some of these do count as extraordinary; others do not. A normal aircraft technical fault does not count as extraordinary (Wallentin-Hermann v Alitalia, 2008). Crew illness does not count as extraordinary (Lipton v BA CityFlyer, UK Supreme Court, 2024). If easyJet gives a vague rejection, write back and demand the specific cause and supporting evidence. easyJet has to prove the cause, not just name it.
Most easyJet routes are under 1,500 km, so the standard compensation is £220 per passenger. For routes between 1,500 km and 3,500 km (such as London to Athens), the amount is £350. easyJet sometimes offers a voucher instead of cash. You are not obliged to accept a voucher. UK261 Article 7 entitles you to cash.
Claiming Flight Delay Compensation from Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic only flies long-haul routes, so all compensation claims fall into the higher tiers: £260 per passenger for delays of 3 to 4 hours, and £520 per passenger for delays of 4 hours or more. The legal entity to address your letter to is Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited, Company Secretariat, The VHQ, Fleming Way, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 9DF.
Virgin Atlantic is a member of AviationADR. After 8 weeks of no proper response, or after receiving a final refusal, you can escalate to AviationADR for free.
One important point with Virgin Atlantic: the airline has a joint venture with Delta Air Lines, and some flights booked through Virgin are actually operated by Delta. Your UK261 rights depend on the operating carrier, not the selling carrier. If your boarding pass shows "operated by Delta", check whether the flight departed from a UK airport. If it did, UK261 still applies and you claim from Delta (the operating airline). For Delta-operated flights arriving into the UK from the US, UK261 does not apply because Delta is a US carrier.
Virgin Atlantic sometimes offers Virgin Points or travel credits instead of cash. You are not required to accept these. UK261 Article 7 gives you the right to a cash payment.
Claiming Flight Delay Compensation from KLM
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is an EU carrier, which means UK261 covers KLM flights in both directions: flights departing the UK and flights arriving in the UK from Amsterdam or other EU airports. The UK address for correspondence is Plesman House, 2a Cains Lane, Bedfont, Middlesex, TW14 9RL (UK overseas company number OE033155).
KLM is a member of AviationADR. If KLM does not respond properly within 8 weeks, you can escalate to AviationADR for free. KLM Cityhopper (which operates smaller Embraer jets to UK regional airports) is also covered by AviationADR, though the legal defendant in court would be KLM Cityhopper B.V. Note that Transavia, a separate airline under the same Air France-KLM parent, is a different legal entity and claims against Transavia go through transavia.com, not KLM.
For UK to Amsterdam flights (under 1,500 km), compensation is £220 per passenger. For UK to other European destinations via Amsterdam (1,500 km to 3,500 km), the amount is £350. For long-haul connections through Amsterdam (over 3,500 km), the amount is £260 or £520 depending on the total delay at your final destination. If you booked a connecting journey as a single ticket, your compensation is calculated on the total distance to your final destination, not just the first leg (Folkerts v Lufthansa, 2013).
KLM sometimes offers Flying Blue Miles instead of cash. You are not required to accept miles. UK261 Article 7 entitles you to a cash payment.
Claiming Flight Delay Compensation from Emirates
Emirates is a UAE-registered airline, not a UK or EU carrier. This means UK261 only covers Emirates flights that depart from a UK airport. If your Emirates flight was arriving into the UK from Dubai and was delayed, UK261 does not apply. Your options in that case are Emirates' own terms and conditions, travel insurance, or the Montreal Convention for specific proven losses.
For UK-departing Emirates flights, UK261 applies in full. Because every Emirates route is long-haul (over 3,500 km), the compensation is either £260 per passenger (for delays of 3 to 4 hours) or £520 per passenger (for delays of 4 hours or more). Address your letter to Emirates Airline Limited, Gloucester Park, 95 Cromwell Road, London, SW7 4DL (UK Companies House number 05761094). The London office handles correspondence, though final decisions are made by Emirates Customer Affairs in Dubai.
Importantly, Emirates is not currently a member of AviationADR or CEDR. If Emirates rejects your UK261 claim, your escalation routes are the CAA's Passenger Advice and Complaints Team (PACT) at caa.co.uk/passengers, or the small claims court via Money Claim Online. Emirates does respond to court claims served at the UK office, and you have 6 years from the date of the flight to bring a claim in England and Wales.
Emirates sometimes offers Skywards Miles or a travel voucher instead of cash. You are not required to accept these. UK261 Article 7 entitles you to a cash payment.
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