easyJet Flight Delay: What EU261 Pays and How to Claim It

EU261 applies to easyJet flights departing from any EU or UK airport. It also applies to easyJet flights arriving in the EU or UK when departing from outside the EU or UK, since easyJet is a UK and EU-registered carrier. The primary trigger for Article 7 cash compensation is an arrival delay of 3 hours or more.

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  3 hour arrival delay: Your right to Article 7 cash compensation triggers when your actual arrival time (doors open at destination) is 3 or more hours later than your scheduled arrival.

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  Flight cancellation: Compensation applies if you received less than 14 days notice. The earlier the notice, the more options you have but the less compensation is owed.

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  Denied boarding: Compensation applies if easyJet denied you boarding despite a valid confirmed booking and timely check-in.

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  Departure delay only: A departure delay alone, even of many hours, does not trigger Article 7 compensation unless it results in a 3+ hour arrival delay.

EU261 Article 7 sets fixed compensation amounts based on the great-circle distance between your origin and destination airports. These amounts are per passenger and are independent of ticket price.

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  250 euros: Flights up to 1,500 km. Covers most easyJet short-haul routes within the UK, to Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, and nearby European destinations.

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  400 euros: Flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km, and all EU internal flights over 1,500 km. Covers easyJet routes to North Africa (Morocco, Egypt), the Canary Islands, Turkey, and longer European routes.

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  Reduction for re-routing: If easyJet re-routed you and your delay was less than 2 hours (short-haul) or 3 hours (medium-haul) versus the original, compensation is halved.

easyJet's route network: easyJet operates primarily within the 1,500 km and 1,500 to 3,500 km bands. The 600-euro band applies to flights over 3,500 km for non-EU routes, which easyJet does not typically operate. Most easyJet EU261 claims will be for 250 or 400 euros.

easyJet is not required to pay Article 7 compensation if the delay was caused by extraordinary circumstances that it could not have avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. The burden of proof lies with easyJet.

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  Qualifying: Severe weather that grounds the fleet, ATC strikes, major airport security incidents, medical emergencies on board causing a diversion.

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  Not qualifying: Aircraft technical faults arising from routine maintenance failures, crew shortages from poor rostering, knock-on delays from the airline's own scheduling problems.

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  Grey area: ATC delays that constitute only part of a longer delay. If a 30-minute ATC delay causes a total 4-hour arrival delay, the extraordinary circumstances argument for the full delay is weak.

If easyJet invokes extraordinary circumstances, request the specific supporting documentation: METAR weather data, ATC records, or security incident reports. Vague denials citing weather or ATC without documentation should be challenged at the NEB level.

easyJet accepts EU261 claims through its online Help Centre. The process is straightforward for qualifying claims. Have your booking reference, flight details, and bank information ready.

1. 1

   Go to the easyJet Help Centre and select 'Disrupted flight' or equivalent.

2. 2

   Enter your booking reference and the disrupted flight details. Specify your actual arrival time versus the scheduled arrival.

3. 3

   Cite EU Regulation 261/2004 explicitly. State 'I am claiming Article 7 compensation for an arrival delay of [X] hours on flight [number] on [date].'

4. 4

   Submit and screenshot the confirmation reference.

5. 5

   For a cancelled flight where easyJet is offering only a voucher, also explicitly invoke Article 8 and demand a cash refund.

easyJet is generally faster than Ryanair and more consistent than Wizz Air in processing EU261 claims. Straightforward delay claims without extraordinary circumstances disputes often resolve within 14 to 28 days. Disputed cases can run to 42 days before a final response.

If easyJet denies your claim on extraordinary circumstances grounds, the denial letter should specify the circumstance. If it does not, or if the stated circumstance does not hold up against your flight data, proceed to NEB escalation. easyJet's NEB escalation rate is lower than Ryanair's, meaning more claims resolve at the first submission stage.

easyJet vs Ryanair processing: easyJet resolves a higher proportion of valid claims on first submission. If easyJet denies a clearly valid claim, it is more often a system error than a deliberate denial strategy. Escalating to the NEB frequently resolves these cases quickly. See our budget airline comparison for context.

Beyond cash compensation, EU261 requires easyJet to provide care during significant delays. These rights arise at the airport, not as a retrospective claim.

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  2 hour delay (short-haul): Free meals and refreshments proportionate to the waiting time. Two free phone calls, faxes, or emails.

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  Overnight delay: Hotel accommodation and transport between airport and hotel at easyJet's expense.

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  5 hour delay: Right to cancel your journey and receive a full refund under Article 8, plus a return flight to your first point of departure if applicable.

If easyJet does not provide care at the airport and you pay for meals or accommodation yourself, keep receipts and claim the reasonable costs alongside your compensation. easyJet typically reimburses reasonable care expenses when claimed with supporting documentation.

If easyJet denies your claim or does not respond within 28 days, your escalation path is the same as for any EU261 case: NEB complaint, then small claims court if needed.

1. 1

   Send a Letter Before Action to easyJet: cite EU261, the disruption, the amount owed, and give 14 days to settle.

2. 2

   File with the NEB of your departure country. For UK departures, use the UK CAA. For EU departures, use the departure-country NEB from the European Commission directory.

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   If the NEB does not resolve within 60 days, file in small claims court. In the UK, use Money Claim Online. See our EU261 small claims guide for step-by-step court filing instructions.

The EU261 compensation amount for a cancelled easyJet flight depends on how much notice you received, measured from the original departure date.

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  More than 14 days notice: No Article 7 compensation owed. You are entitled to an Article 8 refund or re-routing.

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  7 to 14 days notice: Compensation reduced or eliminated if easyJet offers re-routing that arrives within 2 hours of the original (short-haul) or 4 hours (long-haul) of the original schedule.

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  Less than 7 days notice: Full Article 7 compensation applies, subject to extraordinary circumstances.

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  Day of cancellation: Full Article 7 compensation applies unless extraordinary circumstances are proven.

The notice period is measured from when you were actually notified, not when easyJet made the internal decision to cancel. An SMS or email to your booking address is typically sufficient notification for legal purposes.

EU261 covers flight disruptions only. Baggage delays, loss, or damage are governed by the Montreal Convention, not EU261. These are separate claims against easyJet under a different legal framework.

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  Delayed baggage: Montreal Convention Article 19. File a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at the airport and submit your baggage delay claim within 21 days of receiving your bag.

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  Lost baggage: Montreal Convention Article 17. Maximum liability is approximately 1,288 Special Drawing Rights (roughly 1,700 USD / 1,500 EUR) per passenger.

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  Damaged baggage: Montreal Convention Article 17. File within 7 days of receipt.

You can claim EU261 compensation for a delay and Montreal Convention compensation for baggage issues arising from the same trip. They are independent rights under separate instruments. For US-originating flights, the DOT has separate baggage liability rules. See the US DOT passenger rights page.

EU261 rights run against the operating carrier, which is easyJet, regardless of where you booked. If you booked through an OTA, travel agent, or comparison site, you can and should submit your EU261 claim directly to easyJet.

Some OTAs offer to manage EU261 claims on your behalf, sometimes for a fee. This is unnecessary. easyJet accepts direct passenger claims regardless of booking channel. Using an OTA's claims service costs you a percentage of your compensation for a process you can complete yourself in 15 minutes.

For Article 8 refunds on third-party bookings, the refund pathway can be more complex: easyJet may direct the refund to the original booking agent. If you need immediate re-routing, easyJet is obligated to arrange it directly regardless of booking source.

easyJet's denial letters follow predictable patterns. Understanding the most common reasons helps you prepare a targeted response.

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  'Extraordinary circumstances (weather):' Request the METAR weather data for your departure airport at the time. If other flights operated normally from the same airport, the weather argument is weakened.

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  'The delay was under 3 hours:' Check your actual arrival time on Flightradar24 or FlightAware. If the data shows 3 hours or more, include the screenshot in your counter-claim.

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  'Claim submitted outside the time limit:' easyJet sometimes raises limitation periods incorrectly. In the UK, you have 6 years. In most EU countries, 2 to 3 years. Provide the relevant limitation period in your response.

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  'We cannot verify your claim:' Include your booking confirmation, boarding pass, and flight data screenshots in your initial submission and any follow-up.

TravelStacks tracks your easyJet EU261 claim from initial submission through resolution, flagging when response windows expire and generating your Letter Before Action automatically when easyJet misses the 28-day window. Start a claim at /claim.

For Ryanair-specific claim tactics, see the Ryanair escalation guide. For a comparison across easyJet, Ryanair, and Wizz Air, see the budget airline EU261 comparison. For UK261 and EU261 differences, see the full EU261 rights overview.

Common questions about easyJet EU261 delay compensation and claim process.