Gatwick Airport Delay: UK261 Compensation at LGW

London Gatwick Airport (LGW) is the UK's second-busiest airport and a primary base for easyJet, British Airways, TUI Airways, and numerous charter carriers. All flights departing from LGW are covered by UK Regulation 261/2004 (UK261), which provides fixed cash compensation, care rights, and rebooking rights for delays, cancellations, and denied boarding. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) at caa.co.uk is the UK enforcement body. Gatwick Airport's passenger information is at gatwickairport.com.

UK261 at LGW: Every carrier departing LGW, including non-UK carriers like Norwegian, Vueling, or Emirates, is subject to UK261. Compensation: GBP 220 to GBP 520 per passenger depending on flight distance.

For the full UK261 framework, see UK261 rights. For EU261 on flights arriving at LGW from EU airports on EU-licensed carriers, see EU261 rights. For how to get a refund from your airline generally, see how to get a refund from your airline.

UK261 sets fixed per-passenger compensation based on flight distance:

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  GBP 220: Flights up to 1,500 km (e.g., Gatwick to Dublin, Gatwick to Amsterdam, Gatwick to Rome).

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  GBP 350: Flights between 1,500 km and 3,500 km (e.g., Gatwick to Marrakech, Gatwick to Istanbul, Gatwick to Tel Aviv).

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  GBP 520: Flights over 3,500 km (e.g., Gatwick to New York, Gatwick to Cancun, Gatwick to Cape Town).

Compensation is triggered when the delay at the final destination is 3 or more hours. A 4-hour departure delay that results in only a 2.5-hour arrival delay does not trigger compensation. The clock is measured at the time the aircraft doors open at the final destination, compared to the originally scheduled arrival time.

easyJet is Gatwick's largest carrier by seat capacity. easyJet UK Ltd is a UK-licensed carrier, so UK261 applies fully to all easyJet LGW departures:

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  easyJet care: Meal vouchers for delays of 2 or more hours at LGW. Hotel for overnight controllable delays.

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  easyJet UK261 claims: File at easyJet's website through the disruption claims portal. easyJet accepts UK261 claims and typically processes them within 4 to 6 weeks.

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  Extraordinary circumstances defense: easyJet uses this defense frequently. Weather, ATC restrictions, airport congestion, and security incidents are claimed as extraordinary. Mechanical faults and late inbound aircraft generally are not extraordinary.

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  easyJet vs. ADR: If easyJet denies a valid claim, escalate to CEDR or AviationADR (easyJet's approved ADR scheme). Check the CAA website for the current approved scheme.

British Airways operates from both Heathrow (LHR) and Gatwick (LGW). BA LGW departures are covered by UK261:

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  British Airways at LGW: BA operates short-haul European routes from LGW. UK261 applies fully. BA handles UK261 claims through its customer relations portal.

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  TUI Airways at LGW: TUI is a major LGW charter carrier. UK261 applies. Package holiday bookings with TUI include both the flight and hotel; if the flight delay qualifies for UK261 compensation, you claim from TUI Airways (the operating carrier), not TUI the tour operator.

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  Norwegian Air UK: Norwegian operates from LGW. Norwegian Air UK is UK-licensed, so UK261 applies. Claims through Norwegian's customer service portal.

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  Vueling at LGW: Vueling is an EU-licensed (Spanish) carrier. For Vueling LGW departures, UK261 applies because the departure is from a UK airport.

LGW has specific operational characteristics that affect extraordinary circumstances claims:

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  Single runway: Gatwick operates on a single runway (with a standby runway). Weather or ATC restrictions on the single runway can cause cascading delays that airlines may attribute to extraordinary circumstances.

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  Drone incident: The December 2018 Gatwick drone incident caused mass disruptions. Courts and the CAA have treated this as an extraordinary circumstance.

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  Congestion delays: Delays caused by runway congestion or slot restrictions may be claimed as ATC/airport-related extraordinary circumstances. Challenge these carefully, as internal airline scheduling failures are not extraordinary.

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  Strike: Airline staff strikes are NOT extraordinary circumstances. ATC strikes and airport staff strikes typically are.

Use TravelStacks to assess your LGW delay claim. See caa.co.uk for CAA guidance on when extraordinary circumstances apply.

The claim process for LGW UK261 compensation:

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   File directly with the airline citing UK Regulation 261/2004 as retained in UK law. State the delay duration at the final destination and the compensation amount you are claiming.

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   Include your boarding pass, booking confirmation, and delay evidence.

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   If denied or ignored, escalate to the airline's approved ADR scheme. ADR schemes are free and binding on the airline.

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   If ADR fails or is unavailable, file in the county court. LGW claims are typically filed in the claimant's local county court. Court fees apply but are recoverable if you win.

For a full refund in addition to compensation (for cancellations or very long delays), see how to get a refund from your airline. For UK261 rights in full, see UK261 rights.

UK261 Article 9 care rights apply at LGW regardless of whether compensation is owed:

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  Meals and refreshments proportionate to the waiting time.

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  Two free communications (phone calls, emails).

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  Hotel accommodation if the delay causes an overnight stay.

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  Transport between LGW and the hotel.

If the airline fails to provide care at LGW, keep receipts for all out-of-pocket expenses (meals, hotel, transport). You can claim these costs from the airline in addition to the fixed compensation. The CAA can assist with complaints about care right failures at caa.co.uk.