What is the UK261 payout for a 4-hour delay from London to Barcelona?

£220 per passenger. The BCN route is 1,137 km, within the ≤1,500 km tier. A family of four claims £880.

Does UK261 pay in GBP or EUR?

UK261 pays in GBP. The tiers are £220, £350, and £520 per passenger, aligned with the EU261 EUR amounts as retained under UK law.

What if the airline re-routes me within 2 hours of arrival?

The compensation halves: £110, £175, or £260 depending on distance tier. The rerouting arrival time is the trigger, not the original departure.

Does distance mean flown distance or straight-line?

Great-circle (straight-line over Earth's surface), measured airport to airport. Flown distance due to re-routing is not used.

Is my ticket price relevant to UK261 amount?

No. UK261 tiers are fixed by distance, not by fare paid. A £40 Ryanair ticket pays the same as a £500 British Airways fare on the same route.

How long do I have to file a UK261 claim?

6 years in England and Wales (5 in Scotland). Most airlines expect claims within 3 months for fastest processing, but legal deadline is longer.

Can I claim UK261 for a BA codeshare on a non-UK carrier?

UK261 applies if the operating carrier is UK-licensed or the flight departs from a UK airport. Codeshare status alone does not determine eligibility. See codeshare flight rights guidance.

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Compensation TipsApril 21, 2026•7 min read

UK261 Calculator: GBP Amount by Route

A UK261 calculator converts your route distance into the exact GBP compensation tier: £220, £350, or £520 per passenger. Here is the distance math, the 50 percent reduction rule, and a lookup table for the most-claimed UK routes.

The UK261 Compensation Tiers

A UK261 calculator in GBP by route returns one of three fixed amounts per passenger, based on great-circle distance:

›
£220: up to 1,500 km (most UK domestic + short hauls to Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, France).
›
£350: 1,500 to 3,500 km (most UK to EU southern and eastern, North Africa).
›
£520: over 3,500 km (transatlantic, Middle East, Asia).

These tiers apply per passenger, not per booking. A family of four on a £520 route claims £2,080 total if qualifying.

When the Tier Halves

UK261 reduces compensation by 50 percent when the airline offers re-routing that meets these arrival tolerances:

›
≤1,500 km route: arrival within 2 hours of original. Reduced to £110.
›
1,500 to 3,500 km: arrival within 3 hours. Reduced to £175.
›
Over 3,500 km: arrival within 4 hours. Reduced to £260.

Route Lookup Table

›
LHR/LGW to Dublin (DUB): 460 km. £220.
›
LHR to Amsterdam (AMS): 358 km. £220.
›
LHR to Paris (CDG): 344 km. £220.
›
LHR to Barcelona (BCN): 1,137 km. £220.
›
LHR to Madrid (MAD): 1,265 km. £220.
›
LHR to Rome (FCO): 1,435 km. £220.
›
MAN to Malaga (AGP): 1,833 km. £350.
›
LGW to Athens (ATH): 2,399 km. £350.
›
LHR to Istanbul (IST): 2,500 km. £350.
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LHR to Dubai (DXB): 5,498 km. £520.
›
LHR to New York (JFK): 5,541 km. £520.
›
LHR to Bangkok (BKK): 9,542 km. £520.

Use great-circle distance, not flown distance. The regulation defines distance as the shortest surface path between origin and destination airports.

What Qualifies for the Payout

›
Arrival delay ≥3 hours at final destination: eligible if airline-caused.
›
Cancellation with less than 14 days' notice: eligible, compensation plus refund.
›
Denied boarding: eligible, immediate compensation.
›
Not extraordinary circumstances: weather affecting only your flight, crew shortage, mechanical are not extraordinary.

Compared to EU261 and DOT

UK261 mirrors EU261 but in GBP. DOT has no equivalent cash-compensation tier; it provides a refund only. See class action vs individual claim value estimator for when to consolidate and compensation calculators and tools summer 2026 edition for seasonal spikes. For the EU equivalent lookup see EU261 calculator exact euro amount by distance.

Filing Process

1
Verify eligibility: confirm airline-caused delay ≥3 hours or cancellation.
2
Calculate distance: great-circle via gcmap.com.
3
Select tier: £220, £350, or £520.
4
Apply 50 percent reduction if airline re-routed within tolerance.
5
File with airline: specify exact amount in GBP.
6
Escalate to ADR after 8 weeks of no or refused response.

Pillar Link and Authority Sources

For the pillar see How Much Is Your Delayed Flight Worth: Calculator. For primary texts see UK CAA UK261 Guidance and Retained Regulation (EC) 261/2004 on legislation.gov.uk.

For the full comp-plus-insurance stack see Flight Compensation and Travel Insurance Double Claim. Start a claim with TravelStacks at 25 percent of recovery.

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