UK261 Compensation Calculator: How Much Is Your Delayed Flight Worth?

UK261 fixed compensation by distance: Under 1,500 km = £220. 1,500 to 3,500 km = £350. Over 3,500 km = £520. These amounts apply per passenger when a covered flight is delayed by 3+ hours at the final destination, canceled with less than 14 days notice, or involves a denied boarding due to overbooking.

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  Trigger: 3 or more hours delay at the final destination, not at the departure airport.

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  Per passenger: Each ticketed passenger claims separately.

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  Independent of ticket price: A £50 economy seat earns the same £220 as a £500 flexible ticket on the same short-haul route.

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  Both directions covered: A delay on a London to Madrid flight (EU261 actually applies on this direction) or Madrid to London (UK261) counts.

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  50% reduction possible: If the airline reroutes you and you arrive within 2 hours (short), 3 hours (medium), or 4 hours (long) of your original arrival time.

The compensation amount is based on the great-circle distance between the departure airport and the final destination airport. The great-circle distance is the shortest path between two points on the surface of the earth, commonly called as-the-crow-flies distance. Airlines use standard aviation databases to calculate this distance, and it does not depend on the actual flight path taken.

For connecting flights on a single ticket, the distance used is the total distance of the journey from the first departure to the final destination, not the distance of the individual delayed segment. This matters because it affects which compensation tier applies.

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  Direct flight: Great-circle distance from departure to destination.

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  Connecting flight (single ticket): Great-circle distance from the first departure to the final destination.

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  Separate tickets: Each segment is calculated independently.

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  Under 1,500 km (£220): London to Edinburgh (534 km), London to Dublin (449 km), London to Paris (341 km), London to Amsterdam (356 km), London to Brussels (322 km).

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  1,500 to 3,500 km (£350): London to Madrid (1,259 km... actually under 1,500 km). London to Cairo (3,519 km... just over 3,500). London to Istanbul (2,510 km), London to Marrakech (2,332 km), London to Tenerife (2,863 km), London to Athens (2,389 km).

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  Over 3,500 km (£520): London to New York (5,539 km), London to Dubai (5,480 km), London to Toronto (5,725 km), London to Cancun (8,782 km), London to Singapore (10,841 km).

Note: London to Madrid is approximately 1,259 km, placing it in the under-1,500 km band at £220. Always use a flight distance calculator or the IATA distance database to confirm which band applies to your specific route before filing a claim.

If the airline canceled your flight or rerouted you and offered an alternative flight that arrived within the specified time window of your original scheduled arrival, UK261 allows the airline to reduce compensation by 50%. This applies to re-routing scenarios, not to delay scenarios where you stayed on the same flight.

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  Short-haul (under 1,500 km): Compensation halved to £110 if rerouted flight arrived within 2 hours of original arrival.

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  Medium-haul (1,500 to 3,500 km): Halved to £175 if rerouted flight arrived within 3 hours.

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  Long-haul (over 3,500 km): Halved to £260 if rerouted flight arrived within 4 hours.

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  Key note: The arrival time of the rerouted flight, not the departure delay, determines whether the reduction applies.

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  Extraordinary circumstances: If the delay was caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided (genuine severe weather, ATC strikes, security threats, etc.) and the airline took all reasonable measures, no compensation is owed.

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  Cancellation with more than 14 days notice: If the airline informed you of the cancellation more than 14 days before the original departure date, no UK261 compensation applies.

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  Cancellation with 7 to 14 days notice and suitable re-routing: If rerouted to depart no more than 2 hours before the original departure and arrive no more than 4 hours after the original arrival.

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  Delay under 3 hours: The delay at the final destination must be 3 or more hours to trigger compensation.

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  Voluntary changes: If you changed your itinerary voluntarily, UK261 does not apply.

1. 1

   Identify your departure and final destination airports (not intermediate connections).

2. 2

   Look up the great-circle distance: Use a tool like gcmap.com or the IATA distance calculator.

3. 3

   Assign the distance band: Under 1,500 km = £220. 1,500 to 3,500 km = £350. Over 3,500 km = £520.

4. 4

   Check if the delay was 3+ hours at the final destination (not departure delay).

5. 5

   If you were rerouted, check whether the alternative flight arrived within the 50% reduction window.

6. 6

   Multiply by the number of passengers on the booking.

Example A: London Heathrow to Dubai, delayed 4 hours at Dubai. Distance: 5,480 km (over 3,500 km). Compensation: £520 per passenger. Two passengers: £1,040 total. Example B: London Gatwick to Malaga, canceled with 5 days notice, rerouted on next day's flight arriving 10 hours late. Distance: 1,829 km (1,500 to 3,500 km). No 50% reduction (10 hours is beyond 3-hour window). Compensation: £350 per passenger.

File directly with the airline, citing the UK Air Passenger Rights Regulation and the specific compensation amount based on your distance calculation. If the airline refuses, escalate to an approved Alternative Dispute Resolution scheme (CEDR at cedr.com/aviation or Aviation ADR at aviationadr.org.uk) or file in UK Small Claims Court (MCOL).

For the full UK261 framework including which flights are covered, see the UK261 rights overview. For airline-specific guides, see the British Airways UK261 guide and the Virgin Atlantic UK261 guide. For international passenger rights generally, see the main overview.