Flight compensation examples: six hypothetical situations, worked step by step

Updated 23 Oct 2026·Sources checked 20 Oct – 23 Oct 2026·13 min read

These flight compensation examples are six invented journeys, each with real airports and the amount the compensation calculator returns for those inputs. Every example is hypothetical: none describes a real passenger or a real flight. Each amount assumes the cause was within the airline’s control and that the regime named covers the flight; where the law lets the airline reduce the sum, both figures are shown. The free route comes first: the airline’s own claim form, or the claim letter the calculator drafts for you. For the rules behind each case, read the UK261 delay compensation guide and the EU261 overview.

#A family of four, 3 hours 20 minutes late on a long-haul UK flight

In this hypothetical case, a family of four flies Heathrow to New York JFK, 5,540 km by the calculator, and lands 3 hours 20 minutes late for a reason within the airline’s control. UK261 gives £260 or £520 each: £1,040 if the airline uses its option to halve the sum, £2,080 if it does not.

Source: UK261 art. 6(3)-(4), art. 7(1), art. 7(2)(c) — legislation.gov.uk; CAA, Delays — caa.co.uk; Sturgeon (C-402/07 and C-432/07), para 63 — eur-lex.europa.eu; calculator output, checked 2026-10-23.

Hypothetical example. Four passengers on one booking leave London Heathrow (LHR) for New York JFK and are let off the aircraft 3 hours 20 minutes after the scheduled arrival. Compensation is per passenger, so each of the four has a claim.

At over 3,500 km the flight sits in the £520 band. The CAA says that on a flight like London to New York, arriving between three and four hours late means £260 per person, and more than four hours late means £520. The £260 rests on article 7(2)(c), which the Sturgeon judgment applied to delays: the airline “may” reduce the sum by 50% when the arrival is less than four hours late. Because the cut is the airline’s choice, the calculator headlines the CAA’s £260 and lists £520 as the full band.

Land 4 hours 5 minutes late and the figure is £520 each, with no reduction. Every amount here also turns on the cause: article 6(4) removes compensation where extraordinary circumstances could not have been avoided even with all reasonable measures.

Claim through the airline’s own form, which is free, naming all four passengers. If the airline refuses, or you have no answer within eight weeks, you can take it to an approved ADR scheme, provided the airline is a member.

Reproduce it: LHR to JFK, 3 h 20 min, 4 passengers. The calculator shows £260 per passenger, £1,040 for four, and £520 as the full band.

#Two separate tickets and a missed connection

In this hypothetical case, a Manchester to Athens trip via Frankfurt on one booking arrives 3 hours 10 minutes late and earns £350 under UK261. Bought as two separate bookings, with the first flight 2 hours late, it earns nothing: each booking is judged on its own arrival.

Source: UK261 art. 3(1A), 6(3), 7(1) — legislation.gov.uk; Folkerts (C-11/11) and Wegener (C-537/17) — eur-lex.europa.eu; calculator output, checked 2026-10-23.

Hypothetical example, version one. A passenger holds a single booking from Manchester (MAN) via Frankfurt to Athens (ATH). The first flight lands 2 hours late, the connection is missed, and a rebooked flight reaches Athens 3 hours 10 minutes behind schedule. UK261 article 3(1A) treats a multi-leg flight booked as a single unit as a whole, departing from the first leg’s airport. The distance is therefore Manchester to Athens, 2,637 km, the £350 band.

In EU law, Folkerts held that for a connecting flight the delay counts at the final destination. Wegener held that the Regulation applies to a journey on a single booking from an EU airport to a non-EU destination, with a scheduled stopover outside the EU and a change of aircraft; it describes a connecting flight as two or more flights booked as a single unit.

Version two. The two flights are bought as two bookings. The first flight lands 2 hours late, under the 3-hour threshold, so it earns nothing. The Athens flight leaves on time without the passenger. Article 3(1A) joins flights only on a single booking, so one booking’s delay does not count on the other.

Check the confirmation before you fly: one booking reference for both flights points to a single booking. On separate bookings, check your travel insurance for missed connections; see trip delay insurance and the missed connection guide.

Reproduce version one: MAN to ATH, 3 h 10 min, £350 under UK261. Its EU261 line (€400, “may apply”) counts only on a Community carrier, and not once you have received compensation and assistance in the UK. Version two’s first leg: MAN to FRA, 2 h, nothing owed.

#You missed the outbound flight: what happens to the return?

In this hypothetical case, a passenger on a Manchester to Alicante return reaches the airport after check-in has closed and misses the outbound flight. UK261 pays nothing: it protects passengers who check in by the airline’s written deadline, or 45 minutes before departure if none is set. Airline terms decide the return.

Source: UK261 art. 2(j), 3(1)(b), 3(2)(a) — legislation.gov.uk; CAA, CAP 1815 (2019) — caa.co.uk; easyJet, Ryanair, British Airways, Jet2.com and TUI Airways terms and help pages — airline websites, checked 2026-10-20; calculator output, checked 2026-10-23.

Under article 2(j), a passenger who missed that deadline was not denied boarding.

The rest is airline terms: contract, not law. easyJet’s terms say a missed flight “does not affect the other flights on your Booking”; its fee table lists a £110 Rescue Fee per passenger, payable at bag drop within two hours of the scheduled departure. Ryanair’s fee table lists a €/£100 Missed Departure Fee; its Help Centre says the return is not cancelled. British Airways' conditions say that if you cancel before check-in closes, your return stays booked (clause 3c9); after a no-show, its help page says all remaining flights “will be cancelled”. Jet2’s terms say a missed check-in cancels “your reservation”, without saying whether that covers the return. TUI’s conditions say it “may cancel your return journey”, while its help centre says the return stays usable if you contact TUI.

In 2019 the CAA called automatically cancelling a return after an outbound no-show disproportionate: a regulator’s view, not a statute.

If the return stands and lands in Manchester 3 hours 10 minutes late, EU261 covers it as a departure from Spain: €400 for 1,681 km. The calculator also lists UK261 at £350 (“may apply”, on a Community or UK carrier), but UK261 does not cover you once you have received compensation and assistance in Spain, so the delay is paid once.

Call the airline before the return date; our refund guide’s missed flight section compares all five.

Reproduce the return: ALC to MAN, 3 h 10 min; with compensation already received in Spain, the UK261 line drops out.

#Cancelled 10 days before departure with a reroute

In this hypothetical case, an Edinburgh to Barcelona flight is cancelled 10 days before departure. A replacement leaving 1 hour earlier and landing 2 hours late pays nothing under UK261. One landing 5 hours late pays £350, because the notice tier allows no compensation only when the arrival is under 4 hours late.

Source: UK261 art. 5(1)(c), 5(3), 5(4), art. 7(1)-(2), art. 8(1) — legislation.gov.uk; calculator output, checked 2026-10-23.

Hypothetical example. Ten days ahead, the airline cancels the Edinburgh (EDI) to Barcelona (BCN) flight. The distance is 1,677 km, so the band is £350. Article 5(1)(c)(ii) covers notice of between two weeks and seven days: no compensation if the re-routing leaves no more than 2 hours before the original departure and arrives less than 4 hours after the original arrival.

Version one. The replacement departs 60 minutes earlier and arrives 2 hours late. Both conditions are met, so the calculator returns no compensation.

Version two. The only replacement arrives 5 hours late. The arrival condition fails, so £350 per passenger is due. The 50% reduction in article 7(2)(b) needs the re-routed arrival within 3 hours of the original, so it cannot apply.

The airline carries the burden of proof: it must show that it told you, and when. Two weeks' notice or more means no compensation; under seven days the windows tighten to 1 hour before and 2 hours after. In every tier, article 5(3) removes compensation if the airline proves extraordinary circumstances that all reasonable measures could not have avoided.

From Edinburgh, UK261 applies. The calculator’s EU261 line for version two (€400, “may apply”) counts only if a Community carrier operated the flight, and not once you have received compensation and assistance in the UK.

The refund is a separate right: under article 8 you can take the ticket money back within seven days instead of the replacement; it is not compensation. The refund, re-routing or voucher guide explains the choice.

Reproduce version one: EDI to BCN, 10 days' notice, 60 min earlier, 2 h late. Version two: 5 h late.

#A long flight inside the EU: why it is €400, not €600

In this hypothetical case, a flight from Faro to Rovaniemi covers 3,924 km, yet EU261 pays €400 for a 3 hour 30 minute delay, not €600. The €600 band is for flights over 3,500 km that are not intra-Community, and the 50% cut for a 3 to 4 hour delay does not apply here.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 art. 3(1)(a), art. 7(1)-(2) — eur-lex.europa.eu; UK261 art. 3(1)(b) — legislation.gov.uk; Sturgeon (C-402/07 and C-432/07), para 63 — eur-lex.europa.eu; calculator output, checked 2026-10-23.

Hypothetical example. A passenger flies from Faro (FAO), Portugal, to Rovaniemi (RVN), Finland, and arrives 3 hours 30 minutes late for a reason within the airline’s control. Both airports are in the EU, so the flight is intra-Community. EU261 article 7(1) sets €250 up to 1,500 km, €400 for intra-Community flights over 1,500 km and for all other flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km, and €600 for everything else. At 3,924 km the flight is intra-Community and over 1,500 km, so it sits in the €400 band.

The reduction is the second point. In Sturgeon, para 63, the CJEU allowed the 50% cut of article 7(2)(c) on delays under four hours only for flights not falling under points (a) or (b) of article 7(2). Intra-Community flights over 1,500 km fall under (b), so the amount stays at €400.

EU261 applies because the flight departs from Portugal. The calculator also lists UK261 as “may apply”: UK261 has no intra-Community rule, so 3,924 km is its top band, £260 or £520. That line counts only if a UK air carrier operated the flight, and UK261 does not cover you once you have received compensation and assistance in Portugal, so the delay is paid once, not twice.

The claim goes first to the operating carrier; the national enforcement bodies list shows where a complaint goes next.

Reproduce it: FAO to RVN, 3 h 30 min, €400 under EU261; with compensation already received at departure, the UK261 line drops out.

#Delayed flight and a delayed bag on the same trip

In this hypothetical case, a Manchester to Faro flight lands 3 hours 30 minutes late and the suitcase arrives 2 days later. UK261 pays £350 for the flight delay; the Montreal Convention separately covers the damage the late bag caused, up to 1,519 SDR per passenger.

Source: UK261 art. 3(7)-(8), 6(3)-(4), 7(1) — legislation.gov.uk; Montreal Convention arts. 17(3), 19, 22(2), 31(2)-(4), 35(1) — eur-lex.europa.eu; ICAO 2024 revised limits — icao.int; calculator output, checked 2026-10-23.

Hypothetical example. A passenger flies Manchester (MAN) to Faro (FAO), 1,869 km, and arrives 3 hours 30 minutes late for a reason within the airline’s control. The bag turns up 2 days later. UK261 covers the departure from Manchester, so the delay is in the £350 band. The calculator’s EU261 line (€400, “may apply”) counts only on a Community carrier, and not once you have received compensation and assistance in the UK.

The bag is a different claim under a different law. Since 28 December 2024 the Montreal Convention limit for destruction, loss, damage or delay of baggage is 1,519 SDR per passenger. That is a ceiling, not a sum paid automatically: the claim is for the damage the delay caused, shown with receipts. The airline is not liable if it proves it took all measures reasonably required, or that it was impossible to take them.

UK261 article 3(7)-(8) keeps the two apart: its payments are not Convention liability for delay, and claiming them is not a Convention action for damages.

For a delayed bag, make a written complaint within 21 days of the date the bag was placed at your disposal; without it, save for fraud, no action lies. A bag that has not arrived 21 days after it was due can be claimed as lost. Court action must start within two years of arrival.

Report the bag at the airline’s baggage desk before you leave the airport, keep every receipt, and send the written complaint within 21 days; the lost and delayed baggage guide has the steps.

Reproduce the flight part: MAN to FAO, 3 h 30 min, £350 under UK261.

General information with hypothetical examples, not legal advice. For your specific case, contact the Civil Aviation Authority, the national enforcement body of the EU country you departed from, or a solicitor.

#Sources

• Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it forms part of UK law, arts. 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 — legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-10-23.
• The Aviation (Consumers) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 (SI 2023/1370) — legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-10-23.
• Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, arts. 3, 5, 7 — eur-lex.europa.eu, checked 2026-10-23.
• Civil Aviation Authority, Delays — caa.co.uk, checked 2026-10-23.
• Civil Aviation Authority, alternative dispute resolution — caa.co.uk, checked 2026-10-23.
• Civil Aviation Authority, CAP 1815 Review of airline contract terms (June 2019) — caa.co.uk, checked 2026-10-20.
• Folkerts (C-11/11, 2013), CJEU — eur-lex.europa.eu.
• Wegener (C-537/17, 2018), CJEU — eur-lex.europa.eu.
• Sturgeon (C-402/07 and C-432/07, 2009), CJEU — eur-lex.europa.eu.
• Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air (Montreal, 1999), arts. 17, 19, 22, 31, 35 — eur-lex.europa.eu, checked 2026-10-23.
• ICAO, 2024 Revised Limits of Liability Under the Montreal Convention of 1999 — icao.int, checked 2026-10-23.
• easyJet, terms and conditions, s.5 and s.11, and fees and charges — easyjet.com, checked 2026-10-20.
• Ryanair, UK terms and conditions fee table and Help Centre, outbound not taken — ryanair.com, checked 2026-10-20.
• British Airways, General Conditions of Carriage clause 3c and Manage booking FAQ — britishairways.com, checked 2026-10-20.
• Jet2.com, terms and conditions 16.5 and Missed Flights FAQ — jet2.com, checked 2026-10-20.
• TUI Airways, Conditions of Carriage 3.4 and Help Centre, missed outward flight — tui.co.uk, checked 2026-10-20.

#FAQ

How much compensation for a 3 hour delay on a long-haul flight from the UK?

£260 per person on a UK261 flight over 3,500 km that arrives between 3 and 4 hours late, the CAA figure; more than 4 hours late is £520. The £260 comes from article 7(2)(c), applied to delays: the airline may halve the sum, and the full £520 applies if it does not. Nothing is owed for unavoidable extraordinary circumstances.