# British Airways delay compensation: £220–£520 under UK261 Source: https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/british-airways/ > No reply from British Airways after 8 weeks? Take the claim to CEDR, free. Claim window: 6 years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. # British Airways delay and cancellation compensation £220, £350 or £520 per passenger: British Airways owes UK261 compensation once a flight lands three hours or more late, or is cancelled at short notice, whether British Airways plc, BA Cityflyer or BA Euroflyer operated it. **Key facts: British Airways** | Attribute | Detail | |:--|:--| | Governing law | UK261 to and from the UK, and into the EU; EU261 on EU departures | | Compensation | £220 / £350 / £520 by distance; £260 on long-haul 3-4h delays | | Claim window | 6 years E&W/NI; 5 years Scotland (caveat below) | This page covers British Airways [delay compensation](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/flight-delay-compensation/) under UK261 and EU261, and the US-UK route below. A lost baggage claim falls under the [Montreal Convention](https://airtravelrights.com/montreal-convention/) instead. ## How much does British Airways pay under UK261 for a delay of 3 hours or more? £220, £350 or £520 per passenger is what British Airways owes under UK261 once your flight reaches its final destination three hours or more late, banded by distance: up to 1,500 km, 1,500-3,500 km and everything beyond. On routes over 3,500 km, the CAA puts a delay of three to four hours at £260. | Distance | Compensation | |:--|:--| | Up to 1,500 km | £220 | | 1,500-3,500 km | £350 | | Over 3,500 km | £520 (£260 if the delay is 3-4 hours) | Source: UK261 art. 7(1) (SI 2019/278), art. 6(3)-(4) (SI 2023/1370), art. 7(2)(c) - legislation.gov.uk; Civil Aviation Authority, Delays - caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-15. Article 7(2) says "may": the £260 step is the airline's option, not an automatic cut. The article was written for re-routed passengers, and the CAA applies the same reduction to a plain delay. A Reddit post dated 21 April 2026 reports British Airways offering £260 per person for a 3h45 long-haul delay; that matches the CAA figure. Routes up to 3,500 km have no reduced step. More than four hours late on a long-haul route, the full £520 is due. Note the time you were allowed off the aircraft, then check the [compensation calculator](https://airtravelrights.com/compensation-calculator/?carrier=british-airways) before accepting a £260 offer. ## Which British Airways flights does UK261 cover, and when does EU261 apply? UK261 covers every British Airways flight that departs a UK airport, arrives in the UK, or arrives in the EU from outside the UK - all three BA entities are licensed UK air carriers. EU261 only applies when BA departs an EU airport; it never covers BA's EU arrivals. **Which rules apply to your British Airways flight** | Your BA flight | Law | Currency | |:--|:--|:--| | Departs a UK airport, or arrives in the UK | UK261 | £ | | Arrives in the EU from outside the UK | UK261 | £ | | Departs an EU airport | EU261 | € | A BA flight from an EU airport into the UK matches rows 1 and 3: EU261 applies, and UK261 does not if you already received benefits or compensation and assistance there. **British Airways group entities (licence status)** | Legal entity | Status | UK261 inbound | EU261 inbound | |:--|:--|:--|:--| | British Airways plc | UK air carrier | Yes | No | | BA Cityflyer Limited | UK air carrier | Yes | No | | BA Euroflyer Limited | UK air carrier | Yes | No | All three are UK air carriers on the [CAA licence holders list](https://www.caa.co.uk/commercial-industry/airlines/licensing/licence-types/airline-licence-holders/), so the operating entity does not change the answer. If your booking names another operating airline, its licence decides. Source: UK261 art. 3(1)(a)-(b) (SI 2019/278), art. 2(m) - legislation.gov.uk; EU261 art. 3(1)(a), art. 7(1) - eur-lex.europa.eu; CAA, Airline licence holders - caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-15. EU261 covers any carrier departing an EU airport, because article 3(1)(a) names the airport, not nationality. Those flights pay €250, €400 or €600 by distance, never pounds. Check your departure airport first; the [UK261 hub](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/) has the full scope test. Similar airlines: [Virgin Atlantic](https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/virgin-atlantic/), also a UK air carrier; [easyJet](https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/easyjet/) and [Aer Lingus](https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/aer-lingus/), whose coverage depends on the operating entity; [American Airlines](https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/american-airlines/), covered by UK261 only on UK departures. Not your situation? A flight departing an EU airport falls under [EU261](https://airtravelrights.com/eu261/), in euros; routes to, from or within Canada fall under the [Air Passenger Protection Regulations](https://airtravelrights.com/canada-appr/). Unsure which law fits? [Work it out here](https://airtravelrights.com/which-law-covers-my-flight/). Flying in the US? US federal rules differ - see [US DOT rules](https://airtravelrights.com/us-dot/). ## Is a British Airways flight from the US to the UK covered? Yes - a British Airways flight from the US into the UK is covered by UK261, in pounds, because British Airways is a UK air carrier and article 3(1)(b)(i) reaches any arrival into the UK on a UK or Community carrier. US federal rules require no delay compensation, so the fixed payment on this route comes from UK261. Source: UK261 art. 3(1)(b) - legislation.gov.uk; 14 CFR 250.2 - ecfr.gov; US DOT, Fly Rights - transportation.gov, checked 2026-09-15. This holds whichever US airport you left and whichever BA entity operated the aircraft. Two limits apply. If your booking shows another airline operating the flight, its licence decides. And article 3(1)(b) excludes UK261 if you received benefits or compensation and assistance in the US, as a bumped passenger can: nonstop US departures on aircraft with 30 or more seats fall under the DOT's denied-boarding rule, paid in dollars. Check the operating carrier on your booking, then claim in pounds; if you were bumped in the US, tell British Airways what you received there. ## How do you claim compensation from British Airways directly? Every route out of a refused British Airways claim runs back through the airline's own written answer: CEDR counts its 12-month filing window from that final response. Send the claim through the [Feedback and Claims portal](https://www.britishairways.com/travel/feedbackclaims), keep both sides of the exchange, and state the distance band and amount yourself. Source: UK261 art. 5(1)(c), art. 6(3) and art. 7 - legislation.gov.uk; CAA, Alternative Dispute Resolution - caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-15. Claiming British Airways delay compensation needs no solicitor. Give it your flight number and date, the arrival delay or the cancellation notice you received, and the amount from the UK261 £ table above; attach the booking confirmation, the boarding pass and any disruption message, or write to customer relations instead. A refund instead of re-routing ends further help and care, not the fixed compensation. The [UK261 delay compensation guide](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/flight-delay-compensation/) has a full letter template you can reuse. Set a reminder for 8 weeks after you send your British Airways compensation claim: that is when CEDR opens. ## Which British Airways refusal reasons hold up? 1 of the 2 leading UK rulings on a refused UK261 claim is a British Airways case: in Lipton v BA Cityflyer (2024) the Supreme Court held a captain's off-duty illness was not extraordinary. Huzar (2014) settled technical faults the same way. [Which grounds do clear article 2(o)](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/extraordinary-circumstances/) is set out separately. Source: UK261 art. 2(o) (definition), art. 5(3), art. 6(4), art. 8 and art. 9 - legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-09-15. In Jet2.com Ltd v Huzar [2014] EWCA Civ 791, the Court of Appeal held a wiring defect was inherent in normal airline activity, not extraordinary, even though maintenance couldn't have prevented it. In Lipton and another v BA Cityflyer Ltd [2024] UKSC 24, the Supreme Court held a captain's off-duty illness was not extraordinary either, regardless of cause. Both decisions bind lower courts in England and Wales. **If British Airways rejects your claim** A FlyerTalk post dated 9 February 2026 records one refusal citing "ATC restrictions": British Airways gave no detail when asked, then settled in full at £520 after the passenger filed with CEDR. Naming a cause is not proving it; the airline must show the reasonable measures it took. A defence that does hold cancels the £220, £350 or £520 alone. Articles 5(3) and 6(4) of UK261 lift the article 7 payment only, so the meals, the hotel, the re-routing and the refund owed under articles 8 and 9 stay in place. Ask for the cause and the reasonable measures taken before accepting a bare "weather" or "ATC" label; see the [escalation guide](https://airtravelrights.com/airline-refused-compensation/). ## How does CEDR handle a British Airways complaint? 8 weeks without a reply, or a final refusal, opens CEDR, the ADR scheme the CAA lists for British Airways and BA CityFlyer; CEDR's own page adds BA EuroFlyer. Membership is listed by brand, not legal entity. CEDR decides most cases within 3 months, and British Airways must pay an accepted award within 20 working days. Source: CAA, Alternative Dispute Resolution for air passengers - caa.co.uk; CEDR, Aviation - cedr-assist.com, checked 2026-09-15. Submit within 12 months of British Airways' final response or last written communication, for an incident inside the last six years (five if you live in Scotland). ADR is free; an accepted decision binds British Airways but not you, and court stays open if you reject it. Since 6 April 2026 the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 has replaced the ADR Regulations 2015, and the CAA says passengers can keep using CEDR. British Airways is the only CEDR airline with 100 or more cases in the CAA's FY26 complaints file, at 155 per million passengers ([complaint rates by airline](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/airline-complaints/)). Keep British Airways' last written message: the 12-month deadline runs from it. The [ADR scheme guide](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/airline-adr-schemes/) and [ADR membership map](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/airline-adr-map/) cover other airlines. > Rather not run CEDR yourself? [AirHelp (third-party claim service)](https://airtravelrights.com/partner/airhelp?ref=atr-al-british-airways-m) can take on rejected claims, no win no fee, and keeps a fee from any payout; CEDR and [British Airways' own claim portal](https://www.britishairways.com/travel/feedbackclaims) stay free. ## How long do you have to claim against British Airways? 6 years is the court deadline in England and Wales: article 3(9) of UK261 applies section 9 of the Limitation Act 1980, and Northern Ireland's order matches it. Scotland's 1973 Act says 5, untested. CEDR runs on a second clock - 12 months from British Airways' final response. Source: UK261 art. 3(9); Limitation Act 1980 s.9; Limitation (NI) Order 1989 art. 4; Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973 s.6 - legislation.gov.uk; CAA, Alternative Dispute Resolution for air passengers - caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-15. The two clocks are measured differently. An approved scheme takes an incident from the last six years, or five for a passenger who lives in Scotland; the statutes turn instead on which nation's court would hear the claim. Miss the CEDR window and the court claim is untouched by it. Dawson v Thomson Airways Ltd [2014] EWCA Civ 845 is why six years apply at all. The Court of Appeal held that a Regulation 261 delay claim falls outside the Montreal Convention's 2-year time bar, so section 9 of the [Limitation Act 1980](https://airtravelrights.com/flight-compensation-time-limits/) governs in England and Wales. Article 3(9), in force since 14 December 2023, writes that into UK261. Scotland is the open point: no Scottish court has decided whether the 1973 Act's five-year prescription or article 3(9) governs. Work to five years if a Scottish court could hear yours. ## How long does British Airways take to pay compensation? 20 working days is the one fixed payment deadline: British Airways must pay within 20 working days once you accept a CEDR decision. No official claim response time binds British Airways on a direct claim; the only other clock is the 8-week wait before CEDR opens. Source: CEDR, Aviation - cedr-assist.com; CAA, Alternative Dispute Resolution - caa.co.uk; UK261 arts. 7(3) and 8(1) - legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-09-15. For a claim British Airways ignores, the official steps add up to roughly six months: 8 weeks of silence, about 3 months for most CEDR decisions, then up to 20 working days to pay. A refund for a cancelled flight is faster: article 8(1) sets seven days. One passenger's report of how fast British Airways delay compensation arrived is a single case, not a commitment; the [payout-times dataset](https://airtravelrights.com/data/airline-compensation-payout-times/) tracks reported times by airline. Note the date you sent your claim and file with CEDR once 8 weeks pass. Offered Avios or a travel voucher in place of the money? Article 7(3) of UK261 lists cash, bank transfer, bank orders and cheques; vouchers and other services count only with your signed agreement. Nothing obliges you to sign. Reply in writing that you want the sum paid by bank transfer. > Still unpaid after CEDR or a final refusal? [AirHelp (third-party claim service)](https://airtravelrights.com/partner/airhelp?ref=atr-al-british-airways-b) handles claims no win no fee and keeps a fee from any payout; British Airways' own claim portal and CEDR stay open. General information on British Airways compensation, not legal advice. For your specific case, contact the CAA, Citizens Advice or a solicitor. ## Sources - Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it forms part of UK law, arts. 2-9, 16 - [legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2004/261/contents), checked 2026-09-15. - Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, arts. 3 and 7 - [eur-lex.europa.eu](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32004R0261). - The Aviation (Consumers) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 (SI 2023/1370) - [legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/1370/made). - Limitation Act 1980 s.9; Limitation (NI) Order 1989 art. 4; Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973 s.6 - [legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/58/section/9). - Civil Aviation Authority, Airline licence holders - [caa.co.uk](https://www.caa.co.uk/commercial-industry/airlines/licensing/licence-types/airline-licence-holders/). - Civil Aviation Authority, Delays - [caa.co.uk](https://www.caa.co.uk/air-passengers/travel-problems-and-rights/flight-delays-and-cancellations/delays/). - Civil Aviation Authority, Alternative Dispute Resolution for air passengers - [caa.co.uk](https://www.caa.co.uk/air-passengers/travel-problems-and-rights/travel-complaints/alternative-dispute-resolution/). - CEDR, Aviation - [cedr-assist.com](https://www.cedr-assist.com/consumer/aviation/overview/). - US Department of Transportation, Fly Rights - [transportation.gov](https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/fly-rights). - Jet2.com Ltd v Huzar [2014] EWCA Civ 791 - [caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk](https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewca/civ/2014/791). - Lipton and another v BA Cityflyer Ltd [2024] UKSC 24 - [caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk](https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/uksc/2024/24). - Dawson v Thomson Airways Ltd [2014] EWCA Civ 845 - [caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk](https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewca/civ/2014/845). - 14 CFR 250.2, Applicability (denied boarding) - [ecfr.gov](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/part-250/section-250.2).