# Airline ADR in the UK: 8 weeks, then 12 months to file Source: https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/airline-adr-schemes/ > AviationADR and CEDR decide most UK261 ADR cases free, within 3 months. Jet2 and Loganair sit in neither, so CAA PACT and small claims are the next step. # Aviation ADR: AviationADR, CEDR and CAA PACT explained [8 weeks](https://airtravelrights.com/data/airline-compensation-payout-times/). That is how long a UK261 complaint can sit with an airline before you escalate it, for free, through aviation ADR. Below: which carriers belong to AviationADR or CEDR, what CAA PACT does for the rest, and the 12-month deadline that follows the airline's final word. ## When can you take an airline complaint to ADR? 8 weeks without a reply, or a final response you disagree with (sometimes called a deadlock letter), is when a UK261 complaint can escalate. It moves from the airline's own team to a free aviation ADR scheme. AviationADR and CEDR only accept incidents from the last six years, five if you live in Scotland. Source: Civil Aviation Authority, Alternative Dispute Resolution for air passengers - caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-15. Write to the airline first, citing UK261 and the amount you are owed; the [UK261 delay compensation guide](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/flight-delay-compensation/) has a letter template. The eight-week clock starts from that written complaint. Then submit to AviationADR or CEDR, whichever your airline belongs to, within 12 months of its final response, or of its last written communication if none arrives. That window is an ADR rule. It is separate from the court limitation period. Not your situation? Flights covered only by [EU261](https://airtravelrights.com/eu261/) follow EU261's own complaint routes, and flights to, from or within Canada the [Air Passenger Protection Regulations](https://airtravelrights.com/canada-appr/). Unsure which law applies? [Check which law covers your flight](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/). Send the written complaint now and put the date eight weeks later in your calendar. ## Which ADR bodies are approved for UK flight complaints? 2 ADR providers cover UK flight complaints: AviationADR, run by Consumer Dispute Resolution Limited, and the CEDR aviation adjudication service. Since 6 April 2026, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 sets their legal basis, replacing the ADR Regulations 2015. The CAA says passengers can continue to use both schemes. Source: SI 2005/975, reg. 5(2)-(4) (substituted 4 August 2016 by SI 2016/729) - legislation.gov.uk; CAA, ADR page - caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-15. Regulation 5 names the bodies article 16(2) of UK261 requires: the CAA, plus CEDR Services Limited and Consumer Dispute Resolution Limited, trading as AviationADR, but only where their contract with the airline covers it. ADR scheme membership is the airline's choice, not yours. An airline can sign up to CEDR, to AviationADR or to neither, and neither list includes every UK carrier. The CAA's FY26 complaint counts, airline by airline and body by body, are on [UK airline complaints per million passengers](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/airline-complaints/). The CAA is still reviewing its ADR policy after the April 2026 change. Re-read its ADR page on the day you file. ## Is your airline a member of AviationADR or CEDR? 5 airline brands sit on the CAA's CEDR list, British Airways and BA CityFlyer among them. The AviationADR list is longer and includes easyJet, Ryanair, TUI Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Wizz Air. Jet2 and Loganair appear on none of the three published lists, so ADR is not an option for either. Source: CAA, ADR page - caa.co.uk; AviationADR, Airline and Airport Members - aviationadr.org.uk; CEDR, Aviation - cedr-assist.com, checked 2026-09-15. All three lists name brands, not the airline company printed on your ticket, and none gives a company name or number. Read the table as a brand check for a selection of listed carriers. | Airline brand | ADR route | Source, checked 2026-09-15 | |:--|:--|:--| | easyJet | AviationADR | CAA; AviationADR | | Ryanair | AviationADR | CAA; AviationADR | | TUI Airways | AviationADR | CAA; AviationADR | | Virgin Atlantic | AviationADR | CAA; AviationADR | | Wizz Air (as listed by the CAA) | AviationADR | CAA; AviationADR | | British Airways | CEDR | CAA; CEDR | | BA CityFlyer | CEDR | CAA; CEDR | | Jet2 | none: CAA PACT | Absent from all three lists | | Loganair | none: CAA PACT | Absent from all three lists | | Austrian, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss | Schlichtung Reise & Verkehr (Berlin) | CAA | Source: CAA ADR page, AviationADR members page, CEDR aviation page - caa.co.uk, aviationadr.org.uk, cedr-assist.com, checked 2026-09-15. A Ryanair ADR complaint goes through AviationADR's own complaint form, and a British Airways CEDR complaint through CEDR's; a brand marked "none" goes to CAA PACT. The [British Airways](https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/british-airways/) and [Jet2](https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/jet2/) pages set out each carrier's route, and the [airline ADR map](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/airline-adr-map/) holds the full carrier-by-carrier dataset. Check your airline's brand on the CAA list again on the day you file, not from memory. ## What happens after you submit your complaint to ADR? 3 months is how long most ADR decisions take, the CAA says. The process is free for passengers at both AviationADR and CEDR. Accept the decision and it binds the airline. Do not accept it and you can still take your UK261 claim to court instead. Source: CAA, ADR page - caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-15. The 3-month figure describes most cases, not a legal deadline the scheme must meet. A longer wait does not by itself mean something has gone wrong. A binding decision here ties one side only. Once you accept, the airline is bound by it. If you do not accept, the court route stays open within the limitation period, and the decision you turned down does not stop you from filing a claim. Keep every message the scheme sends you, including the intake confirmation and the decision itself. Together they record what was decided and when you accepted, which is the evidence you need if the airline later fails to comply. ## What if the airline does not pay after an ADR decision? 20 working days is CEDR's compliance deadline once you accept its decision, unless the decision itself states otherwise. An accepted decision from either scheme binds the airline, and you keep the right to go to court. For AviationADR, check the decision for any date it sets. Source: CEDR, Aviation - cedr-assist.com; CAA, ADR page - caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-15. CEDR counts the 20 working days from your acceptance, not from the date the decision was issued. Weekends do not count. A missed deadline does not end your claim. The CAA says a passenger may still go to court, and in England and Wales the limitation period is 6 years under the Limitation Act 1980, s.9(1). The [small claims court guide](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/small-claims-court/) covers the county-court and Simple Procedure steps. Before filing, write to the airline with the scheme's case number, the decision date and the date you accepted, and set a date for payment. ## What can CAA PACT do if your airline is not in an ADR scheme? 8 weeks with no reply, or a response you are not satisfied with, is when CAA PACT can take up a complaint against an airline outside AviationADR and CEDR, Jet2 and Loganair among them. PACT advises whether the complaint looks valid and takes it up with the airline. It cannot impose a solution. Source: CAA, How the CAA can help - caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-15. PACT covers UK261 delay, cancellation, [downgrade](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/flight-downgrade-refund/) and denied-boarding complaints, plus UK1107 disability assistance and Montreal Convention baggage claims. It is only likely to consider a complaint where the airline is not a member of an approved ADR body, and it will not handle a case with less than a year left to take legal action. Submit through the CAA's online form, iCasework, with copies of your correspondence, flight details and receipts. For help with the form, contact passenger.complaints@caa.co.uk or 0330 022 1916. The CAA's guideline timescales: an initial assessment in about one week with a complete file, an airline response within four weeks (plus two if it challenges the complaint), and a final assessment five weeks after all information is in. The CAA notes handling currently takes longer. Northern Ireland residents can also ask the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland for help. There is no appeal against PACT's opinion, but you can still sue. For Jet2 or [Loganair](https://airtravelrights.com/airlines/loganair/), only a court claim produces an outcome the airline must follow. Contact PACT with more than a year left before your limitation deadline. ## ADR, small claims or a claim company: which route fits your case? 6 years from the date your claim arose is the limitation period for a UK261 claim in England and Wales, and Scotland may be shorter. ADR can come before a court claim; it does not replace it. Which route fits depends on whether your airline belongs to a scheme and how much of the chasing you want to do yourself. Source: Limitation Act 1980, s.9(1) - legislation.gov.uk; Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973, s.6(1) - legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-09-15. **ADR, small claims or a claim company, compared** | Route | Cost to you | Outcome | Fits when | |:--|:--|:--|:--| | ADR (AviationADR / CEDR) | Free | Binds the airline if you accept; court stays open | Your airline belongs to a scheme | | Small claims / county court | Court fee | Court judgment | No ADR scheme, or a decision went unpaid | | Claim company (for example AirHelp) | Fee kept from any payout, no win no fee | Handles the claim for you | You would rather not run it yourself | Source: CAA, ADR page - caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-15. ADR costs you nothing, a court claim carries a fee set out in the [small claims court guide](https://airtravelrights.com/uk261/small-claims-court/), and a claim company is paid only from what it recovers. [Flight compensation time limits](https://airtravelrights.com/flight-compensation-time-limits/) compares every regime's deadline, and [airline refused compensation, what next](https://airtravelrights.com/airline-refused-compensation/) maps escalation across regimes. In Dore & Anor v EasyJet Airline Company Ltd [2022] EWCA Civ 1553, the Court of Appeal held that a claims company may submit a claim through easyJet's online portal in the passenger's name. The decision binds lower courts in England and Wales. What five such companies charge is set out in [claim companies compared](https://airtravelrights.com/claim-companies-compared/). > Airline outside ADR, or an ADR decision unpaid? [AirHelp (third-party claim service)](https://airtravelrights.com/partner/airhelp?ref=atr-es-uk261-adr-m) takes on rejected or ignored UK261 claims, no win no fee, and keeps a fee from any payout. The free ADR route and small claims stay open either way. In Scotland, an obligation is extinguished after 5 years under the Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973 if no claim is made or acknowledged. No Scottish court has yet decided whether that rule or the six-year period used in England and Wales governs a UK261 claim. File inside five years if Scotland is where you would sue. General information on aviation ADR schemes in the UK, not legal advice. For your specific case, contact the CAA, Citizens Advice, Trading Standards or a solicitor. ## Sources - 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/), checked 2026-09-15. - Civil Aviation Authority, How the CAA can help - [caa.co.uk](https://www.caa.co.uk/air-passengers/travel-problems-and-rights/travel-complaints/how-the-caa-can-help/), checked 2026-09-15. - AviationADR, Lists of Airline and Airport Members - [aviationadr.org.uk](https://www.aviationadr.org.uk/complaints-process/airline-and-airport-members-aviationadr/), checked 2026-09-15. - CEDR, Aviation - [cedr-assist.com](https://www.cedr-assist.com/consumer/aviation/overview/), checked 2026-09-15. - The Civil Aviation (Denied Boarding, Compensation and Assistance) Regulations 2005 (SI 2005/975), reg. 5 - [legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/975/regulation/5), checked 2026-09-15. - Limitation Act 1980, s.9 - [legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/58/section/9), checked 2026-09-15. - Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973, s.6 - [legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1973/52/section/6), checked 2026-09-15. - Dore & Anor v EasyJet Airline Company Ltd [2022] EWCA Civ 1553, Court of Appeal (Civil Division) - [caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk](https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewca/civ/2022/1553).