UK261 £Aviation ADR: AviationADR, CEDR and CAA PACT explained

Checked 15 Sep 2026·9 min read · 7 steps

8 weeks. 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.

#1When 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 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 follow EU261’s own complaint routes, and flights to, from or within Canada the Air Passenger Protection Regulations. Unsure which law applies? Check which law covers your flight. Flying in the US? US federal rules differ — see US DOT rules.

Send the written complaint now and put the date eight weeks later in your calendar.

#2Which 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.

The CAA is still reviewing its ADR policy after the April 2026 change. Re-read its ADR page on the day you file.

#3Is 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.

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 and Jet2 pages set out each carrier’s route, and the 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.

#4What 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.

#5What 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 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.

#6What 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 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, only a court claim produces an outcome the airline must follow. Contact PACT with more than a year left before your limitation deadline.

#7ADR, 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

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, and a claim company is paid only from what it recovers. Flight compensation time limits compares every regime’s deadline, and airline refused compensation, what next 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.

Airline outside ADR, or an ADR decision unpaid? AirHelp (third-party claim service) 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.

Do it yourself · freeClaim with the airline, then ADR

• Write to the airline and keep the reference
• Refused, or no answer in 8 weeks: its ADR scheme or the CAA, free
• You keep all of the compensation

Use the claim letter template →

Hand it overAirHelp takes the claim, no win no fee

• They deal with the airline for you
• AirHelp's fee is 35% of the compensation, VAT included, and nothing if the claim fails.

Start with AirHelp →Third-party claim service

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, checked 2026-09-15.
• Civil Aviation Authority, How the CAA can help - caa.co.uk, checked 2026-09-15.
• AviationADR, Lists of Airline and Airport Members - aviationadr.org.uk, checked 2026-09-15.
• CEDR, Aviation - cedr-assist.com, checked 2026-09-15.
• The Civil Aviation (Denied Boarding, Compensation and Assistance) Regulations 2005 (SI 2005/975), reg. 5 - legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-09-15.
• Limitation Act 1980, s.9 - legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-09-15.
• Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973, s.6 - legislation.gov.uk, checked 2026-09-15.
• Dore & Anor v EasyJet Airline Company Ltd [2022] EWCA Civ 1553, Court of Appeal (Civil Division) - caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk.

#FAQ

What is ADR in aviation?

2 CAA-approved bodies, AviationADR and CEDR, run alternative dispute resolution (ADR) for UK261 complaints: a free way to settle a complaint without going to court. You can use it after complaining to the airline and getting no reply within 8 weeks, or a final response you reject. An accepted decision binds the airline.

Is Ryanair part of an ADR scheme?

8 weeks after your written complaint with no reply, or once Ryanair sends a final response you reject, a UK261 complaint can go to AviationADR, because Ryanair is on the CAA's AviationADR list. The scheme is free for passengers, and the CAA says most decisions arrive within 3 months.

What if the airline does not pay after an ADR decision?

6 years in England and Wales is how long you still have to sue if the airline misses the deadline, under section 9 of the Limitation Act 1980. An accepted ADR decision binds the airline, and the CAA says you keep the right to go to court. Send the case number, the decision date and your acceptance date.

Can I get compensation from AviationADR?

12 months from the airline's final response is your deadline to submit to AviationADR, for an incident within the last 6 years, or 5 if you live in Scotland. If you accept its decision on your UK261 claim, the decision binds the airline; if you do not accept it, you can still go to court.

Does airline ADR cost anything?

£0: both AviationADR and CEDR are free for passengers. You do need to complain to the airline in writing first and wait 8 weeks, or receive a final response you disagree with, before taking a UK261 complaint to either scheme, and you must submit within 12 months of that final response.

How long does an ADR decision take?

3 months is the CAA's figure for most ADR decisions, so some cases take longer. Once you accept a CEDR decision, the airline has 20 working days to comply unless the decision states otherwise. An accepted decision from either scheme binds the airline, and you can still go to court if you do not accept.