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Your UK261 claim was rejected: where to go next

Updated
General information, not legal advice. The outcome depends on the facts of your case.

Your flight from a UK airport, or into the UK on a UK or EU airline, was delayed or cancelled, and the airline said no. A rejection is the airline's view, not a ruling. In the UK the next step is usually an approved dispute body, and which one depends on the airline, not on you.

We are not affiliated with any airline, dispute body or the Civil Aviation Authority.

Does UK261 cover your flight?

Since Brexit the UK has its own copy of the EU rules, usually called UK261. Article 3 of the UK version (legislation.gov.uk) covers:

Some flights fall under both sets of rules. A flight from an EU airport into the UK, such as Dublin to London, is also covered by the EU rules because it departs the EU, and so is a flight from the UK to the EU on an EU airline. You can only be paid once for the same flight. For flights from Ireland see the Ireland guide, and for the Nordics the Nordic complaint boards.

How much

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) gives these amounts per passenger when you arrive 3 hours or more late, and for late cancellations and denied boarding:

The ticket price makes no difference. Meals, drinks and a hotel if you have to stay overnight are owed whatever caused the delay, so keep your receipts.

What the airline has to prove

The UK rules keep the same test as the EU rules. The airline escapes compensation only if it proves an extraordinary circumstance and that it took all reasonable measures. The burden is on the airline (Wallentin-Hermann C-549/07). Technical faults are normal operations (van der Lans C-257/14), and so is a strike by the airline's own staff (Airhelp v SAS C-28/20). Weather and air traffic control can count, but the airline must show how they hit your flight. See extraordinary circumstances and bad weather.

Which body takes your case

The CAA has approved two dispute schemes for aviation. Each airline joins one of them, or none. The CAA's list on 16 October 2026:

Check the CAA's page before you file, because memberships change. A new law on dispute schemes (the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024) took effect on 6 April 2026, and the CAA says it is reviewing its policy. For now both schemes take complaints as before.

When you can apply

All three need a written claim to the airline first. Then:

Keep your claim, the airline's answer, the booking and anything that shows the delay.

How each one works

AviationADR is free for passengers. You file on its online portal, by post, or by phone on +44 20 3540 8063 (weekday mornings). Its process: the airline has 28 days to answer, you get one chance to comment within 21 days, and an adjudicator decides within 60 days of the complete file. You then have 7 days to accept or reject. The decision binds the airline only if you accept it (AviationADR).

CEDR aims to decide within 90 days of the complete case file. If you accept, the airline must act within 20 working days, unless the adjudicator sets another time. The decision becomes binding only if you accept it within six weeks of being told (CEDR). Its current help pages list no fee for passengers.

CAA PACT reviews your complaint and can raise it with the airline, but it cannot make a binding decision or force the airline to pay. If you live in Northern Ireland, the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland may also help.

If you reject a decision, or the airline still does not pay, the courts remain open.

Small claims court

The limit for suing is 6 years from the flight in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and 5 years in Scotland. Do not count on a complaint to a dispute body to stop that clock, and do not leave it to the last year.

Step by step

  1. Reply to the airline in writing. Claim the amount per passenger in pounds, and ask for the delay reason and the evidence: delay codes, weather data for the right airport and time, and which other airlines' flights it checked to get you there.
  2. Wait for the final answer, or 8 weeks. See airline not responding.
  3. File with the airline's scheme, or with PACT if it has none, within 12 months.
  4. Decide on the result. Accept it, or reject it and go to the small claims court.

Airline guides with UK notes: British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air.

Appeal My Flight's pack contains a reply to the airline and the complaint for the right UK body, built from standard texts and your answers, for €29 per booking, however many passengers. UK customers pay in euros. You send it yourself and keep the payout. We cannot promise an outcome.

FAQ

Can I go to AviationADR or CEDR if I used a claims company before?

Yes, as long as the complaint is still unresolved. If the company is still acting for you, tell it first, so that the airline does not get two claims for the same flight.

What if the airline ignores a decision I accepted?

An accepted decision binds the airline. CEDR's guidance says an airline that does not comply can have its membership suspended. You can also take the decision to the small claims court.

My flight left the UK on an EU airline. Which rules apply?

UK261, because the flight departed the UK. If it flew to an EU airport, the EU rules cover it too, but you are paid once. For UK261, the airline's scheme in the list above takes the complaint.

Does a CAA complaint stop the time limit for court?

Do not count on it. Plan to be in court within 6 years of the flight (5 years in Scotland), whatever stage the complaint has reached.

The airline offered a voucher. Do I have to take it?

No. A voucher replaces money only with your signed agreement. See voucher instead of compensation.

Got the airline's reply? Paste it into the rejection checker and see what EU court rulings say about their excuse.