British Airways flight delayed or cancelled? What you can claim

Which rules cover British Airways

• EU261€250–€600

  British Airways flights that leave the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland. Its flights into the EU from elsewhere are not covered, because British Airways is not an EU airline.

• UK261£220–£520

  All British Airways flights that leave the UK, all its flights into the UK, and its flights into the EU.

• SHY-YOLCU€250–€600

  British Airways flights that leave Turkey.

• US DOT rulesRefund

  British Airways flights to, from or within the US: a cash refund if the flight is cancelled or changed a lot and you don’t travel. No cash for delays.

Amounts are per passenger and depend on the flight distance.

Not owed when the cause was outside the airline’s control: bad weather, air traffic control, security, strikes by airport staff. Technical faults and the airline’s own staff usually are its responsibility.

British Airways routes on this site

Routes where we found nonstop British Airways fares this week, and what a long delay or a late cancellation caused by the airline pays per passenger.

• London to New York5,531 km, UK261£520
• Miami to London7,108 km, UK261£520
• London to Reykjavik1,862 km, UK261£350
• London to Vienna1,234 km, UK261£220
• London to Warsaw1,387 km, UK261£220

How to claim from British Airways

Claim from the airline first. If it rejects the claim or doesn’t answer within eight weeks, go to the airline’s approved dispute resolution scheme, or to the CAA’s Passenger Advice and Complaints Team if the airline isn’t a member.

Keep your booking reference, boarding pass and receipts for meals, hotels or taxis while you waited. Every passenger on the booking, children with a seat included, can claim the full amount.

For EU261 and UK261 cases. No win, no fee: AirHelp keeps 35% of the payout (VAT included), plus 15% if the case goes to court; Compensair keeps 30%, plus 10% if extra legal costs arise. Claiming directly from the airline is free.