Claiming flight delay compensation from British Airways

Which rules cover British Airways flights

It depends on where the flight departs and, on the way in, on where the airline is licensed. British Airways is licensed in the United Kingdom. EU 261 covers a flight into the EU, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland from elsewhere only on an airline licensed in one of those countries; a flight that departs from the United Kingdom is under UK 261.

Departing the United Kingdom, on any airline

UK 2613+ h late at your final destination: you may be owed £220–£520, by distance.

Arriving in the United Kingdom on British Airways

UK 2613+ h late at your final destination: you may be owed £220–£520, by distance.

Departing an airport in the EU, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland, on any airline

EU 2613+ h late at your final destination: you may be owed €250–€600, by distance.

Departing Türkiye, on any airline

Turkish rules3+ h late at your final destination: you may be owed €100–€600, by distance.

What UK 261 says beyond the sum

While you wait

Meals and drinks are owed from 2 h on short flights, 4 h on the longest.

Care at once

Reduced mobility, or a child flying alone? Care is owed at once, at any delay.

Refund or rebooking

From 5 h: you can give up the trip and get the unused fare back in 7 days.

Connections

On one booking the 3 h counts at your final destination — a short delay that costs you the connection can still reach it.

When nothing is owed

No compensation if the cause was outside the airline's control — weather, air-traffic control, or someone else's strike. Meals and a hotel are owed anyway.

The lines above are the ones AirwayControl shows for a route under these rules. More in the guide to UK 261.

Where to send a claim to British Airways

British Airways takes complaints and claims through its own page. Have the letter below ready and paste it in, or copy the details from it.

We have found no email address that British Airways publishes for claims, so its own page is the way in.

If British Airways says no, or does not answer

Take it to the complaints body in the country you departed from. For a flight that departed from the United Kingdom, start at caa.co.uk.

Link and address read on the airline's own site and last checked 13 August 2026.

The letter, addressed to British Airways

This is the letter AirwayControl writes. It names the rules, asks for what they provide and asks British Airways to give its reasons if it says no. It names no sum, because the airline works that out. Fill in the brackets and send it yourself.

Dear British Airways,

I am writing about flight [flight number] on [date]. I am claiming the compensation and assistance I am entitled to as a passenger on that flight.

Flight details
Flight number: [flight number]
Date: [date]
Route: [from] to [to]
Scheduled arrival: [time]
Booking reference: [reference]

[What happened: for example, "The flight arrived 3 hours 20 minutes late" or "The flight was cancelled on the day".]

I understand this flight is covered by the UK version of Regulation 261/2004, and I am claiming the compensation and any right to care that applies. If you consider that extraordinary circumstances apply, please set out what they were and what measures you took.

Please confirm receipt and let me know the outcome in writing. If you consider that compensation is not due, please tell me the specific reason and the evidence you rely on.

Kind regards,
[your name]

The letter names UK 261. If the table above puts your flight under other rules, change that sentence. Under EU 261, write: “I understand this flight is covered by Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, and I am claiming the compensation and any right to care that applies. If you consider that extraordinary circumstances apply, please set out what they were and what measures you took.” Under Turkish rules, write: “I understand this flight is covered by the Turkish regulation on air passenger rights (SHY-YOLCU), and I am claiming the compensation and any right to care that applies.”

Questions people ask

Where do I send a compensation claim to British Airways?

Through the British Airways page at britishairways.com. Write to the airline that operated the flight first; a complaints body comes after.

Does British Airways take compensation claims by email?

We have found no email address that British Airways publishes for claims. Its own page is the way in.

Which rules cover British Airways flights?

British Airways is licensed in the United Kingdom. EU 261 covers a flight into the EU, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland from elsewhere only on an airline licensed in one of those countries; a flight that departs from the United Kingdom is under UK 261.

Does AirwayControl send the claim to British Airways?

No. AirwayControl never submits or handles claims and takes no share. It fills in the letter and the answers the British Airways page asks for, and you send them yourself.

By airline

Where each airline takes a claim, and which rules cover its flights.

• Ryanair
• easyJet
• Lufthansa
• Air France
• KLM
• British Airways
• Turkish Airlines
• Wizz Air
• Vueling
• Iberia
• SAS
• Norwegian

By country

What the rules of each country say. The main guide covers EU 261.

• UK
• Canada
• Turkey
• United States