DaddyNote

UK, Irish and EU money and travel rules, worked through step by step, with the date each figure was checked.

English

Flights & Travel Rights 2 posts

Flights & Travel Rights

EU261 or UK261: I guessed by the airline and got it backwards

DaddyNotePosted 14 Oct 2026Sources checked 14 Oct 2026

Whether your delay falls under EU261, UK261 or both depends on where you departed, where you landed and the airline. A route-by-route guide using the CAA's UK261 table and the EU's Your Europe page, with the compensation amounts each one lists.

Just after ten at night, I was standing under a departures board that had changed from "delayed" to "delayed" again, with a new time each go. Around me, people were already searching on their phones: EU261 or UK261?

I was sure I knew the answer. The airline's home country decides, surely. A British airline means British rules, a European one means European rules.

Later that week I sat down with the CAA's table and the EU's Your Europe page side by side. My guess was wrong on several routes. Annoying.

What actually decides it? Mostly the route, and only then the airline.

The route matters more than the airline's flag

Here's the rule of thumb that the two sources add up to.

Leaving the UK, any airline, UK261 applies. Leaving the EU, any airline, EU261 applies. For flights into the UK or EU from elsewhere, it depends on the airline.

Some routes between the UK and the EU are covered by both regimes. The EU's own page says EU rules apply only if you have not already received compensation, re-routing or assistance for the same journey under the law of a non-EU country. In practice you claim once, not twice.

The UK side below comes from the CAA's table Does UK law apply to your flight incident?. The EU side comes from the Your Europe page. "UK carrier" means a UK airline. "EU carrier" is what the CAA calls a "Community carrier".

You fly…AirlineUK261 (CAA table)EU261 (Your Europe)
UK → UKUKYesNo
UK → EUUK or EUYesYes, if the airline is an EU airline (arriving in the EU from outside on an EU airline)
UK → outside UK/EUAnyYesNo
EU → UKUK or EUYesYes (departing the EU, any airline)
EU → UKNon-UK, non-EUNot in the CAA tableYes (departing the EU, any airline)
EU → EUAnyNot in the CAA tableYes (within the EU, any airline)
Outside → UKUK or EUYesNo
Outside → UKOtherNoNo
Outside → EUUKYesNo
Outside → EUEUNoYes
Outside → EUOtherNoNo

The row that undid my guess was "Outside → EU on a UK airline". UK261 says yes, EU261 says no.

The Your Europe page says EU rules also cover flights to and from Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. It also counts places such as the Canary Islands, Madeira and the Azores as part of the EU, but not the Faroe Islands.

Ireland is in the EU, so Dublin–Málaga is an EU261 flight with any airline. London–Dublin on an Irish airline is a "UK → EU, EU carrier" row, so both tables say yes.

The amount depends on when you land, not when you leave

Both regimes pay a fixed sum for a late arrival, not for a late departure. The amount depends on flight distance and, for long flights, on how late you arrived. It isn't linked to the ticket price.

UK261 (CAA):

  • Under 1,500 km (the CAA's example: Glasgow–Amsterdam): £220
  • 1,500–3,500 km (East Midlands–Marrakesh): £350
  • Over 3,500 km (London–New York): £260 if you arrive three to four hours late, £520 if more than four hours late

EU261 (Your Europe):

  • 1,500 km or less, 3 hours or more: €250
  • More than 1,500 km within the EU, and all other flights of 1,500–3,500 km, 3 hours or more: €400
  • More than 3,500 km (non-EU countries), 4 hours or more: €600
  • More than 3,500 km, at least 3 but less than 4 hours late: €300. This applies to flights departing the EU to a non-EU country, or departing a non-EU country to the EU on an EU airline.

Even the threshold is worded a little differently. The CAA says "more than three hours late". The EU table says "3 hours or more". Small, but worth knowing.

Take Paris to London, arriving 3 h 20 min late. The flight departs the EU, so EU261 applies. The CAA's table also lists EU → UK on a UK or EU airline as covered, so UK261 is in play too. Paris–London is well under 1,500 km. That puts it in the lowest band either way: €250 under EU261 or £220 under UK261. You'd claim under one regime, not both.

Now New York to London on a UK airline. Outside → UK on a UK carrier is covered by UK261, and the flight is over 3,500 km.

  • 3 h 30 min late: £260
  • 4 h 10 min late: £520

Cross into the next lateness band, and the payout doubles. That's why the actual arrival time is worth checking. The CAA counts the time you reach your destination airport.

If the same New York flight landed in Paris on an EU airline, EU261 would apply instead: €300 at 3 h 30 min, €600 at 4 h 10 min.

Some delays don't pay at all, and claiming is up to you

Neither regime pays if the delay was caused by extraordinary circumstances. This surprised me more than the route question.

The EU lists examples such as air traffic management decisions, political instability, adverse weather and security risks. It says the following are not extraordinary: most technical problems found during maintenance or caused by a failure to maintain the aircraft, mobile boarding stairs hitting an aircraft, and strikes by the airline's own staff. The airline has to prove the link and show the disruption could not have been avoided even with all reasonable measures.

The CAA explains that UK261 doesn't define the term. It cites Jet2 v Huzar (Court of Appeal, June 2014), which found that technical problems were not extraordinary circumstances.

I'd always heard "technical fault" used as if it closed the conversation. On both sides, it usually doesn't.

Connecting flights add another layer.

UK261: for a single booking, compensation is based on the distance between the first and last airport, and on lateness at your final destination. Self-transfer bookings (separate tickets) carry no statutory right to care or compensation for a missed connection. Each flight keeps its own rights.

EU261: for a missed connection on a single reservation, you're entitled to compensation if you reach your final destination more than 3 hours late. That applies unless extraordinary circumstances caused it, or you missed it because of security queues or because you were late for boarding.

And none of it arrives on its own. Compensation is not automatic.

The CAA says you claim from the airline first. If you're unhappy with the final response, or the airline takes more than eight weeks to reply, you can escalate to an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme the airline belongs to, or to the CAA's Passenger Advice and Complaints Team. On the EU side, the Your Europe page points to the national enforcement body in the country concerned.

You don't need a paid intermediary to file a claim. Both pages describe claiming directly.

One more caution. The EU figures above are the ones the Your Europe page presents as current, as last checked by the EU on 21 September 2026. EU air passenger rules are being revised. I won't quote new thresholds or amounts until I can read them in the published regulation. Before you claim, check the Your Europe page for the date of your flight.

So, back to that departures board. The route decides first, then the airline for arrivals. The payout follows distance and arrival time, not the fare. Technical faults usually don't excuse a delay, and you claim once, directly.

The airline's flag mattered far less than I'd thought.

Which route do you fly most often, and had you ever checked which set of rules it falls under?

General information, not legal advice. Your airline, the CAA or your national enforcement body can confirm how the rules apply to your flight.

Sources

Work it out for your own figuresEU261 and UK261 flight delay compensation checker

Other posts in Flights & Travel Rights