Claim Compensation For London Heathrow Airport Flight Delays And Cancellations

As the UK’s number one flight compensation firm, we’ve claimed over £79 million in airline compensation for flight delays and cancellations.

Our simple no win no fee claim process takes less than a minute. If you’ve suffered an airport delay or cancellation at Heathrow, put your flight compensation claim in the hands of our expert solicitors and enjoy industry-leading success rates, with many claims paid in less than 60 days.

What Are My Rights Under EU Regulation 261 For Flight Delays And Cancellations At London Heathrow?

As London Heathrow is based in the UK, under EU Regulation 261 and the corresponding UK Law, you may be able to claim flight compensation for delays or cancellations if you arrive at your final destination more than three hours late and the cause of the delay is not caused by an extraordinary circumstance. Depending on the circumstance, you may be able to claim up to £520 per passenger.

Your airline passenger rights are protected if you’re departing Heathrow on any airline, or arriving into Heathrow with a UK or EU airline.

Check to see if you can claim flight compensation for your Heathrow delay or cancellation using our flight compensation calculator now. Just add your date of departure and your flight number to find out how much you can claim.

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How To Claim Compensation For Airport Delays From Heathrow

If you have been affected by delays at Heathrow, the following information will help you successfully claim for compensation.

• Ask an airline representative for the reason for the delay.
• Collect as much evidence as possible to prove the length of the delay, such as written documentation from the airline or a photo of the departure board.
• Keep all of your travel documents, including your boarding pass.
• Ask for ‘care and assistance” for meals, refreshments and, if applicable, accommodation.
• Keep all receipts for expenses you incur during your delay.

When Can I Claim Compensation For Flight Delays At London Heathrow?

For flights departing from Heathrow, you may be able to claim compensation if your flight arrives at its destination more than three hours later than the originally scheduled arrival time and the delay is ’not caused by an extraordinary circumstance.

For flights arriving at Heathrow, you may be able to claim compensation if your flight arrives more than three hours later than the originally scheduled arrival time as long as the airline is based in the UK or EU and the delay is not caused by an extraordinary circumstance.

You can claim for delays and cancellations, including if your flight was diverted or you missed your connecting flight, or were denied boarding involuntarily, and you bumped from your flight due to overbooking.

You can claim for any flight meeting this criteria and scheduled to depart in the last six years.

How Much Compensation Can I Claim For Flight Delays At London Heathrow?

You can claim up to £520 in compensation if the delay is not caused by an extraordinary circumstance. How much you can claim from BA will depend on how many hours your flight was delayed and the flight distance.

The amount of compensation increases the longer you are delayed and the further the distance of your flight. You can claim for each passenger individually. If you were a family of four and were due £520 each, the total amount would be £2080.

The compensation amounts are fixed and unrelated to the ticket cost, the fare class you booked, or if you booked your flight using air miles.

How Much Compensation Can I Claim For Flight Cancellations At London Heathrow?

Under EU261, you may be able to claim compensation up to £520 for a flight cancellation at Heathrow if the flight is cancelled less than 14 days before departure and the airline’s replacement flight arrives more than two hours later than the originally scheduled flight.

The amount of compensation you could receive for a cancelled flight will depend on the distance and the number of hours your replacement flight was delayed. Compensation amounts range from £110 up to £520 per passenger.

Your airline passenger rights are protected ’if you’re departing Heathrow on any airline, or arriving into Heathrow with a UK or EU airline.

Can I Claim A Refund For A Cancelled Flight From London Heathrow?

If your flight is cancelled or delayed for more than 5 hours, you have a right to a request a refund for your flight from the airline.

Refunds should be issued within seven days and paid by electronic transfer, bank orders, or cheques. However, once you have agreed to a refund, the airline is no longer responsible for finding a replacement flight or rerouting you to your destination.

I Am Delayed At Heathrow, What Are My Rights Under EU261?

If you are stuck in a delay at Heathrow, or your flight has been cancelled, Article 9 of EU Reg 261 states that airlines must provide passengers with a level of “care and assistance” if their flight is delayed beyond a certain number of hours. Care and assistance should be provided regardless of the reason for the delay, including if it is not the airline’s fault.

Regardless of the reason for the delay, airlines must provide passengers with:

• Food and drink in reasonable relation to waiting time
• Free hotel accommodation when a stay of one night or more is necessary
• Free transport between the airport and the hotel
• Two free telephone calls or emails

The level of care provided depends on the length of your delay, as explained in the table below.

Can I Claim Flight Compensation If There Are Strikes At Heathrow Airport?

You will only be able to claim compensation if the strike action was taken by the airline you are travelling on.

You could not claim if your flight delay or cancellation was caused by strikes by staff at Heathrow, such as border security, airport staff, baggage handlers or air traffic control.

Can I Claim Flight Compensation If There Are Delays Checking In At Heathrow?

In previous years, we have seen issues such as long queues and delays at security. In these circumstances, as unfair as it may be, passengers are not protected by EU regulation 261. However, if you purchased your flight on a credit card, Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 may protect passengers in some circumstances.

Can I Claim Flight Compensation If Heathrow Caps The Number Of Flights?

If Heathrow reintroduces capping the number of flights as it did in 2023, and an airline is forced to cancel a flight because they’re told to do so by the airport, then it’s likely to be classed as an extraordinary circumstance, and you would not be eligible to claim compensation. However, you would be entitled to a full refund or a replacement flight on any airline in these circumstances.

About Heathrow Airport

London Heathrow Airport opened in 1946 and has grown into Europe’s busiest airport and the second busiest airport in the world regarding passenger traffic. It boasts the most international connections of any airport in the world.

The airport currently has four terminals: Terminals 2, 3, 4, and 5. Heathrow’s Terminal 1 closed in 2015 and is now partly used as an extension of Terminal 2.

Heathrow has two runways and serves 89 different airlines, flying to over 200 destinations in 84 countries. It is also the primary hub for British Airways.

Heathrow provides guidance for passengers affected by delays and cancellations.