AIRLINE · DELAY COMPENSATION
British AirwaysDelay compensation — are you owed money?
UK / EU airline · full rights
UK261 applies to every British Airways flight to or from the UK. If you were delayed 3+ hours or cancelled and the airline was at fault, you can claim.
British Airways · performance
CAA DATA · APRIL 2026- 3+ hours late
- 0.2%The compensation threshold — these flights may be owed.
- Cancelled
- 0.3%of scheduled flights
- Average delay
- 8minacross all flights
- Routes flown
- 235in April 2026 CAA data · 60 with delay stats here
Delay statistics derived from UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) punctuality data. UK CAA flight punctuality statistics · April 2026. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the CAA.
How to claim from British Airways
Gather your details
Flight number, date, and scheduled vs actual arrival times. You don't need these to check with Owedly — only to claim from British Airways.
Submit to British Airways
Send a written claim citing UK261, stating the delay length and that you’re seeking the fixed compensation for your distance band.
Escalate if needed
No adequate response within 8 weeks? Take it to the airline’s ADR scheme or the Civil Aviation Authority.
How much UK261 pays
| Band | Distance | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| A | Under 1,500 kme.g. London–Paris, Manchester–Dublin | £220 |
| B | 1,500–3,500 kme.g. London–Athens, Edinburgh–Lisbon | £350 |
| C | Over 3,500 kme.g. London–New York · £260 if 3–4h late, £520 if 4h+ | £260–£520 |
The amount depends only on distance — not your ticket price or the airline. British Airways’s average delay is 8 minutes, but averages hide the flights that cross the 3-hour line.
Check your British Airways flight
Check · British Airways
6 FIELDSIt depends
It depends — you may be owed ~£350 if it was the airline’s fault
- Your flight is covered by UK261 and the delay is long enough to qualify — but whether you’re actually owed money depends on the cause.
- If the delay was the airline’s fault (for example a technical or crew problem), you could be owed around £350. If it was caused by extraordinary circumstances like extreme weather or an air-traffic-control strike, no compensation would be due.
- Ask the airline for the specific reason in writing, then check your claim.
You usually have up to 6 years to claim in England, Wales & Northern Ireland (5 years in Scotland). This is for information — it does not affect the estimate above.
Partner hand-off (AirHelp). Claim services typically charge a success fee — you can also claim directly with the airline for free.
ESTIMATE ONLY · NOT LEGAL ADVICE · OFFICIAL CAA GUIDANCE
Think you’re owed for a British Airways flight?
Run the six-question check and, if you’re eligible, hand off to a claims partner.
Partner hand-off (AirHelp). Claim services typically charge a success fee — you can also claim directly with the airline for free.
British Airways routes with delay stats
All routes →SHOWING 60 OF THE 235 ROUTES BRITISH AIRWAYS FLEW IN APRIL 2026 CAA DATA
- ABZ → LHRAberdeen → London Heathrow3h+ 0.6%CNCL 0%up to £220
- BHD → LHRBelfast City → London Heathrow3h+ 0.5%CNCL 0%up to £220
- EDI → LCYEdinburgh → London City3h+ 0%CNCL 1.1%up to £220
- EDI → LHREdinburgh → London Heathrow3h+ 0%CNCL 0%up to £220
- GLA → LHRGlasgow → London Heathrow3h+ 0%CNCL 0%up to £220
- LCY → AMSLondon City → Amsterdam3h+ 0%CNCL 1.2%up to £220
- LCY → EDILondon City → Edinburgh3h+ 0%CNCL 1.1%up to £220
- LCY → LINLondon City → Milan Linate3h+ 0%CNCL 0%up to £220
- LCY → ZRHLondon City → Zurich3h+ 0%CNCL 0.6%up to £220
- LGW → ALCLondon Gatwick → Alicante3h+ 0.4%CNCL 0%up to £220
- LGW → FAOLondon Gatwick → Faro3h+ 0.4%CNCL 0%up to £350
- LGW → GVALondon Gatwick → Geneva3h+ 0%CNCL 0.5%up to £220
- LGW → AGPLondon Gatwick → Malaga3h+ 0.3%CNCL 0.3%up to £350
- LGW → MLALondon Gatwick → Malta3h+ 0%CNCL 0%up to £350
- LGW → PMILondon Gatwick → Palma de Mallorca3h+ 0.5%CNCL 0%up to £220
- LGW → TFSLondon Gatwick → Tenerife South3h+ 0%CNCL 0%up to £350
- LHR → ABZLondon Heathrow → Aberdeen3h+ 0%CNCL 0%up to £220
- LHR → AMSLondon Heathrow → Amsterdam3h+ 0%CNCL 0.4%up to £220
- LHR → ATHLondon Heathrow → Athens3h+ 0%CNCL 0.7%up to £350
- LHR → BCNLondon Heathrow → Barcelona3h+ 0%CNCL 0.3%up to £220
- LHR → BHDLondon Heathrow → Belfast City3h+ 0%CNCL 0%up to £220
- LHR → BERLondon Heathrow → Berlin3h+ 0%CNCL 1.4%up to £220
- LHR → BOSLondon Heathrow → Boston3h+ 0%CNCL 1.3%up to £260–£520
- LHR → BRULondon Heathrow → Brussels3h+ 0%CNCL 0%up to £220
- LHR → ORDLondon Heathrow → Chicago O'Hare3h+ 0.4%CNCL 1.2%up to £260–£520
- LHR → CPHLondon Heathrow → Copenhagen3h+ 0%CNCL 1.1%up to £220
- LHR → DUSLondon Heathrow → Düsseldorf3h+ 0.4%CNCL 2.5%up to £220
- LHR → DELLondon Heathrow → Delhi3h+ 0.7%CNCL 0.4%up to £260–£520
- LHR → DUBLondon Heathrow → Dublin3h+ 0%CNCL 0.4%up to £220
- LHR → EDILondon Heathrow → Edinburgh3h+ 0%CNCL 0%up to £220
- LHR → FRALondon Heathrow → Frankfurt3h+ 0%CNCL 6%up to £220
- LHR → GVALondon Heathrow → Geneva3h+ 0%CNCL 0.3%up to £220
- LHR → GLALondon Heathrow → Glasgow3h+ 0%CNCL 0%up to £220
- LHR → HAMLondon Heathrow → Hamburg3h+ 0%CNCL 2.1%up to £220
- LHR → HKGLondon Heathrow → Hong Kong3h+ 0.5%CNCL 0%up to £260–£520
- LHR → ISTLondon Heathrow → Istanbul3h+ 0.4%CNCL 0.4%up to £350
- LHR → LISLondon Heathrow → Lisbon3h+ 0%CNCL 0%up to £350
- LHR → LAXLondon Heathrow → Los Angeles3h+ 0.4%CNCL 3.5%up to £260–£520
- LHR → MADLondon Heathrow → Madrid3h+ 0%CNCL 0%up to £220
- LHR → MANLondon Heathrow → Manchester3h+ 0%CNCL 0%up to £220
- LHR → MIALondon Heathrow → Miami3h+ 0.5%CNCL 2.2%up to £260–£520
- LHR → LINLondon Heathrow → Milan Linate3h+ 0%CNCL 1.5%up to £220
- LHR → BOMLondon Heathrow → Mumbai3h+ 0.4%CNCL 2.9%up to £260–£520
- LHR → MUCLondon Heathrow → Munich3h+ 0%CNCL 10.4%up to £220
- LHR → JFKLondon Heathrow → New York JFK3h+ 0.5%CNCL 2.6%up to £260–£520
- LHR → EWRLondon Heathrow → New York Newark3h+ 2.2%CNCL 1.9%up to £260–£520
- LHR → NCELondon Heathrow → Nice3h+ 0%CNCL 0%up to £220
- LHR → OSLLondon Heathrow → Oslo3h+ 0%CNCL 1.4%up to £220
- LHR → CDGLondon Heathrow → Paris CDG3h+ 0.3%CNCL 0.5%up to £220
- LHR → FCOLondon Heathrow → Rome Fiumicino3h+ 0%CNCL 0.9%up to £220
- LHR → SFOLondon Heathrow → San Francisco3h+ 0.5%CNCL 3.2%up to £260–£520
- LHR → SINLondon Heathrow → Singapore Changi3h+ 0%CNCL 0%up to £260–£520
- LHR → ARNLondon Heathrow → Stockholm Arlanda3h+ 0%CNCL 0%up to £220
- LHR → HNDLondon Heathrow → Tokyo Haneda3h+ 0%CNCL 0.7%up to £260–£520
- LHR → YYZLondon Heathrow → Toronto Pearson3h+ 0.5%CNCL 2.5%up to £260–£520
- LHR → VIELondon Heathrow → Vienna3h+ 0%CNCL 0%up to £220
- LHR → WAWLondon Heathrow → Warsaw Chopin3h+ 0%CNCL 0%up to £220
- LHR → IADLondon Heathrow → Washington Dulles3h+ 0%CNCL 3.9%up to £260–£520
- LHR → ZRHLondon Heathrow → Zurich3h+ 0%CNCL 0%up to £220
- MAN → LHRManchester → London Heathrow3h+ 0%CNCL 0%up to £220
British Airways — your questions
How often is British Airways delayed?
In April 2026, 0.2% of British Airways flights arrived 3 hours or more late (the UK261 threshold) and 0.3% were cancelled, with an average delay of 8 minutes across the 235 route(s) British Airways flew in UK CAA data.
Can I claim compensation from British Airways?
Yes — British Airways is a UK or EU/EEA airline, so UK261 applies to its flights departing the UK (and to UK-arriving flights). If your arrival delay was 3+ hours and caused by the airline, you can claim £220–£520 depending on distance.
How do I claim delay compensation from British Airways?
Contact British Airways in writing with your flight details and ask for UK261 compensation, or use a claims service to handle it for a success fee. Keep boarding passes and any delay notices. You usually have up to 6 years to claim (5 in Scotland).
Other airlines
Delay statistics derived from UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) punctuality data. UK CAA flight punctuality statistics · April 2026. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the CAA.