British Airways delay and cancellation compensation
What British Airways owes you when things go wrong, and how to get it.
British Airways is a British airline, flying mainly from London Heathrow and Gatwick. Which compensation rule applies depends on where the flight left from and landed, not on the airline's nationality alone.
When a British Airways flight earns compensation
- Leaving the EU, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland: EU rules, €250–€600.
- Leaving the UK: UK rules, £220–£520. Because British Airways is a UK airline, flights into the UK count too.
- To, from or within Canada: Canada's APPR, CA$400–CA$1,000 (large airline rates).
- Leaving the US: no delay compensation, but up to US$2,150 if you're bumped, and automatic refunds for cancellations and long delays.
The 3-hour line
Under all three compensation schemes, the money starts when you reach your final destination 3 or more hours late. Being bumped off an overbooked flight pays regardless of delay. A cancellation pays if you were told less than 14 days ahead.
When British Airways doesn't have to pay
Weather, air traffic control, airport problems and security are outside the airline's control under every scheme. In Canada, an unexpected safety-related fault also lets the airline off compensation, though it must still rebook and feed you. Crew shortages, scheduling problems and knock-on delays from the airline's own earlier flights are the airline's responsibility.
How to claim from British Airways
- Use the compensation or customer-relations form on British Airways's own website. Give the flight number, date, booking reference and how late you arrived. Name the rule: "EC 261/2004", "UK261" or "APPR section 19".
- Give it 4 to 8 weeks. If it refuses with a vague reason ("operational"), ask for the specific cause in writing.
- Still stuck? Go to the regulator or dispute scheme for the country you flew from, or hand it to a claim company that takes a cut only if it wins.