British Airways flight compensation: delayed or cancelled

Did you experience a disruption on your flight with British Airways? Select the relevant section below to learn about your rights in the event of a delay, cancellation, denied boarding, or missed connection.

British Airways is a UK airline. For flights operated by a UK carrier the UK rules (UK261) may apply instead. The route and the operating carrier decide what applies in your case.

Because British Airways is a UK-licensed air carrier and not a Community air carrier, Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 normally applies only to its flights departing from an airport within the EU/EEA. The route and the actual operating air carrier are decisive in each individual case, and flights into the EU/EEA from a third country are not covered where the operating carrier is not a Community air carrier. For flights departing from the United Kingdom, UK261 may apply instead; that is a separate question and is not addressed here.

Flights marketed by British Airways may be operated by the subsidiaries BA Cityflyer Limited and BA Euroflyer Limited, which fly under the British Airways brand; BA Euroflyer received its own AOC and operating licence from the UK CAA in December 2022. In an assessment under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 it is the actual operating air carrier that is decisive.

According to British Airways' annual report for 2022, the airline's principal place of business is London, with a significant presence at Heathrow, Gatwick and London City. The report states that its short-haul Gatwick business was placed in the subsidiary BA Euroflyer and that BA Cityflyer operates from London City, both flying under the British Airways brand, so the operating carrier may differ from the brand on your ticket. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) says that where UK261 applies to a delayed flight, the airline must look after passengers during the delay once it reaches the threshold for the distance, including food and drink and, for an overnight delay, accommodation and transport, and that compensation is not paid automatically but must first be claimed from the airline.