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How to Get British Airways Compensation for Flight Delays and Cancellations
You’ve had delayed and cancelled flight with British Airways and now you want to get compensation for your trouble, but where do you start? In this guide we’ll explain all the steps you should take to get to your destination and get compensated.
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What to Do About BA Flight Delays
British Airways has struggled with their on-time performance in the last few years. Everything from staffing shortages to gate congestion has added to the airline’s 2023 punctuality being just 64% in 2023 according to OAG statistics
So, what should you do when BA delays your flight?
- First, you should ask the gate agent what caused the delay, and write down their response. You’ll need this later when you make a British Airways compensation claim.
- Make a point of documenting everything. Take photos of information boards or screenshots of BA notifications.
- Start collecting receipts for any purchases you have to make because of the delay.
- Make a note of your exact departure and arrival time when you get to your destination.
In September 2023, British Airways had 3 major flight disruptions back-to-back in a single day that, according to Business Insider, could potentially have cost BA as much as $800,000 (USD) in compensation to passengers.
A BA spokesperson told Business Insider said,
We are extremely sorry for the delay to our customers’ journeys. We would never operate a flight unless it was safe to do so, and our teams worked hard to get customers on their way again as quickly as possible.
How British Airways will help you
If you’re flying to, from, or within the UK or Europe, then you’re entitled to different kinds of help, depending on how long you’re left waiting at the airport because of the flight delay.
2 Hour Delays:
You might not find this easily on the BA website, but by law, they are required to help you if your delay lasts two hours or more. By help, we mean that they must provide coupons or vouchers for food and refreshments, as well as access to free wifi, email, and/or phone calls - specifically a maximum of two per passenger.
5 Hour Delays:
If you end up waiting for your flight for 5 or more hours, then you have the opportunity to cancel your trip and get a refund OR you can request an alternate flight. Some passengers decide to stick with their original booking and wait out the delay. If you do this, then you can get as much as £520 in compensation if you arrive 3 or more hours late, which is likely to happen in this case.
Overnight Delays
You might be delayed overnight. If this happens then British Airways is responsible for providing accommodation as well as round-trip transportation to the hotel.
Here’s an example:
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What to Do if Your BA flight is Cancelled
Cancelled flights are generally less commonplace than delays, but they still happen regularly.
Flight statistics from the CAA showed that for UK airports in 2023, approximately 1.8% of flights were cancelled within 24 hours of the departure time. In 2019 this number was 0.9%.
Thankfully, UK and EU laws may help ease the burden and chaos caused by cancellations.
If your flight is cancelled 2 weeks or more before departure, then you won’t be eligible for compensation, but if British Airways gives you less than 14 days notice, then you can get a refund or a rebooking at no additional cost. Plus, if extraordinary circumstances didn’t cause the cancellation, you may also be entitled to cash compensation.
If you’re at the airport and your flight is cancelled, then you are also entitled to a refund or a rebooked flight. If this new flight arrives at your final destination more than 3 hours past the time you were supposed to have been there, then you may also be able to get up to £520 in compensation.
On the other hand, if you choose a rebooking, but it doesn’t leave until the following day, then BA must pay for your hotel lodging and taxi service there and back if a shuttle isn’t available.
Take these steps if British Airways cancels your flight:
- Verify the cause of the cancellation and make a note of their response.
- Look for an alternate flight or get an agent to help you (online or at the airport).
- If none of the alternate flights work for you, then ask for a refund.
- If you have to wait 2 or more hours for your new flight, ask for meal and refreshment vouchers
- Keep copies of everything: receipts, airline correspondence, photos, and anything else that can serve as evidence for a compensation claim.
- Write down the actual time you arrive at your destination.
- Check to see if you can get compensation
British Airways Refunds
You’re entitled to a refund if British Airways cancels your flight or if it is delayed by 5 or more hours. Passengers who choose to cancel their flight can only be refunded if they purchased a non-refundable ticket.
Read more about airline refunds.
Disruption Type | Entitlements | Compensation |
Delays | Food and drink for 2+ hour delays Hotel and transport for overnight delays 5+ hour delays give you the choice of a rebooking or a refund | Between £220-£520 compensation if you arrive 3+ hours late and the airline is at fault |
Cancellations | You’re entitled to a refund or a rebooking If the rebooked flight causes you to be 3+ hours late, then you could get compensation | |
Refunds | You are entitled to refunds for delays lasting 5+ hours as well as if your flight is cancelled |
If You’re Denied Boarding
If British Airways oversells your flight and you’re subsequently denied boarding then you should be offered a rescheduled flight or a refund.
Plus, you are entitled to the same care and assistance offered for delays if you have to wait for 2 or more hours for the new departure. The airline must also give you cash compensation if you’re involuntarily denied boarding, but this will only happen if the flight was oversold.
Missed Connections with BA
If you happen to miss a connecting flight because earlier BA flights on the same booking were late or cancelled, then you can also get cash compensation based on the amount of time you’re delayed at your final destination.
How Much Compensation Can You Get?
Compensation is based on the length of your delay and the overall distance of your flight as you can see below.
British Airways Compensation Amounts | ||
Flights under 1,500km | Flights between 1,500-3,500km | Flights over 3,500km |
£220 | £350 | £520* |
*BA might try to reduce this amount by as much as 50%, but AirAdvisor always works to get the full amount.
You Can’t Get Compensation If . . .
British Airways is not required to pay compensation to you if they were unable to control, prevent, or avoid the circumstances that led to the flight disruption. These situations include dangerous weather conditions, civil unrest, air traffic control restrictions and more.
You can learn more about this in our article on extraordinary circumstances.
The Laws Protecting You
Anytime you travel with BA to, from, or within the UK, you’re protected by Regulation UK261 If you fly with British Airways to, from, or within Europe, you’ll be covered by EU261.
Submitting Compensation Claims to BA
If you’re ready to submit a claim for compensation, you’ll need to first gather booking receipts, boarding passes, and any other information relevant to your case. Then, go to the BA site and choose the HELP option from the top menu and then Delays, Cancellations and Refunds. From there, follow the prompts.
Be Aware of These Issues
While the compensation claim process is generally easy to manage on your own, many passengers have found it difficult getting a response from the airline. It can take several weeks, and then in many cases BA will deny claims without giving you an opportunity to argue your point.
Also, it’s not uncommon for the airline to point to extraordinary circumstances as a way to avoid compensation. This is very difficult to prove, and sometimes it requires escalating the case. If you do this and the case goes to court, you’ll be faced with legal and court fees.
AirAdvisor is Happy to Help!
Whether you want assistance with a claim you’ve already begun, or you want us to handle the entire compensation process for you, AirAdvisor can help.
- Expertise and Experience: With a track record of managing over 370,000 cases over the last 7 years and a customer satisfaction rating of 4.6 out of 5 from more than 20,468 verified reviews, our expertise and commitment to our clients are unquestionable..
- Lowest Pricing: The average family can save at least €120 or more by switching to AirAdvisor from other more expensive providers. We are the lowest-cost service provider in the market, ensuring you get the maximum compensation without hefty fees.
- Risk-Free Service: Our service is based on a no-win, no-fee basis. This means that if we don’t secure your compensation, you don’t owe us a thing. Our commission is withheld from the airline payout.
- Hassle-Free Process: Once you file a claim with AirAdvisor, we take over all the hard work. From case preparation to filing your lawsuit in court, our team handles everything, saving you from the headaches of dealing with airlines.
- Increased Chances of Success: Airlines are more likely to pay compensation when AirAdvisor steps in because they are aware of our successful collection efforts (98% success rate).
Get started with your claim todayIt’s free to check your eligibility, and it only takes about 3 minutes. Enter your flight details below to begin.Start your claim now!
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Recent Comments
I received an e-mail from British airways warning that the flight maybe delayed which I received just prior to arriving at the airport on 17th May in Rome. The e-mail stated it maybe delayed due to adverse weather conditions in London and restrictions with air traffic control. I found this to be a complete lie following just over a 3.5hour delay as we were preparing to set off in flight the pilot apologised for the delay explaining the reason being the plane had been delayed at Heathrow due to a delay in the arrival and then disembarking the passengers then due to the plane then not being fit for purpose for the flight the plane had to be swopped which caused a further delay. All passengers heard the same announcement with no mention of weather conditions impacting on the delay of the flight. The fact that British airways felt the need to lie to passengers is concerning and also the fact that health and safety was skipped to hurry the planes take off additionally even more concerning. We never had our seatbelts checked before taking off and it took repeating to ask for a specific baby and mother seatbelt before one was provided additionally no check on seats being in an upright position, loose luggage laying on the floors or tables all closed was completed prior to take off. The outbound flight and service started our holiday off on a bad path which is another complaint and thanks to British airways it finished as it began.
The flight was cancelled due to strike. We were rerouted the next day via Brussels to Heathrow.
due to my original flight AA80 cancellation, i was put on a next available AA flight to Heathrow, caused missed connection, next available BA flight to Manchester over 5 hours late