An airline may avoid fixed compensation when it proves the disruption resulted from extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even with reasonable measures.
What can count as extraordinary?
Severe weather, air traffic control restrictions, security risks and airport closures can fall outside an airline’s normal control. Each claim still depends on the facts and the measures available to the airline.
The label used in a rejection email is not the full test. The airline should be able to identify the actual event, explain its effect on the flight and show the steps taken to avoid or reduce the disruption.
Technical and operational problems
Ordinary maintenance problems and routine operational issues are not automatically extraordinary. Some hidden manufacturing defects or external events may be treated differently, so the specific cause matters.
Crew shortages can also require a fact-specific review. Ask whether the issue came from the airline’s normal operations or from a wider external event.
Rights that remain even without compensation
Extraordinary circumstances can remove fixed compensation, but they do not automatically remove care, refund or rerouting rights. The airline may still need to look after passengers during the disruption.
Separate the question of why the flight was disrupted from what the airline provided afterwards. Keep receipts and correspondence for both parts.
UK261 compensation bands
These are the standard fixed amounts for an eligible claim. Cancellation and denied-boarding cases can be reduced when rerouting gets the passenger to the final destination within set time limits.
| Flight distance | Typical qualifying delay | Maximum fixed amount |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | 3 hours or more at destination | £220 per passenger |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | 3 hours or more at destination | £350 per passenger |
| Over 3,500 km | 3 to 4 hours | £260 per passenger |
| Over 3,500 km | More than 4 hours | £520 per passenger |
How to prepare a claim
- Identify the operating airline, flight number, date and full route.
- Keep the booking confirmation, boarding pass and disruption messages.
- Record the scheduled and actual final arrival times.
- Keep reasonable, itemised receipts for care the airline did not provide.
- Ask the operating airline for fixed compensation, expenses and any refund as separate items.
If the airline rejects the claim or takes more than eight weeks to respond, check whether its approved alternative dispute-resolution provider can review the case.
Common questions
Is bad weather always extraordinary?
No single label decides every case. The severity, airport conditions and reasonable measures taken all matter.
Can I challenge a vague rejection?
Yes. Ask for the precise cause and evidence linking it to your flight, then consider the airline’s ADR provider or the CAA route.
Sources: UK Civil Aviation Authority delay guidance, cancellation guidance and eligibility guidance. Rules and outcomes depend on the facts of each journey.