How to check if your flight is delayed or cancelled (and what you can claim)

Where to check your flight status

The airline's website or app is the most reliable source: it shows the latest departure time, gate changes and cancellations, and usually sends alerts by email, text message or push notification. Make sure your contact details are in your booking so that you receive them.

At the airport, the departure boards and the airport's own website show live departures and arrivals. They are updated by the airport and the airline, but can lag a few minutes behind the airline's app.

Flight tracking websites and apps such as FlightAware or Flightradar24 show where the aircraft is and, after the flight, its actual departure and arrival times. They also show whether the aircraft due to operate your flight is running late, which often means your flight will be late too.

What counts for UK261: your arrival time

For compensation, what counts is how late you arrived at your final destination, not how late you departed. The arrival time is generally the moment at least one of the aircraft doors opens, which is later than the landing time shown by some trackers.

A delay on arrival of 3 hours or more can give you compensation, unless it was caused by extraordinary circumstances. If you had a connection on a single booking, the delay is measured at your final destination.

Cancelled flight: the 14-day rule

If your flight was cancelled and you were told less than 14 days before departure, compensation is generally due, unless the airline offered a re-routing with timings close to your original flight or the cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances. In every case, you can choose between a refund and re-routing.

How much can you claim?

Under UK261, compensation is fixed per passenger and depends on the flight distance: £220 for flights up to 1,500 km, £350 for flights from 1,500 to 3,500 km (and for longer flights within the UK and EU), and £520 for flights over 3,500 km. For the longest flights, the amount can be reduced by half when the delay on arrival is between 3 and 4 hours.

For flights departing from the EU, or arriving in the EU from outside it with an EU airline, the EU rules (EU261) generally apply: €250, €400 or €600 per passenger depending on distance.

Your right to care while you wait

Whatever caused the delay or cancellation, the airline has to look after you while you wait: meals and refreshments in proportion to the waiting time, a means to communicate and, if you are stuck overnight, a hotel room with transport to it. If the airline does not provide this, keep the receipts for reasonable expenses.

Keep your proof

Keep your booking confirmation and boarding passes, take screenshots of the flight status and of any messages from the airline about the delay or cancellation, and note the time the doors opened on arrival. Keep the receipts for meals, transport or a hotel too. These documents make your case easier to establish.

Let FlightClaimHQ check your case

FlightClaimHQ can check your case and handle the claim for you. Enter your flight details: our free check tells you whether UK261 is likely to apply and how much you could get. If your flight qualifies, we prepare the claim, send it to the airline and follow it up until the compensation is paid. No win, no fee: 25% incl. VAT of the compensation recovered out of court, total capped at 50% incl. VAT if court action becomes necessary.

How can I check if my flight is cancelled?

Check the airline's website or app first: a cancelled flight shows as cancelled in your booking, and the airline usually sends an email or text message. The airport's departure boards and website, and trackers such as FlightAware or Flightradar24, also show cancellations.

Is a flight delay checker enough to prove my delay?

A flight tracker gives a good indication, but what counts for UK261 is the time at least one door opened at your final destination. Keep screenshots and the airline's messages: FlightClaimHQ checks the actual times when it reviews your case.

My flight is delayed: when can I get compensation?

Generally when you arrive at your final destination 3 hours or more late and the delay was not caused by extraordinary circumstances. A long delay on departure does not always mean 3 hours on arrival, so what you need to check is the arrival time.

How much can I get for a delayed or cancelled flight?

Under UK261, £220, £350 or £520 per passenger depending on the distance. For flights departing from the EU, EU261 generally applies instead: €250, €400 or €600 per passenger.

What should I keep after a delay or cancellation?

Your booking confirmation, boarding passes, screenshots of the flight status, the airline's messages and the receipts for meals, transport or a hotel.

Can FlightClaimHQ handle my claim?

Yes. FlightClaimHQ can check your case and handle the claim for you, with nothing to pay upfront: 25% incl. VAT of the compensation recovered out of court, total capped at 50% incl. VAT if court action becomes necessary, only if we win.

Official sources

• UK261: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as retained in UK law (legislation.gov.uk)
• UK Civil Aviation Authority: delays and cancellations
• EU261: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (EUR-Lex)

Published by FlightClaimHQ (TETRIS GROUP LLC) · Last reviewed: 25 October 2026