UK261 claim letter template: what to write to the airline

What to include in your letter

Give the names of all passengers covered by the claim, the booking reference, the flight number, the date and the route. Then describe briefly what happened (a delay, a cancellation or denied boarding) and the time you actually reached your final destination, so the arrival delay is clear.

State the amount you are claiming per passenger, based on the flight distance: £220 for flights up to 1,500 km, £350 for flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km, and £520 for flights over 3,500 km. On flights over 3,500 km the amount can be halved when you arrived between three and four hours late. Quote the legal basis: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as retained in UK law (UK261).

Ask for payment by bank transfer, set a reasonable deadline for a reply, for example eight weeks, and say that you intend to escalate the claim to the airline's alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme or to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) if it is not resolved.

A template you can adapt

Subject: [booking reference] – UK261 compensation claim for flight [flight number] on [date].

Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing on behalf of [names of all passengers] to claim compensation under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as retained in UK law (UK261).

Flight details: [flight number] on [date], from [departure airport] to [destination airport], booking reference [booking reference].

What happened: the flight was [delayed / cancelled / overbooked and we were denied boarding]. We reached our final destination at [actual arrival time], [number of hours] hours after the scheduled arrival time of [scheduled arrival time].

Amount claimed: [£220 / £350 / £520] per passenger, that is [total amount] for [number of passengers] passengers, as the flight distance is about [distance] km.

Payment: please pay this amount by bank transfer. I will send the bank details once you confirm that the claim is accepted.

Deadline: please reply within 8 weeks of the date of this letter. If the claim is not resolved by then, I intend to refer it to your approved alternative dispute resolution scheme or, if you are not a member of one, to the Civil Aviation Authority.

Yours faithfully, [lead passenger], [email address], [postal address].

How to send it

Use the airline's official claim form or the claims address given on its website. Many airlines ask you to use their own form; if so, copy the same information into it, and paste the letter text into the free-text field if there is one.

Attach copies, never originals, of your booking confirmation and of any messages from the airline. Keep a copy of everything you send, with the date, because it shows when the claim started and when the eight weeks run out.

Do I have to use the airline's own claim form?

Not always, but it is often the quickest route and some airlines insist on it. Whichever channel you use, include the same details as in the template and keep a copy.

Can one letter cover the whole group?

Yes. One passenger can generally claim for everyone on the same booking if all names are listed, although some airlines ask for written consent from the other adult passengers.

What if the airline does not reply?

If there is no answer after about eight weeks, you can generally take the claim to the airline's approved ADR scheme or, if it is not a member of one, to the CAA.