British Airways compensation time limit: court, complaint and reform dates
Reviewed on 10 August 2026. There is no single worldwide British Airways compensation deadline. CAA guidance identifies six years for court action in England and Wales and five years in Scotland, while another EC261 jurisdiction can apply a different national period. CEDR has its own admissibility rules, baggage has Montreal deadlines, and the adopted EU nine-month claim procedure is not yet in force.
Free eligibility check
Check your case in the form
Enter your route, date and type of disruption. We will check whether your case qualifies for a claim under EU 261/2004 or UK261.
What happened to your flight?
Claim up to €600 for a delayed or cancelled flight.
Choose the situation that applies to your flight:
Submit promptly even where a long court period appears available. Evidence, booking access and operational records become harder to recover with time.
Separate the different clocks
| Clock | What it concerns |
|---|---|
| BA internal claim | Initial request and correspondence |
| CEDR admissibility | Independent review under provider rules |
| Court limitation | Deadline to start legal proceedings in the chosen forum |
| Baggage notice | Written Montreal Convention complaint |
| Future EU procedure | Nine-month compensation request after the revised rules apply |
An email to BA does not necessarily stop a court limitation period. An ADR application may have its own effect under governing law, but never assume correspondence preserves every deadline without checking.
England and Wales
Section 5 of the Limitation Act 1980 provides a six-year period for an action founded on simple contract from accrual. The CAA's passenger-complaint guidance summarises the UK flight context as six years in England and Wales.
That does not mean BA must keep the online form or flight records conveniently available for six years. Nor does it decide whether England and Wales is the proper forum for every international ticket. Jurisdiction, defendant and contractual terms still require analysis.
If the deadline approaches, sending another customer-service message is not the same as issuing proceedings. Obtain legal advice about the exact cause of action and stop-date rather than counting from an informal response.
Scotland
The CAA notes a five-year legal period in Scotland. Scots prescription is not simply a shorter copy of the English limitation scheme; it can extinguish an obligation rather than only bar a remedy, and the start and interruption rules require their own assessment.
A passenger resident in Scotland or departing Edinburgh does not automatically prove that Scottish law and courts govern every claim, but those facts can be relevant. Identify the contracting and operating entity, journey and proposed forum.
Do not state "BA claims last six years in the UK" without the Scottish qualification. Northern Ireland also has its own limitation legislation and should be checked separately for a contemplated action.
EC261 claims outside the UK
Regulation 261 historically left civil limitation to national law. A BA flight departing Madrid, Paris, Rome or another EU airport can therefore have an EC261 right while the time for enforcing it depends on the competent national system.
The place of departure, arrival, airline establishment and jurisdiction rules can create more than one possible forum. The longest theoretical period is not automatically available. A passenger should not forum-shop from a table without confirming jurisdiction.
When BA rejects an EU departure claim, check the national enforcement body and court path for that route. Enforcement bodies supervise compliance but may not award private compensation or interrupt civil limitation.
CEDR timing
British Airways participates in CEDR, a CAA-approved ADR provider. The CAA says a passenger must first complain to the airline and may approach ADR after an unsatisfactory final response or after eight weeks without a response.
CEDR also applies scheme-specific scope and filing conditions. Read the current rules when applying, save BA's final response and calculate the provider deadline independently of court limitation. A claim can be within six years yet too late for a particular ADR route.
The CAA's PACT team is mainly for airlines or airports not covered by approved ADR. Because BA is listed with CEDR, sending the same file to PACT is not normally a substitute for the correct provider.
The future EU nine-month procedure
In July 2026, the EU institutions completed adoption of revised passenger-rights rules. The new framework gives passengers nine months to file a compensation request and airlines 30 days to pay or explain refusal. It also requires clearer claim instructions.
Those periods are not current law on 10 August 2026. The Council states that the updated rules enter into force 12 months and 20 days after Official Journal publication. Until applicability and any transitional rules are established, existing claims remain governed by present EC261 and national limitation.
The future nine months concerns submitting a compensation request. It should not be confused with a general court limitation period, a seven-day ticket refund, or the 7/21-day Montreal baggage notices. UK261 will not adopt it automatically.
Baggage uses a much shorter timetable
For checked-baggage damage, written complaint is generally required within seven days after receipt. For delayed baggage, the Montreal Convention uses 21 days from the date the bag is placed at the passenger's disposal. Court action under the Convention generally has a two-year period.
BA also asks passengers to report baggage problems through its portal promptly and retain the report reference. Reporting and claiming are not interchangeable. A UK261 compensation claim for flight delay does not preserve a baggage claim.
The BA baggage deadline guide provides the full sequence and explains BA's reporting wording.
A practical deadline file
Record the flight date, scheduled and actual arrival, first complaint date, BA case number, final response, ADR eligibility date and potential court stop-date. Add the law or source supporting each entry. Use calendar reminders well before the earliest plausible deadline.
Preserve the e-ticket, boarding passes, notices and receipts offline. Request operating-cause evidence early. The longer the wait, the easier it becomes for a dispute about minutes, notice or staff statements to replace the actual event.
If BA has not replied after eight weeks, consider CEDR rather than opening repeated claims. If a court deadline is close, obtain jurisdiction-specific advice. The BA escalation guide distinguishes the available outcomes.
FAQ
Do I always have six years to claim from British Airways?
No. Six years is the CAA summary for court action in England and Wales. Scotland, other countries, ADR and baggage all use different rules.
Does complaining to BA stop the court clock?
Do not assume so. Ordinary correspondence may not suspend limitation. Check the law of the proposed forum before the period nears expiry.
Can I use CEDR after BA stays silent?
CAA guidance allows ADR after eight weeks without a response, provided the passenger complained first and the case satisfies the provider's rules.
Is the nine-month EU deadline already active?
No. The reform has been adopted but is not yet applicable on this review date. Current claims still require the existing national analysis.
Does a flight compensation claim preserve delayed-baggage rights?
No. Baggage requires its own report and written claim within the Montreal timetable, with a separate two-year period for court action.