easyJet flight compensation: when can you claim EUR 250-600 or GBP 220-520?
Reviewed on 10 August 2026. You may have an easyJet compensation claim when a covered flight reaches its destination at least three hours late, is cancelled at short notice, or you are denied boarding against your will. The amount normally depends on route distance and whether EC261 or UK261 governs the flight, not on the fare you paid. A qualifying EC261 claim can be worth EUR 250, EUR 400 or EUR 600 per passenger; the corresponding UK261 bands are GBP 220, GBP 350 and GBP 520.
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:
That is only the fixed-payment question. A cancellation or long wait can also create separate rights to a refund or replacement travel, meals, accommodation and transport. Those rights must be analysed independently, because bad weather may remove fixed compensation without removing easyJet's duty to look after a stranded passenger.
Quick eligibility check
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Did the flight leave the UK, EU, EEA or Switzerland? | Departure usually brings the journey within UK261, EC261 or the Swiss adoption of EC261 |
| If it arrived from elsewhere, which easyJet airline operated it? | The operating entity can determine whether an inbound flight is covered |
| Was arrival at least three hours late, cancellation notified within 14 days, or boarding refused involuntarily? | These are the principal fixed-compensation events |
| What was the great-circle distance? | Distance selects the monetary band |
| What actually caused the disruption? | easyJet can avoid the fixed sum only by proving qualifying extraordinary circumstances and reasonable measures |
Use the airline shown as operated by on the booking, boarding pass or Flight Tracker. easyJet's current terms identify three operating airlines by flight-number prefix: EZY normally means easyJet UK Limited, EJU normally means easyJet Europe Airline GmbH, and EZS normally means easyJet Switzerland S.A. A booking may be sold through easyJet Airline Company Limited, but the operating carrier is the central party for a passenger-rights claim.
EC261 and UK261 amounts
| Distance and legal regime | Standard maximum per passenger |
|---|---|
| EC261, up to 1,500 km | EUR 250 |
| EC261, intra-EU journey above 1,500 km | EUR 400 |
| EC261, other journey from 1,500 to 3,500 km | EUR 400 |
| EC261, other journey above 3,500 km | EUR 600 |
| UK261, up to 1,500 km | GBP 220 |
| UK261, 1,500 to 3,500 km | GBP 350 |
| UK261, above 3,500 km | GBP 520 |
Long-distance delay awards may be reduced by half in defined circumstances. Under UK261, for example, an arrival between three and four hours late on a route above 3,500 km normally points to GBP 260 rather than GBP 520. Cancellation cases also contain reduction rules linked to replacement arrival times. Do not assume that every easyJet journey to a distant holiday destination automatically pays the top band: an intra-EU journey remains in the EUR 400 category even when its distance exceeds 1,500 km.
Our easyJet compensation calculator helps organise the amount analysis, but the result still depends on the actual route, law and cause.
Which easyJet flights are covered?
An easyJet flight departing an EU airport falls within EC261 regardless of which easyJet group airline operates it. A flight departing the United Kingdom is normally assessed under UK261. Switzerland has adopted Regulation 261 through its bilateral aviation arrangements, so departures from Geneva, Basel and other Swiss airports also receive a comparable framework, administered by the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation.
Inbound coverage needs more care. For a flight from a third country into the EU, EC261 normally requires an EU or otherwise qualifying Community carrier. For a flight arriving in the UK from abroad, UK261 looks to a UK or EU carrier. The prefix and the operating-carrier notice matter more than the orange branding alone. The dedicated UK261 versus EC261 guide gives route examples without assuming that one rule follows every easyJet booking.
Citizenship, residence and booking currency do not decide coverage. A Canadian passenger leaving Paris receives the same EC261 protection as a French passenger on that flight. Equally, paying in euros does not transform a flight leaving Manchester into an EC261 departure.
Delay, cancellation and denied boarding are different claims
For delay, measure lateness at the final destination covered by the booking, not the time at the departure gate. The decisive arrival time is generally when at least one aircraft door opens and passengers can leave. Read the focused easyJet delayed-flight guide when the difference is close to three hours.
For cancellation, the date and method of notice are critical. Fixed compensation is usually unavailable when easyJet informed you at least 14 days before departure. With shorter notice, the timing of any replacement flight can preserve, reduce or remove the fixed amount. Refund and rerouting rights arise from cancellation even when the airline proves an extraordinary cause. See the easyJet cancellation guide before accepting a voucher.
For denied boarding, a passenger who checked in on time with valid travel documents may qualify without showing a three-hour delay. Volunteering is different: the passenger negotiates benefits with easyJet and should obtain the deal in writing. Involuntary refusal usually triggers fixed compensation plus a refund or replacement flight and care while waiting.
When easyJet does not owe the fixed sum
The airline can defend a delay or cancellation claim if it proves an extraordinary event that could not have been avoided even after all reasonable measures. Severe weather incompatible with safe operation, a specific air-traffic-control restriction, airport closure or a genuine security event can meet that test. The label alone is not proof.
Routine technical defects, ordinary aircraft rotation difficulties and most operational staffing decisions are generally part of airline activity. A hidden manufacturing defect announced by a manufacturer or authority may be different. Likewise, an external controller stoppage and a strike involving the airline's own workforce require separate legal treatment. Ask for the exact event, its time, its effect on your aircraft and the steps easyJet took to limit the disruption.
Rights that can exist alongside compensation
Fixed compensation is not a substitute for the other remedies. Depending on the event, you may also be entitled to:
- a cash refund for the unused ticket when you choose not to travel;
- rerouting at the earliest opportunity or at a later convenient date after cancellation;
- meals and refreshments proportionate to the wait;
- accommodation and transport between the airport and hotel when an overnight stay becomes necessary;
- reimbursement of reasonable self-funded care when easyJet failed to arrange it;
- a separate baggage claim under the Montreal Convention.
Choosing a refund usually ends the airline's obligation to carry and care for you from that choice onward. It does not automatically erase fixed compensation already created by the cancellation. A voucher should be accepted only deliberately; do not confuse a commercial credit with the statutory cash-refund option.
Evidence to save before making the claim
Keep the booking confirmation, passenger names, booking reference, flight number, scheduled times and the operating-airline notation. Save boarding passes, app notifications and every email showing when cancellation notice arrived. At the airport, photograph the departure board and record announcements accurately rather than relying on memory.
For delay, preserve the touchdown time and the later door-opening time if available. For cancellation or denied boarding, ask ground staff for written confirmation and the options offered. Retain itemised receipts for food, hotel and reasonable transport; a bank-card entry alone may not identify what was purchased.
Submit the fixed-payment request through the official easyJet EC261 compensation form. Expense reimbursement uses a separate route. State the legal basis, amount, operating carrier and facts concisely. If easyJet refuses, request the evidence behind the reason and use the rejected-claim guide to choose the correct escalation channel.
Current law and the adopted EU reform
This page applies the rules in force on 10 August 2026. The EU has adopted an amending regulation that retains the three-hour compensation threshold and introduces a nine-month period for submitting a compensation request and 30 days for an airline response. Those new procedural periods are not yet the current EC261 rule on this review date. The Council states that the amended framework will apply only after publication in the Official Journal and the specified 12-month-and-20-day interval. UK261 is a separate domestic regime and does not change automatically with that EU measure.
FAQ
Does every easyJet delay of three hours produce compensation?
No. The flight must fall within EC261, UK261 or the corresponding Swiss framework, and the arrival delay must reach the legal threshold. easyJet can also defeat the fixed-payment claim by proving extraordinary circumstances and reasonable measures, although care can still be due.
Can I claim when my easyJet ticket was very cheap?
Yes. The statutory amount is based mainly on distance and the applicable regime, not the fare. A promotional ticket can therefore support a payment worth more than its purchase price when all legal tests are met.
Is easyJet UK the same legal airline as easyJet Europe?
No. They belong to the same group but are separate operating airlines. Check whether the flight is marked EZY, EJU or EZS and confirm the current “operated by” entry before naming the respondent.
Can I receive both a refund and compensation after cancellation?
Potentially. A refund replaces the unused transport, while fixed compensation addresses qualifying inconvenience caused by short-notice cancellation. They have separate conditions, so receiving one does not automatically settle the other.
Do extraordinary circumstances remove hotel and meal rights?
Generally not while you remain waiting for rerouting under the current rules. Weather or ATC may remove the fixed sum, but reasonable care obligations usually continue. Keep itemised receipts if easyJet does not provide assistance directly.