JetBlue London Heathrow and Gatwick compensation
A JetBlue flight departing Heathrow or Gatwick can qualify for UK261 compensation of GBP 220, GBP 350 or GBP 520, even though JetBlue is American. London-US services are normally in the GBP 520 long-distance band. A separate JetBlue flight leaving New York or Boston for London normally falls outside UK261 because JetBlue is not a UK carrier.
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:
Schedules and airports change seasonally. Use the airport and operator on the actual ticket. The general JetBlue UK261 guide explains the statutory framework.
Direction is the first filter
| JetBlue journey | UK261 result |
|---|---|
| Heathrow to New York | Covered departure |
| Gatwick to Boston | Covered departure |
| London-US city connection on one ticket | Can remain protected to final destination |
| New York to Heathrow | Normally outside UK261 for JetBlue |
| Boston to Gatwick | Normally outside UK261 for JetBlue |
| Paris-London-US on one ticket | Examine EU departure and each operating carrier |
Paying in pounds, living in Britain or buying on jetblue.com does not create UK261 for a US-origin flight. Departure territory and operating carrier do.
GBP 520 delay claim
Fixed delay compensation normally requires final arrival at least three hours late. On a London-New York-Los Angeles one-booking itinerary, measure Los Angeles arrival. A delay at New York can be short but still break the protected connection.
JetBlue's London-US distance usually places the journey over 3,500 km, making GBP 520 the starting amount. If rerouting reaches the final destination no more than four hours late, the amount can be reduced to GBP 260.
Door opening is generally the legal arrival time, not touchdown. Preserve time zones and replacement flights where the result is close.
Cancellation from Heathrow or Gatwick
JetBlue must offer reimbursement or rerouting and care. Fixed GBP 520 depends on notice, replacement timing and cause. Notice at least 14 days in advance normally removes the fixed amount, but refund or rerouting remains.
With 7-13 days' notice, a sufficiently close replacement can remove compensation. Under seven days, the permitted departure and arrival variation is narrower. JetBlue bears the burden of proving when notice reached the passenger.
Do not voluntarily cancel after seeing a possible schedule warning. Preserve the carrier's actual cancellation message.
Heathrow-Gatwick airport changes
Heathrow and Gatwick are distinct airports. If JetBlue reroutes a passenger to or from the other airport, ask it to arrange or reimburse reasonable transfer where the statutory rules require transport to the original airport or agreed destination.
Record train, coach or taxi cost and travel time. An airport substitution can also be a significant change under US refund rules for the reverse direction. The JetBlue schedule-change guide covers early notice.
Do not assume an old route announcement proves which London airport was scheduled. The e-ticket controls.
Weather, ATC and technical problems
London weather or air traffic restrictions can be extraordinary if JetBlue proves causation and reasonable measures. The carrier should identify the restriction and its effect on the flight. A generic network disruption is insufficient.
Routine technical faults, ordinary crew planning and aircraft rotation generally remain within carrier operations. A long-distance London departure delayed by routine maintenance can support GBP 520.
Meals, hotel and transport remain due on a covered UK departure even where extraordinary circumstances remove fixed compensation.
Rerouting to the United States
After cancellation or denied boarding, ask for earliest reasonable rerouting. JetBlue's next available service is not necessarily the only option under UK261. A partner flight can matter where it arrives substantially sooner.
Show JetBlue the alternative and keep its answer before self-purchasing. Choose comparable travel conditions and a proportionate price. If the journey no longer serves its purpose, reimbursement is the alternative.
For a missed US connection on one ticket, final destination rights can continue. Separate tickets can end UK protection at the first US airport.
Connections before the JetBlue departure
If a passenger reaches London on a separate train or flight, a delay on that feeder does not automatically become part of the JetBlue ticket. Arrive within the check-in and gate deadlines. Where a through ticket includes an inbound partner service and JetBlue operates the transatlantic sector, preserve both coupons and identify which operator caused any missed connection.
A same-day transfer between Heathrow and Gatwick requires substantial ground travel and is not protected merely because both bookings display London. If JetBlue or its ticketing partner sold that transfer as part of one itinerary, retain the transfer terms and ask who arranged it. Independently constructed transfers remain much riskier.
JetBlue points versus UK261
JetBlue's Customer Bill of Rights uses controllable-event bands and currently issues qualifying 2026 benefits as TrueBlue points when the account was attached before departure. Its plan says UK-origin passengers may claim UK261 in lieu of the contractual benefit.
Compare a points offer with GBP 520 and read settlement wording. UK261 is statutory cash compensation unless another form is freely agreed.
Examples
Heathrow-New York four hours late after routine defect: GBP 520 per eligible passenger can apply, plus reasonable care.
Gatwick-Boston cancelled for confirmed airport closure: fixed payment may fail if reasonable measures are proved, while rerouting or refund and care remain.
New York-Heathrow six hours late: no GBP 520 under UK261 for JetBlue's US departure. Check US refund threshold, points policy and proven losses.
London-New York-Seattle missed connection: one ticket arrives Seattle five hours late. UK261 can use Seattle as final destination.
Evidence
Keep ticketed airport, complete itinerary, operating carrier, notice, final arrival, cause, rerouting and transfer receipts. List each passenger and amount. State whether Heathrow or Gatwick was original, substitute or final airport.
For family bookings, preserve an individual replacement boarding pass and final-arrival time for everyone. A split reroute can produce different delay calculations even when all passengers began under one reservation.
This route guidance was checked on 14 August 2026. Verify JetBlue's current London schedule for the travel date rather than relying on fixed frequencies.
FAQ
Can JetBlue owe GBP 520 from Heathrow?
Yes. A qualifying long-distance UK departure can pay GBP 520 per eligible passenger.
Does Gatwick receive the same UK261 protection?
Yes. A JetBlue departure from Gatwick is within UK territorial coverage.
Is New York to London covered?
Normally not under UK261 when JetBlue operates, because departure is outside the UK and JetBlue is not a UK carrier.
Who pays transfer after an airport switch?
JetBlue can owe reasonable transport between the substitute and original airport or another agreed destination under applicable rerouting rules.
Are TrueBlue points additional to GBP 520?
Do not assume so. JetBlue describes UK statutory compensation as an alternative to its contractual benefit.