TUI: EUR 250, 400 or 600 per passenger
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The familiar EUR 250, 400 and 600 figures apply only after a TUI flight passes three earlier tests: EU261 territorial coverage, a qualifying disruption and no successful extraordinary-circumstances defence. TUI Airways claims normally use UK sterling bands instead. Quoting EUR 600 from the package price or destination name alone skips the decisive work.
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:
This is the legal position on 9 September 2026. The July 2026 EU reform has deferred application. Its future nine-month claim period is not yet current.
Establish the regime before selecting a band
TUI Airways is a UK airline, while TUI fly Germany, Belgium, Netherlands and Nordic are EU airlines. A flight leaving an EU airport can fall under EU261 regardless of operator. A flight arriving from outside the EU generally needs an EU operating carrier. UK departures fall under UK261, and inbound flights can qualify when a UK carrier such as TUI Airways operates them.
Therefore, Düsseldorf–Fuerteventura operated by TUIfly Germany starts with EU261. Fuerteventura–Manchester operated by TUI Airways starts with UK261. A TUI package does not convert those into one currency or one legal journey. Check each direction and the “operated by” line.
Use distance, not fare, to calculate compensation
Under EU261 the standard fixed amounts are EUR 250 for flights up to 1,500 km; EUR 400 for intra-EU flights over 1,500 km and other flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km; and EUR 600 for other flights over 3,500 km. Distance is measured by the prescribed great-circle method, normally from first departure to final destination on the protected booking.
UK261 uses GBP 220 for flights up to 1,500 km, GBP 350 for flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km, and GBP 520 for flights over 3,500 km. Detailed route classifications still matter. Do not convert an EU amount into pounds when UK261 already supplies its own statutory figure.
The amount is per qualifying passenger. It is not limited by a cheap fare and does not rise because someone bought an expensive all-inclusive holiday.
Account for arrival time and possible reductions
A delay claim normally needs arrival at least three hours late at the final destination. Cancellation can qualify subject to notice, replacement timing and cause. Denied boarding has its own conditions. Establish the event before multiplying any band.
Where a passenger is rerouted and reaches the destination within specified time limits, the fixed payment can be reduced by 50%. The relevant limits depend on the distance band. That reduction is not justified merely because TUI offered another flight; actual arrival timing must fit the statutory rule.
Example: four adults fly TUI fly Belgium from Brussels to Punta Cana, more than 3,500 km, and arrive 5 hours 40 minutes late after an ordinary operational problem. If all conditions are met, the starting EU amount is 4 × EUR 600 = EUR 2,400. Their shared EUR 86 meal receipt is not multiplied by four. It is a separate care expense claimed once.
Do not fold other remedies into the fixed figure
Refund or rerouting addresses the flight the passenger did not receive as booked. Care reimburses reasonable food, accommodation and transfers during the wait. A package remedy may address a shortened or substandard holiday against the organiser. The Montreal Convention governs proven baggage delay, loss or damage. None changes a EUR 250 flight into EUR 600.
Present a schedule with one line per passenger for fixed compensation, then separate lines for actual expenses. If two parents paid for one hotel room, claim its true cost once. If the holiday was abandoned and the unused transport refunded, explain that separately rather than subtracting it from the statutory amount without analysis.
Extraordinary circumstances can defeat fixed compensation but do not automatically remove care or the refund/rerouting choice. That is why every amount needs a legal label.
Support the number and claim it from the operator
Show departure, destination, distance band, operating carrier, applicable regime, disruption and final arrival. Attach the original itinerary, boarding passes, messages and proof of actual arrival. If TUI invokes air traffic control or weather, request the specific event and reasonable measures; “operational reasons” is not a complete defence.
TUI's UK form processes TUI Airways customers and directs passengers on another airline to that operator. For an unresolved TUI Airways claim, TUI points to AviationADR. An EU TUI airline follows its own channel and the relevant national escalation path.
Avoid requesting “EUR 600 or equivalent” where the facts clearly fall under UK261. A correctly reasoned GBP 520 claim is stronger than a larger-looking but legally mismatched demand.
More TUI guides
Frequently asked questions
Is EUR 600 due for every long-haul TUI delay?
No. The flight must be under EU261, meet the disruption threshold and survive the cause defence. Some rerouted arrivals can also attract a 50% reduction.
Does each family member receive the fixed amount?
Each eligible passenger has an individual amount. Shared expenses such as one taxi or hotel room are claimed once at actual cost.
Does TUI Airways pay euros or pounds?
A qualifying UK261 claim uses the statutory sterling bands of GBP 220, 350 or 520. EU-airline claims under EU261 use euro bands.
Can my package price increase the award?
No. Distance and legal classification set fixed compensation. Package losses require a separate claim against the appropriate party.
Is the nine-month EU deadline already active?
No. As at 9 September 2026, application of the July reform is deferred, so the proposed period must not be presented as current law.