United Airlines EUR 600 or GBP 520 long-haul compensation
United can owe EUR 600 per passenger for an eligible long-haul journey beginning in the EU/EEA or Switzerland, or GBP 520 for one beginning in the UK. A United-operated long-haul flight beginning in the United States normally receives neither fixed amount. Route length is only one gate; delay, cancellation notice, operating carrier and cause still decide payment.
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:
Check a long-haul United journey with its first departure and final destination. Most covered Europe-US itineraries exceed 3,500 km, but the maximum should never be advertised solely because the aircraft crossed the Atlantic.
Maximum amount eligibility
| Journey | Starting fixed amount if all tests pass |
|---|---|
| Dublin-Newark operated by United | EUR 600 |
| Frankfurt-Chicago operated by United | EUR 600 |
| Heathrow-Washington Dulles operated by United | GBP 520 |
| Newark-Dublin operated by United | Normally EUR 0 under EU261 |
| Chicago-Heathrow operated by United | Normally GBP 0 under UK261 |
| Newark-Frankfurt operated by Lufthansa | EUR 600 can apply after operator test |
The maximum is per eligible passenger. A booking with three qualifying travellers can therefore start at EUR 1,800 or GBP 1,560.
The long-distance category
EU261 assigns EUR 600 to journeys over 3,500 km outside the intra-EU medium-band rule. UK261 assigns GBP 520 to its long-distance category. Use great-circle distance between endpoints of the protected journey.
For directly connecting sectors on one ticket, measure initial departure to final destination. Dublin-Newark-Denver is not two compensation claims; it is one protected journey whose distance and final arrival are assessed as a whole.
Do not use MileagePlus award distance, flown detour or road distance. A diversion adds operational miles but does not change the booked endpoints.
Three-hour delay and the four-hour reduction line
Delay compensation generally begins at three hours late at final arrival. For a long-haul journey arriving between three and four hours late, the fixed amount can be reduced by half in the relevant circumstances:
- EUR 600 becomes EUR 300;
- GBP 520 becomes GBP 260.
At four hours or more, the full long-haul starting amount is generally used. Arrival is usually first-door opening, not touchdown. Record the exact minute when the case sits near 3:00 or 4:00.
A missed connection can move final delay far beyond the transatlantic segment's delay. One Dublin-Newark-Cleveland booking is measured in Cleveland.
Cancellation can produce the same band
For a cancellation, the passenger usually needs notice fewer than 14 days before departure, no compliant replacement-timing exception and no proven extraordinary circumstance. Accepting rerouting does not automatically surrender the fixed amount.
Replacement arrival can permit a 50% reduction. Preserve the first notice and every alternative itinerary. A cancellation announced in an airline system is not necessarily communicated to the passenger on that date.
Refund or rerouting is separate from EUR 600 or GBP 520. The passenger chooses how to handle transport, then assesses compensation independently.
Causes that can support or defeat the maximum
Routine technical trouble, ordinary aircraft rotation and operational resourcing can support compensation on a covered route. United cannot establish an exception merely by writing "operational reasons."
Severe weather, ATC restriction, airport closure, security threat or hidden manufacturing defect may defeat the fixed amount when United proves causation and reasonable measures. Care remains payable on a covered wait even when the event is extraordinary.
Ask for the exact event and chronology. A storm at Newark many hours earlier does not automatically explain the entire delay of a Frankfurt departure without a demonstrated aircraft or network link.
The C-561/20 long-haul opportunity
The Court's United Airlines judgment concerned Brussels-Newark-San Jose on one booking. United operated the journey and the final delay exceeded three hours because of the later US sector. EU261 still applied to the connected whole.
This means a passenger whose European departure arrives near on time at Newark can still have a EUR 600 claim when United's onward sector creates a qualifying final delay. The evidence must show one reservation, direct connection and final destination.
The rule does not cover a separately purchased domestic flight or a return journey that begins in the US.
Families, children and reward tickets
Calculate per traveller. Children with paid tickets generally use the same statutory band as adults. A genuinely free infant may require closer examination. MileagePlus award tickets offered to the public are not automatically excluded from EU261 or UK261.
Keep each e-ticket number, miles debit, taxes and cabin. One adult claiming for others should be ready to show authority. Expenses belong in a separate receipt table and should not be multiplied by the fixed amount.
The United family guide sets out a clean group file.
Three long-haul examples
Paris-Washington Dulles, 5:10 late: United operates from the EU and ordinary mechanical trouble caused the delay. Starting claim: EUR 600 per passenger.
Heathrow-Newark-Austin, 3:35 late at Austin: one United booking starts in the UK. The long-haul band applies, but the statutory reduction can make the amount GBP 260 per passenger.
San Francisco-Frankfurt, cancelled by United: the journey starts in the US and United is not an EU carrier. No EUR 600 fixed cancellation amount normally applies. A DOT refund can still be due if the passenger rejects travel.
Evidence for the maximum amount
Provide initial departure and final destination, operated-by details, complete ticket, precise final arrival or cancellation notice and United's stated cause. Explain the great-circle category and whether a 50% reduction is accepted or disputed.
Do not base the demand on fare price. A cabin downgrade, unprovided Polaris service or ticket refund has a different calculation and can be claimed separately where supported.
FAQ
When does United owe EUR 600?
Usually when an eligible journey starts in Europe, exceeds 3,500 km, reaches the final destination at least three hours late or meets cancellation conditions, and no valid defence succeeds.
When does United owe GBP 520?
The amount can apply to a qualifying long-haul United journey beginning at a UK airport.
Can EUR 600 be reduced to EUR 300?
Yes. A long-haul arrival between three and four hours late can fall within the 50% reduction rule.
Can a US domestic connection lead to EUR 600?
Yes when it is part of one directly connecting booking that began in the EU and final arrival meets the conditions.
Does United owe EUR 600 from the US to Europe?
Normally not when United operates the separate US-origin journey. Check for a European operating carrier and other available remedies.