United Airlines compensation amount calculator
An eligible United Airlines disruption can be worth EUR 250, EUR 400 or EUR 600 under EU261, or GBP 220, GBP 350 or GBP 520 under UK261. Calculate route coverage before distance: a United-operated flight starting in the US normally earns none of these fixed amounts, even when it arrives in Europe.
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:
Run the United eligibility check with the initial departure, final destination and operating airline. The amount is usually per passenger, not per booking or late sector.
Current amount table
| Protected journey distance | EU261 starting amount | UK261 starting amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1,500 km or less | EUR 250 | GBP 220 |
| More than 1,500 km within the EU, or other journeys from 1,500 to 3,500 km | EUR 400 | GBP 350 |
| More than 3,500 km | EUR 600 | GBP 520 |
United's direct transatlantic departures from Europe generally fall into the longest band. A feeder-only claim or a shorter covered itinerary may not. Distance must be calculated along the great-circle route between the relevant endpoints, not by road miles or a loyalty-programme earning chart.
Step 1: prove the journey can enter the table
Use fixed amounts only when EU261 or UK261 covers the trip. Typical positive routes include a United-operated departure from Dublin, Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam or another covered European airport, and a United departure from Heathrow or another UK airport.
A standalone United-operated Newark-Dublin, Chicago-Frankfurt or Washington Dulles-Heathrow flight normally receives EUR 0 or GBP 0 in fixed European compensation because it starts in the United States. It may still support a DOT refund, denied-boarding award, baggage claim or contractual reimbursement.
Codeshare changes the operator test. A UA-numbered inbound service actually operated by Lufthansa or SWISS can have EU carrier coverage. Look beyond the marketing code.
Step 2: identify the protected endpoints
On a direct flight, use origin and destination. On directly connecting sectors sold as one journey, use the initial departure and final ticketed destination. Do not add the segment distances and then claim a separate amount for each aircraft.
Example: Dublin-Newark-Cincinnati on one booking is measured from Dublin to Cincinnati. If the two sectors were independently purchased, Dublin-Newark is normally one contract and Newark-Cincinnati another.
C-561/20 confirms that one EU-origin booking can remain protected when the delay arises on the later United sector inside the US. The case does not combine separate tickets or a return journey days later.
Step 3: apply the disruption threshold
For delay, final arrival generally needs to be at least three hours late. Cancellation compensation depends on notice, replacement timing and cause. Involuntary denied boarding has its own test and does not require a three-hour delay to establish the basic fixed award.
The maximum band is not a payment for route length alone. A punctual Europe-US flight has no delay claim, and a covered flight arriving two hours 50 minutes late misses the ordinary delay threshold.
For long-haul delay or rerouting, a final arrival between three and four hours late can permit a 50% reduction. That can move EUR 600 to EUR 300 or GBP 520 to GBP 260. At four hours or more, the full long-haul figure is generally the starting point.
Step 4: assess extraordinary circumstances
Fixed compensation can be refused where United proves an external extraordinary event, a direct causal link and reasonable measures. Examples may include severe weather, airport closure, air-traffic-control restrictions or a genuine security risk.
Routine mechanical failures, normal aircraft rotation and ordinary staffing choices are not automatically exempt. A short label such as "operational reasons" does not prove the defence. Request the exact event and chronology.
Reimbursement, rerouting and care are separate. Even when a storm removes EUR 600, a covered passenger may still require a replacement flight, meals or hotel.
Per-passenger calculation
Fixed compensation is normally due to each eligible traveller. Consider a family of two adults and two children on a paid Dublin-Chicago booking. If a controllable cancellation produces a qualifying long-haul claim, the starting calculation is 4 x EUR 600 = EUR 2,400.
An infant travelling entirely free may require different treatment. An award ticket issued through MileagePlus can remain eligible because reward travel offered to the public is not automatically excluded. Keep each ticket number and taxes paid.
A group organiser should not assume that one passenger's authority covers everyone. United may request signed authority, passenger details and individual payment instructions.
Four worked examples
Frankfurt-Newark, 4 hours 20 minutes late
United operates the direct flight, the journey starts in the EU and exceeds 3,500 km. A routine technical defect caused the delay. Starting amount: EUR 600 per eligible passenger.
Heathrow-Chicago, 3 hours 25 minutes late
UK261 covers the United departure and the route is long haul. A permitted reduction may produce GBP 260 rather than GBP 520, depending on the precise circumstances.
Newark-Dublin, 7 hours late
United operates a new journey beginning in the US. Fixed EU261 amount: normally EUR 0. Check DOT refund rules if travel was not accepted and other remedies if the trip was completed.
Brussels-Newark-San Jose, final delay over 3 hours
All sectors form one EU-origin booking and United operates them. The long-distance journey can fall under EU261 even when the decisive disruption occurs after Newark. Starting amount can be EUR 600.
Compensation is not the ticket price
The fixed amount does not rise because a Polaris ticket was expensive, and it does not fall because an Economy fare was discounted. Reimbursement, by contrast, relates to the unused fare. A cabin downgrade uses a percentage of the affected segment price rather than this table.
Keep these requests separate:
- fixed delay, cancellation or denied-boarding compensation;
- refund of unused transport;
- 30%, 50% or 75% downgrade reimbursement;
- reasonable care expenses;
- Montreal Convention baggage loss.
The United pillar guide explains the eligibility gates behind the figures.
Evidence for a calculated demand
Attach the e-ticket, one-booking itinerary, operated-by line, scheduled and actual final arrival, cancellation notice and cause evidence. State the distance endpoints, band and any reduction you have applied. For several passengers, provide a transparent multiplication rather than one unexplained total.
Do not convert EUR to USD or GBP to USD using an arbitrary travel date. Ask for the statutory currency or document the conversion basis United offers.
FAQ
How much is United delay compensation from Europe to the US?
Many eligible long-haul departures start at EUR 600 per passenger, subject to final delay, cause and any lawful 50% reduction.
How much can United owe from Heathrow?
The long-distance UK261 band is GBP 520 per eligible passenger, potentially reduced to GBP 260 for qualifying arrival within the reduction window.
Is EUR 600 due from the US to Europe?
Normally not when United operates a journey beginning in the United States. Recheck the actual operator and non-European remedies.
Is the amount paid once per reservation?
No. Fixed compensation is generally assessed for each eligible passenger, while each traveller's ticket and authority should be documented.
Do I receive compensation for every delayed segment?
Normally no. Directly connecting sectors form one journey for the final-arrival and distance analysis rather than multiple fixed awards.