United Airlines compensation deadline: how long do you have?
There is no single worldwide deadline for every United Airlines compensation claim. EU261 court limitation follows the law applicable in the competent country, UK claims commonly use six years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland or five years in Scotland, and baggage claims have separate Montreal Convention deadlines. Submit promptly and do not treat United's internal form window as the only legal limit.
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:
The adopted 2026 EU reform includes a future nine-month notification process and a 30-day airline response period, but those rules are not yet applicable as at 14 August 2026. They must not be used to reject a current claim prematurely.
Deadline map
| Claim type | Time issue to investigate |
|---|---|
| EU261 fixed compensation | National limitation in the competent forum |
| UK261 fixed compensation | Commonly 6 years, or 5 years in Scotland |
| Damaged baggage | Written complaint generally within 7 days |
| Delayed baggage expenses | Written complaint generally within 21 days after delivery |
| Montreal court action | Generally extinguished after 2 years |
| United ticket refund | Statute, DOT rule and ticket-processing facts |
| Future EU procedure | Nine-month notice only after the new law becomes applicable |
The safest operational rule is to file now with complete evidence. Delay rarely improves access to app records, airport data or witness recollection.
Why EU261 has no one answer
Regulation 261/2004 does not set one uniform limitation period for court proceedings. National law fills the gap. The competent forum can depend on departure, destination, connecting itinerary, operator and procedural rules.
Do not assume that the passenger's residence or ticket-purchase country always supplies the period. A Dublin departure, Frankfurt departure and Paris departure can lead to different procedural environments even though the amount table is European.
Submit to United Customer Care early, then identify forum and limitation before waiting through repeated template responses.
UK timing
CAA guidance for ADR describes incidents within six years, or five years for Scotland, and a separate 12-month period after final response or last written communication for ADR submission. United is not currently on the approved AviationADR or CEDR participant lists, so those ADR terms do not automatically create a United route.
For court claims, six years is commonly cited in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and five years in Scotland. Check the actual cause of action, forum and interruption rules. An airline complaint does not necessarily pause a court limitation clock.
The future nine-month EU rule
The Council gave final clearance to a reform in July 2026. The published timetable states that the updated rules enter into force 12 months and 20 days after Official Journal publication. Therefore, adoption is not the same as present application.
The future procedure includes a passenger notification period of nine months and a 30-day airline response period. It should be described as future until the formal commencement conditions are met. It is also different from the national period for bringing court action.
As at 14 August 2026:
- do not tell passengers they have only nine months under current EU261;
- do not promise a current mandatory 30-day United response;
- do not assume the future notification deadline replaces every court limitation issue;
- preserve the claim now rather than waiting for reform.
Baggage deadlines are shorter and separate
Montreal Convention baggage rules are not EU261. For checked baggage damage, written complaint is generally required within seven days from receipt. For delayed baggage, a written complaint generally must be made within 21 days after the bag is made available.
Reporting at the airport and obtaining a file reference is essential evidence, but do not assume the airport report alone completes the later written monetary claim. United's baggage tools separate interim expenses, bags missing more than five days, damage and missing contents.
Court action under the Convention is generally extinguished after two years, calculated under its rules. This is not an extension of the seven- or 21-day written complaint requirement.
Refund timing is not compensation limitation
DOT rules generally require refunds within seven business days for credit-card purchases and 20 calendar days for other payment methods once due. These are processing deadlines for a qualifying refund, not the period in which an EU261 claim must be filed.
United may also publish form or ticket-validity conditions. Separate an airline's preferred submission workflow from a statutory court deadline. Preserve when United cancelled or significantly changed travel and when the passenger rejected alternatives.
How to preserve a claim
Use the United compensation form guide to send the claim through the appropriate channel, then retain the submission confirmation and every attachment. If United rejects the request or does not address the evidence, follow the escalation steps in the United rejected-claim guide.
- Submit the correct request through Customer Care or the refund/baggage form.
- Save the complete form, timestamp and case number.
- State passenger names, route, operator, event and amount.
- Keep the response and every follow-up date.
- Identify the competent country before the shortest plausible period expires.
- Do not rely on negotiation to stop time without verified legal effect.
For one booking beginning in the EU and delayed on a later US sector, attach C-561/20 evidence at the first submission. A route dispute can consume time if the complete itinerary is omitted.
Claims that are not eligible should not be preserved as EU261
A United-operated US-Europe journey beginning in America normally has no fixed EU261 or UK261 claim, regardless of age. Filing it repeatedly does not create coverage. Review DOT refund, oversales, baggage or contract remedies under their own time rules.
Likewise, a later domestic ticket does not inherit a European deadline simply because the passenger previously crossed the Atlantic. Scope and time must both be valid.
Example timing plan
A United flight from Dublin through Newark to Denver arrived over four hours late in March 2025. The passenger should submit immediately with the one-booking itinerary, final arrival and cause. Before waiting for extended correspondence, identify the competent forum and its limitation rules. The future nine-month reform process does not retroactively erase or shorten the current claim as at August 2026.
For a damaged bag on that trip, the passenger needed the separate seven-day written complaint. A long flight-compensation period cannot revive a missed baggage notice.
FAQ
Is the United EU261 deadline always three years?
No. EU261 limitation depends on national law and competent forum; three years is not a universal answer.
Do UK United claims have six years?
Six years is commonly relevant in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while Scotland commonly uses five. Verify forum and claim type.
Is the new nine-month EU deadline already in force?
No as at 14 August 2026. The adopted reform follows a later entry-into-force timetable after Official Journal publication.
Does filing with United stop the court deadline?
Not necessarily. Do not assume correspondence suspends or interrupts limitation without checking the applicable national rule.
How long do I have for delayed baggage expenses?
The Montreal framework generally requires written complaint within 21 days after the baggage is delivered, with separate reporting and proof requirements.