Wizz Air at London Gatwick (LGW): compensation and your rights

Which rules apply to a Gatwick departure

The rulebook is decided by where the aircraft takes off. A flight leaving London Gatwick departs from the United Kingdom, so UK261 applies regardless of the airline's nationality or where you land. Wizz Air operates many UK flights through Wizz Air UK, which holds a UK Air Operator's Certificate, but even where another Wizz entity operates the aircraft, a UK departure is still governed by UK261 and enforced by the CAA.

Under UK261 the compensation amounts are fixed by the great-circle distance of the flight:

• GBP 220 for flights of 1,500 km or less
• GBP 350 for flights between 1,500 km and 3,500 km, and for all flights over 1,500 km within the EU
• GBP 520 for flights over 3,500 km outside the EU

These figures are per passenger, not per booking, and children on a paid seat count too. Compensation is separate from getting your money back and separate from the airline's duty to look after you. For a quick estimate before you write to the airline, our flight compensation calculator works out the band from your route.

When you are actually owed compensation

Three situations trigger the fixed sum:

1. Long delay. You arrive at your final destination 3 hours or more behind schedule. A long delay is treated like a cancellation for compensation purposes once you cross the 3-hour mark, and the clock is measured at arrival, not departure.
2. Cancellation at short notice. If Wizz cancels and did not give you enough notice or a suitable alternative flight, compensation is usually due.
3. Denied boarding. If you are bumped from an overbooked flight against your will, compensation applies.

What removes the fixed sum is a genuine extraordinary circumstance the airline can prove: severe weather, air traffic control restrictions, security incidents or similar events outside its control. Routine technical faults do not count, and nor does a strike by the airline's own crew. If Wizz blames "operational reasons" without detail, that is not the same as proving an extraordinary circumstance, and it is worth pushing back.

Importantly, extraordinary circumstances stop the compensation but never remove your right to care (see below).

Refund, re-routing and care are different things

It helps to keep four rights apart, because airlines sometimes offer one and hope you forget the others:

• Compensation is the fixed GBP 220/350/520 for the disruption itself.
• Refund or re-routing is your choice when a flight is cancelled or heavily delayed: either your money back for the unused part within 7 days, or a seat on an alternative flight. A refund must be offered in cash or to your original payment method. You do not have to accept WIZZ credit or a voucher, and taking one is a choice, not an obligation.
• The right to care means meals and refreshments, plus a hotel and transfers if you are stuck overnight. This kicks in by waiting time and distance and applies even during extraordinary circumstances. If bad weather closes the runway, you still get looked after.
• Reimbursement of out-of-pocket costs applies when the airline fails to provide that care and you reasonably pay for your own meal or hotel. Keep every receipt and keep the amounts sensible; extravagant claims get rejected.

A note on Wizz add-ons: WIZZ Flex, WIZZ Discount Club membership and priority or large-cabin-bag products are commercial extras. Whether they are refundable follows Wizz's own terms and has nothing to do with your statutory rights after a disruption. Do not let a membership refund be presented as your disruption compensation.

Typical Wizz routes from London Gatwick

Wizz Air flies a broad Central and Eastern European network from Gatwick. Common routes and their likely bands:

• Gatwick to Budapest (roughly 1,450 km) sits near the boundary and is usually the GBP 220 band.
• Gatwick to Bucharest, Warsaw, Katowice, Cluj-Napoca, Sofia or Belgrade typically falls in the GBP 350 band as an over-1,500 km European route.
• Gatwick to Tel Aviv runs over 3,500 km outside the EU and can reach the GBP 520 band; the Canary Islands, at roughly 2,900 km and within the EU, stay in the GBP 350 band.

Use the actual distance, not the flight time, since a headwind or a long taxi does not change the band.

The return leg can change the regime

This is the point passengers most often miss. If you fly Gatwick to Bucharest and back, the outbound is UK261 in pounds, but the return from Bucharest departs the EU, so it is EU261 in euros, and the regulator is the Romanian enforcement body rather than the UK CAA. The euro amounts mirror the bands: EUR 250, EUR 400 or EUR 600. Two legs of the same trip can therefore produce two separate claims under two systems. If both your outbound and return are disrupted, treat them as two cases. Our guide on UK261 vs EU261 and which one applies walks through mixed itineraries in detail.

How to claim from Wizz Air, and how to escalate

1. Gather the evidence. Save your booking reference, boarding passes, and any texts or emails about the delay or cancellation. Note the actual arrival time at your final destination.
2. Claim directly with Wizz first. Use the airline's complaint or claim form and state plainly that you are claiming UK261 compensation for a Gatwick departure, quoting the amount and the reason. Keep it factual.
3. Give a reasonable deadline. If Wizz refuses, cites vague "operational reasons", or goes quiet, you can escalate.
4. Escalate to the right body. For a Gatwick (UK) departure, escalate to the UK Civil Aviation Authority or to an approved UK alternative dispute resolution scheme. For a return from an EU/EEA airport, escalate to that country's national enforcement body instead.
5. Court as a last resort. In England and Wales the general time limit to bring a claim is around 6 years; other jurisdictions differ, so do not assume a single deadline.

For the mechanics of a delay claim, see Wizz Air delayed flight compensation and the main Wizz Air flight compensation hub. If Wizz has pushed a voucher on you, read refund vs WIZZ credit before accepting.

What about baggage?

Baggage is a completely separate regime under the Montreal Convention 1999, not UK261. Liability is capped at roughly 1,519 SDR per passenger (about EUR 1,850 / GBP 1,600, moving with exchange rates), and it covers proven loss up to that cap rather than a flat payout. File a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at the Gatwick baggage desk before you leave the airport, then write to Wizz within 7 days for damage and 21 days for a delayed bag. A bag missing about 21 days is generally treated as lost. See Wizz Air delayed or lost baggage for the full process.

FAQ

Is a Gatwick Wizz flight in pounds or euros?

Pounds. A departure from London Gatwick is UK261, so compensation is GBP 220, GBP 350 or GBP 520, and the regulator is the UK CAA.

My Gatwick flight was 3 hours late but Wizz blamed weather. Do I get anything?

You may not get the fixed compensation if genuine severe weather is proven, but you still keep the right to care: meals, and a hotel if you are stuck overnight. The airline must actually prove the extraordinary circumstance.

Does the same claim cover both my outbound and return?

No. The Gatwick outbound is UK261 in pounds via the CAA; the return from an EU/EEA airport is EU261 in euros via that country's regulator. Disruptions on each leg are separate claims.

Can Wizz make me take WIZZ credit instead of a refund?

No. For a cancelled or heavily delayed flight you are entitled to a cash refund to your original payment method within 7 days. A voucher or WIZZ credit is only valid if you freely choose it.

How long do I have to bring a court claim?

It varies by jurisdiction. In England and Wales it is generally around 6 years, in Scotland 5 years, and EU periods differ, so check the rules where you would sue.

Sources

• Regulation (EC) 261/2004 (EUR-Lex): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32004R0261
• UK Civil Aviation Authority, delays and cancellations: https://www.caa.co.uk/passengers/resolving-travel-problems/delays-cancellations/
• Montreal Convention 1999 liability limits (IATA baggage guidance): https://www.iata.org/en/publications/newsletters/iata-knowledge-hub/what-happens-if-my-baggage-is-delayed-or-lost/
• Court of Justice of the EU case law: Sturgeon (C-402/07), Folkerts (C-11/11), Wallentin-Hermann (C-549/07), McDonagh (C-12/11)

This guide reflects the position in 2026 and is general information, not legal advice; the proposed 2026 reform of EU261 (longer delay thresholds and a fixed claim window) is a proposal and is not yet in force.