The airline said NO
A refusal is the airline's opinion, not a ruling. Most of the reasons they give have already lost in court, and an ignored claim is not a closed one.
The question that decides it
What reason did they give you?
- A technical fault, crew sickness, or the aircraft arrived late.
- £220 to £520each All three have lost in court. A refusal is not a ruling, and you can still claim.
- Severe weather, or an air traffic control strike.
- Those can hold, but only if they can show it. The proof is theirs to produce, not yours.
You have 6 years to claim in England and Wales, 5 in Scotland, so a refusal does not run the clock out.
Claim firms take a success fee, typically 20-30% plus VAT, so you receive less than the figure above. A claim firm only gets paid if it wins.
We earn a fee if you claim through it.
£220 to £520 each 6 years to claim Free to check again
The excuses
What they said, and what it is worth
Find the one you were given. The burden of proof sits with the airline on every single one of these, not with you.
“It was the weather”
The airline has to prove it, not you. It also has to show the delay could not have been avoided even with every reasonable step taken. Weather that closed the airport is real; weather somewhere else in the network that made your aircraft late usually is not.
“It was a technical fault”
This one loses. The courts have repeatedly held that unexpected technical problems are part of running an airline, so they are the airline's risk. A refusal on these grounds is worth challenging.
“It was a strike”
Air traffic control and airport staff striking is outside the airline's control. Its OWN staff striking is not, and that distinction decides the claim.
“The knock-on from an earlier flight”
Your aircraft arriving late from its previous rotation is the airline's scheduling, not an extraordinary circumstance. This is one of the most common refusals and one of the weakest.
“You accepted a voucher”
Food vouchers, hotel rooms and rebooking are Article 8 and 9 rights you were owed anyway. Taking them does not sign away the fixed compensation, and the airline cannot make that a condition.
“Nothing at all”
Silence is the most common answer of the lot. There is no rule that forces a reply, which is exactly why an ignored claim needs escalating rather than resending.
The clock
How long they have, and how long you have
If the form will not work
Check the figure first, before you argue
A lot of refused claims were for the wrong amount, or for a flight that was never eligible. Worth knowing which you are before spending another six weeks on it.
Check your flight
Pick your airports and the date you flew. We'll list every flight on that route that day.
Enter your flight number and date. The airline's name works too, like “easyjet 8706”. Free, takes seconds.
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