Claiming directly is free, and it's a form letter, not a legal battle.
Claims firms take 25 to 35% of your payout. For a straightforward claim, that's money you can keep: the direct route is an online form or one email, and airlines pay thousands of these every week. Here's the whole process, including the letter to send.
Before you start, have these to hand
- • Flight number, date, and booking reference
- • Names of all passengers on the booking, children included, each one is owed the full amount
- • How late you arrived at your final destination, doors open, not touchdown
- • The reason given for the delay, if any was announced
- • Receipts for any food, drink or hotel costs the airline should have covered
Step 1: use the airline's own claim form if it has one
Most major airlines bury an "EU261 claim" or "delay compensation" form somewhere in their help section. Search the airline's site for "261 claim". The form routes your claim into the right queue faster than a general customer-services email. If there's no form, or the form conveniently has no category for compensation, email customer relations with the letter below.
Step 2: the letter
Copy the template below and fill in the brackets yourself. It already cites the right regulation, and the compensation amounts are fixed by law, so there's nothing left to work out beyond your own flight details.
Subject: Compensation claim under UK261/EU261, flight [number], [date]
Dear [airline] customer relations,
I was a passenger on flight [number] from [origin] to [destination] on [date], booking reference [reference]. The flight arrived at [destination] [X hours Y minutes] after its scheduled arrival time.
Under Regulation (EC) 261/2004 as retained in UK law, I am entitled to compensation of [£220 / £350 / £520] per passenger for this delay, as the flight arrived over three hours late and the cause was within your control. I claim this for the [N] passengers on the booking: [names]. The total claimed is [amount].
[If you had expenses:] I also claim [amount] for reasonable expenses incurred during the delay, receipts attached, under your duty of care obligations.
Please pay by bank transfer, not vouchers, which I do not accept. If I do not receive a substantive response within 30 days I will escalate the claim to the relevant dispute resolution scheme without further notice.
Yours faithfully,
[name, contact details]
Fill every bracket before sending. If you don't know the exact arrival delay, flight tracking sites keep historical records years back.
Step 3: if they refuse or go quiet
- • Refused with "extraordinary circumstances"? Ask for the specific cause and evidence. The burden of proof is the airline's. Many refusals fold when challenged once.
- • No reply in 30 days, or a second refusal? Escalate free of charge: most UK-serving airlines belong to an approved alternative dispute resolution scheme, and the scheme's decision binds the airline. The airline's website must say which scheme it belongs to.
- • Still stuck? Money claims court (small claims) works and costs little, or this is the point where a claims firm genuinely earns its cut: they front the legal fight and take the risk, which is worth it for stonewalled or borderline cases, or when you simply can't be bothered any more. That trade is yours to make.
One warning
Never accept vouchers as compensation. Airlines offer them first because vouchers expire, carry conditions, and cost the airline less than cash. You are legally entitled to money. Politely decline and restate the claim.