EU261 and UK261 for agents: thresholds, amounts and the 2027 change
EU261 and UK261 flight delay compensation explained for agents: the 3-hour rule, amounts, extraordinary circumstances and the 2027 reform. Not legal advice.
When a flight is late or cancelled, clients ask the agent first. The EU and UK compensation rules in plain language, plus the 2027 reform. Not legal advice.
By Traviology · Published 2026-10-14
This is a guide, not legal advice. The airline gives the first answer, a national authority or court settles disputes, and the rules depend on where the flight left from and who flew it. But clients ring their agent before they ring the airline, so agents should know the basics.
The EU rule, in one paragraph
Under EU air passenger rights, a client who reaches their final destination three hours or more late, or whose flight is cancelled with less than 14 days' notice, can claim fixed compensation unless the airline proves extraordinary circumstances. The rule covers flights within the EU, flights leaving the EU and flights arriving in the EU on an EU airline, and it extends to Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.
The amounts are based on distance, not on what the client paid:
€250 for 1,500 km or less.
€400 for flights within the EU over 1,500 km, and other flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km.
€600 for more than 3,500 km. On long-haul flights that leave the EU, or enter it on an EU airline, a delay of 3 to 4 hours pays €300, and 4 hours or more pays €600.
What counts as "extraordinary"
The airline has to prove it, for example with extracts from logbooks or incident reports. The Your Europe page lists air traffic management decisions, political instability, adverse weather and security risks as examples. It says most technical problems found during maintenance, and strikes by the airline's own staff, are not extraordinary circumstances. A strike external to the airline may be.
Care is separate from compensation
Whatever the cause, delayed clients are owed meals and refreshments in proportion to the wait once the delay passes 2, 3 or 4 hours, depending on distance. They're also owed two calls or emails, and a hotel and transport if they must stay overnight. The UK Civil Aviation Authority's thresholds are the same: 2 hours for flights under 1,500 km, 3 hours for 1,500 to 3,500 km, and 4 hours beyond that. A delay of 5 hours or more at departure gives the right to a refund.
Clients who pay for their own meals or hotel should keep itemised receipts. Every one. The CAA notes airlines are unlikely to treat alcohol, luxury hotels or luxury meals as reasonable.
UK261
Since Brexit the UK has its own version, with amounts in pounds:
£220 under 1,500 km.
£350 from 1,500 to 3,500 km.
£260 for over 3,500 km if the arrival delay is 3 to 4 hours, £520 if it is more than 4.
Compensation isn't automatic. The client claims from the airline first. If they're unhappy with the final response, or the airline takes more than eight weeks, they can escalate to an alternative dispute resolution provider or the CAA.
Connections and self-transfers
Here's where agents add real value. The CAA says that on a booking with two or more flights, the right to care and compensation depends on the distance between the first and last airport, and that late arrival at the connection point isn't counted. The EU says a missed connection counts if the flights were on a single reservation. For a self-transfer on separate bookings the CAA is blunt: there's no statutory right to care, compensation or onward transport if a delay makes the client miss the next flight.
So when you build a trip with separate tickets, tell the client in writing that they have no rights across the join.
The October 2027 change
In June 2026 the European Parliament and the Council reached a political agreement on revised passenger rights, which the European Commission welcomed on 15 June. It keeps the compensation level, the three-hour trigger and the €250, €400 and €600 amounts. It adds a duty for airlines to inform passengers proactively within 96 hours, a list of extraordinary circumstances, a ban on no-show policies for return flights, and better support for passengers with reduced mobility.
A Burges Salmon analysis published on 8 October 2026 says the regulation was published on 2 October 2026, enters into force on 22 October 2026 and mostly applies from 23 October 2027. It reports a nine-month time limit for compensation claims and automatic refunds within seven days. The Official Journal text (OJ L 2026/2202, 2 October 2026) confirms those dates, the nine-month limit and the seven-day refunds. Until then, today's rules stand.
What we'd do with this
Put the flight distance and the operating airline on the itinerary, since both decide which rules apply. Tell clients to keep receipts and complain to the airline first. And flag separate-ticket connections in writing.
Sources
Checked October 2026. The reform applies from 23 October 2027; until then, today's rules stand.
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