UK261 vs EU261, and the new EU rules that skip Britain

Trek Guide UK261 copied EU261 in 2020 at £220–£520. The EU reform adds a 2-hour tarmac limit and a 9-month claim deadline; the UK keeps 6 years and gets neither. By Anjali Shrestha · Oct 4, 2026 Read the full story

UK261 is the UK's copy of the EU's 2004 flight-compensation law, kept on 31 December 2020 with the amounts turned into pounds: &pound;220, &pound;350 and &pound;520 against the EU's &euro;250, &euro;400 and &euro;600. For now the two still work the same way… Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

Which one covers your flight?

UK261 covers every flight departing the UK, and flights into the UK on a UK or EU airline; EU261 covers every flight departing the EU, and flights into the EU on an EU airline. That is Article 3 in each version, as published on legislation.gov.uk and EUR-Lex… Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

What is still the same

The core is identical: the same three distance bands, the same three-hour threshold, the same right to a refund or rerouting, and the same meals and hotel while you wait. Both still pay nothing when the cause was an extraordinary circumstance the airline… Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

Where the UK has already gone its own way

The Aviation (Consumers) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 (SI 2023/1370), in force on 14 December 2023, wrote the main court rulings into the UK text. The UK regulation now defines extraordinary circumstances in statute, including disruption from an air traffic… Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

What the EU reform changes, and the UK will not get

The reform cleared by the Council on 13 July 2026 rewrites large parts of EU261. None of it reaches UK261. The final text, PE-CONS 39/2/26 REV 2, applies 12 months after it enters into force, which is 20 days after publication in the EU's Official Journal… Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

Which is better for you?

For money after a long-haul delay, and for time to claim, UK261 will be better; for comfort on the day and clarity about excuses, the reformed EU261 will be. If your flight is covered by both, as on many routes between the UK and the EU, check which gives… Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

How to claim under each

Claim from the operating airline first, then escalate to the body for the country you departed from. UK261: write to the airline; if it refuses, use its approved alternative dispute resolution scheme or, if it has none, the Civil Aviation Authority's… Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

Frequently asked questions

Today mainly the currency and who enforces it: UK261 pays &pound;220 to &pound;520 and is applied by UK courts and the CAA; EU261 pays &euro;250 to &euro;600. Once the EU reform applies, the EU adds tarmac, cabin bag and refund rules the UK does not have. No… Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

Keep reading

What airlines owe you, country by country. Which excuses stop a payout. Who pays depends on who walked out. When the airline has to let you off. Sources: legislation.gov.uk, Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (UK version), Articles 3 and 7, as amended by the Air… Travel Himalaya Nepal · News Read the full story

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