Two words decide whether your airline owes you £220 to £520 or nothing at all. This page sets out what actually counts as extraordinary, what the courts have thrown out, and what you are still owed either way.
The short answer
An extraordinary circumstance is something that was not inherent in the normal running of an airline and was beyond its actual control. Both halves matter. A snowstorm that closes a runway is extraordinary. A part failing on an aircraft the airline is responsible for maintaining is not — even though it feels every bit as unexpected to the airline.
If the airline can show extraordinary circumstances and that it took all reasonable measures to avoid the disruption, it does not have to pay compensation. It still has to look after you and still has to refund or re-route you. Those duties never go away.
The money
These are the fixed amounts under UK law for flights departing the UK on any airline, and for flights arriving in the UK on a UK or EU airline. They are per passenger, not per booking, and they are not affected by what you paid for the ticket.
| Flight distance | Arrival delay | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1,500 km | 2 hours or more | £220 |
| 1,500–3,500 km | 3 hours or more | £350 |
| Over 3,500 km | 4 hours or more | £520 |
| Over 3,500 km | Under 4 hours | £260 |
Figures from the UK Civil Aviation Authority, checked August 2026.
The clock that matters is arrival, not departure. A flight that leaves four hours late but makes up time in the air may fall under the threshold.
Yes
Snow, fog, storms and volcanic ash — but genuinely disruptive weather, not a light flurry in an Alpine January. If other aircraft were departing normally that day, the defence is weaker than it looks.
Air traffic control, airport staff, ground handlers, Border Force. Third-party industrial action is outside the airline’s control.
Acts of terrorism, sabotage, credible security threats, and terminal evacuations.
A bird strike is the textbook example. So is a drone sighting that closes the airfield.
A latent design fault the manufacturer later recalls the fleet for — not a component that simply wore out.
Including government travel bans and airspace closures.
A seriously ill passenger forcing a diversion, or a genuinely unruly passenger removed before departure.
Earthquakes, floods, ash clouds, disease outbreaks that close borders or airports.
No
Technical faults. Settled in Huzar v Jet2 (Court of Appeal, 2014) and confirmed by the European Court in van der Lans v KLM (2015). A wiring failure, a fuel valve, an unexpected component failure — these are inherent in running an airline. They are not extraordinary, however genuinely surprising they were.
The case that moved the line
In July 2024 the UK Supreme Court decided Lipton and another v BA CityFlyer Ltd [2024] UKSC 24. A flight from Milan to London was cancelled when the captain fell ill an hour before departure, while off duty, and no replacement could be found. The airline argued that illness striking an off-duty pilot was outside its control.
The Supreme Court disagreed. Managing unexpected staff absence is inherent in the ordinary activity of running an airline, and a passenger’s right to compensation cannot turn on where or when a crew member happened to become unwell. Crew illness is therefore not an extraordinary circumstance.
The practical effect is significant: a great many claims that airlines used to refuse on staff-sickness grounds now succeed. If you were turned down for a cancellation caused by crew illness before mid-2024, the reasoning behind that refusal no longer holds.
Even when the airline is right
Extraordinary circumstances remove the cash compensation. They remove nothing else. Whatever caused the disruption, the airline still owes you:
If the airline cannot organise care during major disruption, you may arrange something reasonable yourself and claim it back. Keep every receipt, and keep them modest — reasonable means reasonable.
The practical bit
Compensation arrives weeks later. Getting out of the terminal is tonight’s problem — and it is the moment airport taxi queues are longest and app pricing is highest, because everyone on your flight needs the same thing at the same time.
Rushxo quotes a fixed price before you book and holds it whatever time you land. We track the flight number, so a diverted or delayed arrival moves your pick-up rather than losing it, and the driver waits free for 60 minutes after you touch down. If you are re-routed to a different airport entirely, the fare is re-quoted for the new route rather than surge-priced.
Questions
No. The weather has to have made safe operation impossible. If other airlines were flying the same route at the same time, ask the airline to explain why its aircraft specifically could not.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the limitation period is six years; in Scotland it is five. You do not need to have claimed at the airport.
No. The amount depends only on distance and delay. A £29 fare and a £900 fare on the same flight attract the same payment.
If the whole journey was on a single booking, what matters is how late you reached your final destination.
If the airline refuses and you disagree, escalate to its alternative dispute resolution body, or to the Civil Aviation Authority’s Passenger Advice and Complaints Team if it has not signed up to one.
This page is general information about UK air passenger rights, not legal advice. Rules and the amounts change — check the Civil Aviation Authority’s guidance, or take advice, before relying on it for a specific claim. Last reviewed 22 August 2026.