UK261 · EU261 · Schengen · checked August 2026
Guides
12 guides on what airlines owe you when things go wrong, how to claim it without paying anyone a cut, and how the rules for travelling in Europe actually work. Written by someone with no claim to sell, so they include the answers that are not in your favour.
- Claiming
How to claim flight compensation yourself, for free
The whole do-it-yourself process end to end: what to gather, exactly what to write, what the airline will say back, and what to do next. - Compensation
Extraordinary circumstances: what really excuses an airline
The single most common reason claims get refused, and the case law that shows how often the refusal is wrong. - Compensation
UK261 vs EU261: which regime covers your flight
Two near-identical regimes that pay different amounts in different currencies. How to tell which one covers you, and what to do when both do. - Your rights
Denied boarding: your rights when the flight is oversold
Volunteering and being bumped are legally different things. What to say at the gate, and why the compensation starts at zero hours late. - Your rights
Cancelled flight rights: notice, rerouting and refunds
How much notice the airline gave decides the compensation. The refund-or-rerouting choice is yours, and it is worth understanding before you accept anything. - Your rights
Duty of care: meals, hotels and transfers during disruption
The right almost nobody claims. It applies even when no compensation is due, including in a storm or an air traffic control shutdown. - Claiming
The escalation ladder: ADR, the CAA and small claims
What to do when the airline says no or says nothing. AviationADR, CEDR, CAA PACT and the county court, in the order you should use them. - Claiming
Claims companies vs doing it yourself: the honest maths
Fees of 25% to 50% on an amount that is fixed by law. Worked numbers, and the handful of cases where a firm genuinely earns its cut. - Travel rules
The Schengen 90/180 rule explained, with worked examples
A rolling window, not an annual allowance. The four miscalculations that catch people out, worked through day by day. - Travel rules
EES and ETIAS: what changed at the border and what is next
Passport stamps have gone and your days are now counted automatically. What that means in practice, and where ETIAS has got to. - Claiming
Evidence: how to prove a flight delay claim
Most claims are won or lost on the arrival time. What to photograph before you leave the airport, and what still works months later. - Compensation
The 2026 EU261 reform: what changes and when
Agreed in July 2026 after years of deadlock. The three-hour trigger survived, the amounts survived, and a lot of the process around them did not.
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General information, not legal advice. Airlines, ADR bodies and courts decide individual cases. How this site is verified.