FLIGHT PROBLEMS · EASYJET
easyJet delay compensation: how much, how to claim, and the voucher trap
An easyJet flight that lands 3+ hours late, or is cancelled at short notice, can be worth £220 to £520 (or €250 to €600) per person when the cause was easyJet's. Here is easyJet's own claim form, what it checks, and the one choice at the airport that quietly ends your right to a hotel and expenses.
Ad / affiliate disclosure: I may earn a commission if you use AirHelp through a link on this page, at no extra cost to you. Claiming from easyJet yourself is free, and this page shows you how. PracticalPivot is not affiliated with easyJet. Prepared with AI assistance and checked against easyJet's and the UK CAA's own pages on October 26, 2026.
The 30-second answer
Delayed 3+ hours at arrival, or cancelled with less than 14 days' notice? Claim on easyJet's free Compensation Claims Portal. easyJet pays £220/€250 for flights up to 1,500 km, £350/€400 up to 3,500 km (or any longer flight within Europe) and £520/€600 beyond that, unless the cause was "extraordinary" (weather, air traffic control, strikes, security alerts).
Cancelled and still want to travel? Switch to a new easyJet flight for free in Manage Bookings. Don't pick the voucher or refund if you will need a hotel: easyJet says that choice ends your claim for accommodation and expenses.
No easyJet flight within 24 hours? easyJet says you can take another airline, a train, a bus or a hire car and claim reasonable costs back. Keep an itemised receipt.
Are the EU rules changing? Yes, from October 23, 2027. The reform, Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 (Official Journal, October 2, 2026), keeps compensation for "a delay at arrival exceeding three hours" and the EUR 250, 400 and 600 amounts. Reports of a new 4- or 6-hour threshold are wrong for the final text. Flights before October 23, 2027 stay under Regulation 261/2004. Checked on EUR-Lex October 30, 2026.
Check your easyJet flight with AirHelp →
Affiliate link. AirHelp checks eligibility for free and keeps a share of the payout only if it wins. Claiming directly with easyJet costs nothing.
How much easyJet pays
The amounts come from easyJet's own notice of rights, which applies EU Regulation 261/2004 and its UK version. Flights leaving the UK are covered by the UK rules (in pounds), flights leaving the EU by the EU rules (in euros), and flights into the UK or EU from elsewhere are covered too unless you already got compensation or care in the departure country.
| Flight distance | Example easyJet route (approximate great-circle distance) | 3+ hours late or short-notice cancellation |
|---|---|---|
| 1,500 km or less | London Gatwick to Amsterdam (~370 km), Gatwick to Barcelona (~1,150 km) | £220 / €250 |
| Over 1,500 km within Europe, or 1,500 to 3,500 km | Gatwick to Tenerife South (~2,950 km), Gatwick to Athens (~2,400 km) | £350 / €400 |
| Over 3,500 km, outside Europe | Some Egypt and Cape Verde routes (London to Hurghada or Sal) | £520 / €600 |
- The 50% cut: if easyJet re-routes you on a flight that arrives no more than 2 hours late (up to 1,500 km), 3 hours late (1,500 to 3,500 km in Europe) or 4 hours late (other flights), it can halve the payment. On long UK routes the CAA gives the halved figure as £260 for arrivals 3 to 4 hours late.
- The clock is arrival time, not departure: what counts is how late you reach your destination, so a flight that leaves 3 hours late but makes up time in the air may not qualify.
- Each passenger has their own claim. A family of four on a short delayed flight can be owed £880.
When easyJet doesn't have to pay
| What happened | Compensation? |
|---|---|
| Technical fault, crew shortage, late inbound aircraft caused by an earlier easyJet problem | Usually yes: these are easyJet's responsibility |
| Weather, air traffic control restrictions, strikes outside easyJet, security alerts | No: easyJet lists these as extraordinary circumstances |
| Cancellation notified 14+ days before departure | No compensation (you still choose refund or a free new flight) |
| Cancellation notified 7 to 13 days ahead, and the new flight leaves no more than 2 h earlier and lands less than 4 h later | No |
| Cancellation notified under 7 days ahead, and the new flight leaves no more than 1 h earlier and lands less than 2 h later | No |
| You arrived 2 h 59 min late | No: the line is 3 hours |
Not sure of the cause? Ask the gate staff and write down what they say. easyJet's team checks its own records when you claim, so the reason it gives you at the airport is worth keeping.
At the airport: what easyJet owes you while you wait
| Situation | What easyJet says you get |
|---|---|
| Delay of 2+ hours (flights up to 1,500 km), 3+ hours (1,500 to 3,500 km, or longer flights in Europe), 4+ hours (longer flights) | Meals and refreshments in reasonable relation to the wait, plus two calls or emails |
| Delay or re-routing pushes you to the next day | Hotel and transport to it. Request the room in the app or Manage Bookings after you move to the new flight |
| Delay of 5+ hours and you decide not to fly | A refund of that flight |
| Widespread disruption and easyJet can't find you a room | Book a 3-star-type hotel yourself (easyJet names Premier Inn, ibis, Holiday Inn, Travelodge, Motel One) and keep the VAT invoice |
Two easyJet rules that catch people out: if you book your own hotel when easyJet could have given you one for free, it won't reimburse it; and it never reimburses alcohol.
Cancelled? The three choices, and which one to pick
| Choice in Manage Bookings | What you get | Hotel and expenses still covered? |
|---|---|---|
| Switch to another flight (free) | Next available easyJet flight, nearby airports in the same country, or an indirect easyJet routing; same bag allowance and seat type | Yes |
| Voucher for the full booking value | Credit valid 12 months anywhere on easyJet's network | No: easyJet says you're no longer travelling with it |
| Refund | The full booking value to the card you paid with; easyJet says it processes requests within 7 days | No |
Compensation is separate from all three. Picking a refund or voucher does not cancel a compensation claim for a short-notice cancellation; it only ends easyJet's duty to put you up and pay expenses. The claim portal itself warns that submitting a compensation claim does not refund your ticket.
The 24-hour rule: easyJet tries to get you to your destination on its own flights within 24 hours of the original one. If it can't, it says you may switch to another airline, train, bus or hire car under comparable conditions (economy, standard class) and claim reasonable costs, but you can't claim both a refund and that alternative transport.
How to claim from easyJet, step by step
- Collect the details first: booking reference, flight number, date, and the names exactly as on the booking. The email and phone number you enter must match the ones on the booking.
- Use the lead passenger. Only the first passenger on the booking can claim for everyone on it (with their permission). Anyone else can only claim for themselves, and once someone claims for a passenger, that passenger can't claim separately.
- Open the Compensation Claims Portal and choose the reason: delayed flight, flight cancelled, denied boarding or voluntarily offloaded.
- Enter bank details for the claimant's own account. easyJet pays by bank transfer only to the claimant; it asks you not to enter card details. US travelers can pick United States as the bank country.
- Attach proof if it helps (booking confirmation, a birth certificate when claiming for a child): PDF or image files under 5 MB.
- Check every field before you submit. You can't edit the claim afterwards, you won't get a copy, and a mistake brings an automated rejection that means starting again.
- Claim expenses separately on easyJet's expense claim form, with itemised receipts and the hotel's VAT invoice.
Prefer a paper trail as well? Our free EU261 claim letter template lists what to put in writing.
If easyJet says no, or doesn't answer
- Wait for the final response, up to 8 weeks. The UK CAA says you can escalate once the airline gives its final answer or takes more than eight weeks.
- Go to Aviation ADR (free for passengers, CAA-approved), which easyJet names in its notice of rights. You have 12 months from easyJet's final response.
- Flight left the EU? You can also complain to the national enforcement body of the departure country (the EU keeps the list).
- Old flight? In England and Wales you can claim for up to six years; other countries set their own limits. See flight compensation time limits.
Free route vs claim service
| Claim directly with easyJet | Claim service (for example AirHelp) | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free; you keep 100% | A share of the payout if it wins; nothing if it loses |
| Effort | One online form, plus ADR if refused | They file and chase, including court where they choose to |
| Best for | Clear cases: technical fault or crew problem, delay well over 3 hours | Refused claims, disputed "extraordinary" reasons, or several old flights |
Check your easyJet flight with AirHelp →
Affiliate link. Opens AirHelp's website, where you check eligibility and can submit a claim. Claiming yourself is free.
Checklist: easyJet delay or cancellation
- Screenshot the delay or cancellation notice in the app, and note the reason staff give.
- Cancelled and still travelling: switch flights in Manage Bookings (not voucher or refund) if you may need a hotel.
- Next-day departure: request the hotel in the app after moving to the new flight.
- No easyJet seat within 24 hours: book comparable transport and keep the itemised receipt.
- Keep VAT invoices and itemised receipts; skip alcohol on the bill.
- At home: lead passenger claims compensation on the portal; expenses on the separate form.
- No answer or a refusal after 8 weeks: Aviation ADR (within 12 months).
Common questions
How much compensation does easyJet pay for a 3-hour delay?
£220 or €250 per person for flights up to 1,500 km, £350 or €400 for flights within Europe over 1,500 km or other flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km, and £520 or €600 for longer flights, when the delay at arrival is 3 hours or more and the cause was within easyJet's control.
Does easyJet pay compensation for delays caused by air traffic control or strikes?
No. easyJet treats air traffic control restrictions, weather, security alerts and industrial action as extraordinary circumstances, which rule out compensation. You are still entitled to meals and, if needed, a hotel while you wait.
If I take easyJet's voucher, can I still claim compensation?
A voucher or refund ends easyJet's duty to provide a hotel and pay expenses, because you are no longer travelling with it. Compensation for a short-notice cancellation is a separate claim on easyJet's Compensation Claims Portal, and the portal says a compensation claim does not refund your ticket.
Who can submit an easyJet compensation claim for a group?
Only the lead (first) passenger on the booking can claim for everyone on it, with their permission. Other passengers can claim only for themselves. Names, email and phone number must match the booking, and payment goes to the claimant's bank account.
How long does easyJet have to answer, and what if it refuses?
The UK CAA says you can escalate after the airline's final response or after eight weeks without one. easyJet's notice of rights points to Aviation ADR, which you can use within 12 months of easyJet's final response.
How we checked this
On October 26, 2026 we read easyJet's Delays and cancellations help page, its Notice of rights for flight delays and cancellations, the Compensation Claims Portal form, and the UK Civil Aviation Authority's flight delays page. Route distances are approximate great-circle figures for illustration; check yours with a distance calculator. This is general information, not legal advice.