Vueling compensation: when you can claim €250 or €400
We have handled claims for more than 3,000 Vueling passengers, and London Gatwick features in almost every route that reaches us most often: Gatwick to Barcelona and back, Paris Orly to Gatwick, Florence to Gatwick and Gatwick to Rome. Around four claims in ten concern a delay, more than a third a cancellation and over one in five a denied boarding. If your Vueling flight landed late, was cancelled or left without you, you may be owed €250 or €400 per passenger, whatever you paid for the ticket.
Vueling Airlines is a Spanish carrier based in Viladecans, near Barcelona, and part of the IAG group. Because it is an EU airline, Regulation (EC) 261/2004 covers its flights leaving any EU airport and also its flights into the EU from outside, including services from the UK and Morocco.
Late arrival
Your Vueling flight reaches its final destination three hours or more after the scheduled time.
3+ hours lateCancellation
You heard about it less than two weeks before departure and the replacement flight falls outside the legal time limits.
Short noticeBumped off the flight
The flight was overbooked and Vueling refused to board you, even though your ticket and documents were in order.
Owed straight awayNo compensation
Events Vueling could not have avoided, such as a severe storm or an air traffic control strike. The airline has to prove it, and often cannot.
Extraordinary circumstancesNot sure where your case stands? Check your Vueling flight for free with the airports and date.
How much Vueling pays in compensation
The amount is set by law and depends only on the flight distance, not on the fare. Most of the Vueling network is under 1,500 km, so €250 per person is the usual figure; flights to the Canary Islands rise to €400.
| Distance | Example Vueling routes | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | London Gatwick–Barcelona, Amsterdam–Barcelona, Paris Orly–London Gatwick, Florence–London Gatwick, London Gatwick–Rome Fiumicino | €250 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | Barcelona–Tenerife North, Barcelona–Gran Canaria | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km | Hardly any such routes on a network focused on Europe and Morocco | €600 |
A couple flying London Gatwick–Rome with a child in their own seat, landing four hours late, can claim €750 between them: children with a seat get the same as adults. In our form you add the flight once and then list your fellow travellers.
Vueling flight delayed: what to do at the airport
What matters is the arrival time, measured when the first aircraft door opens at your destination, not when the wheels touch down. A long taxi to the stand at Gatwick can push a delay past three hours, which is why we check the exact time for you. While you wait:
- Keep your boarding pass from the Vueling app or a screenshot of it as proof you travelled.
- Save every email and text from Vueling about the delay: the reason given at the gate and the one in the reply to your claim do not always match.
- Ask the Vueling desk for meal vouchers once the wait drags on, and ask them to confirm the reason in writing.
- Photograph the arrivals board and note the actual time you got off.
- Turn down vouchers offered instead of cash: compensation is paid in money unless you agree otherwise in writing.
Meals, drinks and hotel: Vueling's duty of care
Care is owed even when the cause is extraordinary. If departure moves to the next day, Vueling must also provide a hotel and transport to it. Keep receipts for anything you had to buy yourself.
| Flight | Care from |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | 2 hours |
| 1,500–3,500 km | 3 hours |
| Over 3,500 km | 4 hours |
| Delay over 5 hours | You can decide not to fly and get your fare back |
Missed your connection in Barcelona?
Barcelona El Prat is Vueling's main base and many passengers change planes there. If both flights were on one booking and you reached your final destination three hours or more late, compensation is based on the whole journey, from the first airport to the last. With separate tickets, each flight is assessed on its own. More details on our page about Vueling delayed flight compensation.
Vueling flight cancelled: refund and compensation
Over a third of the Vueling cases we handle start with a cancellation. Accepting a refund does not close the matter: refund and compensation are separate rights that add up.
Always owed when a flight is cancelled: you choose between getting your money back and flying to the same destination on another flight.
Due on top if you were told less than 14 days before departure and there was no extraordinary circumstance.
| Notice from Vueling | Compensation? |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more | No, but the refund or rerouting still applies |
| 7 to 13 days | Yes, unless the new flight leaves no more than 2 hours earlier and lands less than 4 hours after the original |
| Under 7 days | Yes, unless the new flight leaves no more than 1 hour earlier and lands less than 2 hours after the original |
Schedule change. A big change to departure or arrival time announced close to the date can count as a cancellation. Already refunded by Vueling? You may still be owed compensation: run the check. Find out more about Vueling cancelled flight compensation.
Vueling overbooking: more common than you might think
Among the airlines we receive the most claims for, Vueling has the highest share of denied boarding: more than one claim in five. If you were at the gate on time with a valid ticket and documents and were left behind against your will, compensation is due without argument, along with a new flight or a refund and care while you wait.
If you gave up your seat voluntarily, whatever you agreed with Vueling applies instead. There is no compensation either when boarding is refused for reasons on your side, such as an expired passport or reaching the gate after it closed. Read our guide to Vueling overbooking and denied boarding.
Vueling strikes: who walks out makes the difference
When Vueling's own pilots or cabin crew strike, the airline remains liable: the EU Court of Justice has ruled that a strike by an airline's own staff is part of its normal business and not an extraordinary circumstance (case C-28/20). Outside strikes, for example by French air traffic controllers whose airspace many Vueling flights cross, normally rule out compensation, though not your right to care and to a refund or rerouting.
Vueling rejected your claim? The usual reasons
A "no" from Vueling customer service does not mean you are not owed anything. These are the explanations we see most often in the airline's replies, and how European case law treats them.
Technical problems are part of running a fleet, unless they come from a hidden manufacturing defect flagged by the manufacturer or the authorities. A vague reference is not enough: check your flight.
EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07A strike by Vueling staff usually means compensation is due. A strike by air traffic controllers or airport workers usually means it is not.
EU Court of Justice, case C-28/20A delay carried over from the aircraft's previous rotations is not extraordinary in itself, unless it started with an extraordinary event that Vueling can prove.
Extraordinary only if they really caused your delay: we check that day's slots and weather.
Vueling flights to and from London Gatwick and Morocco
London Gatwick is a Vueling base, and UK passengers often ask whether Brexit has changed anything. Because Vueling is an EU airline, Regulation 261/2004 covers both its flights out of Gatwick and its flights into Gatwick from an EU airport. The same applies to:
- flights between the UK and the EU, in either direction
- flights between Barcelona and Morocco, such as Tangier or Marrakech
- flights to and from Switzerland, Norway and Iceland, which apply the same rules
Departures from the UK are also covered by UK261, the British version of the rules, which pays in pounds. We use whichever route works out better for you.
Booked with Iberia or British Airways, flown by Vueling
Vueling sits in the IAG group alongside Iberia and British Airways, and some flights sold under their codes are flown by Vueling. If your booking says "operated by Vueling", the claim goes to Vueling.
How to claim from Vueling: on your own or with us
You can write to Vueling yourself through the online claim form in the help section of vueling.com, with your booking reference, flight number and passenger details. Here is what changes if you hand it to us.
It costs nothing, but you deal with Vueling's replies yourself and, after a refusal, have to escalate to the national enforcement body of the country your flight left from (the CAA for UK departures) or go to court, at your own time and expense.
You fill in a short online form and sign. We handle the claim, the formal demand and any court case with our own lawyers. Our fee is 25% + VAT, only if Vueling pays. Legal costs are ours, even if the case is lost.
Vueling has already said no?
You can still pass the case to us after a first refusal: if the reason is weak, we send a formal letter before action.
What you will need
- Booking confirmationVueling's email or your boarding pass, a photo is fine.
- ID documentOne for each passenger, children included.
- Messages and receiptsDelay or cancellation notices and receipts for any expenses.
How long you have to claim from Vueling
The Regulation sets no deadline of its own: the EU Court of Justice has confirmed that the time limit comes from the law of the country where the claim is brought (case C-139/11). That means a Vueling flight from a few years ago may still be worth claiming: enter the date and we will tell you.
How long Vueling compensation takes
If Vueling accepts the claim, payment usually arrives within a few weeks. If it refuses or stays silent, a formal demand and sometimes a court case are needed, which adds a few months. We transfer your share as soon as the money comes in.
Lost or damaged luggage on a Vueling flight
Bags are not covered by Regulation 261/2004 but by the Montreal Convention. Fill in a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at the baggage desk before leaving the airport, then send Vueling a written claim within 7 days for damage, or within 21 days of getting the bag back if it was delayed.
Vueling contact details and flight status
- Head office
- Vueling Airlines, S.A., Viladecans (Barcelona), Spain
- Claims
- Online claim form in the help section of vueling.com
- Flight status
- Vueling app or the official vueling.com website
- Loyalty scheme
- Vueling Club, part of the Avios family
Ryanair
Wizz Air