easyJet compensation and refunds: when you can claim €250 or €400
We have handled more than 900 easyJet claims, many of them on flights out of London Gatwick, Lisbon, Milan Malpensa, Porto and Funchal. If your easyJet flight landed at least 3 hours late, was cancelled shortly before departure or you were bumped because it was overbooked, you may be owed €250 or €400 per passenger, on top of any ticket refund.
Behind the orange livery there are three airlines: easyJet UK (British), easyJet Europe (Austrian licence) and easyJet Switzerland. Any easyJet flight leaving an EU airport is covered by Regulation (EC) 261/2004, whichever of the three operated it. Flights leaving the UK fall under the UK's own version of the rules, known as UK261. We explain the differences below.
Delayed flight
The doors of your easyJet aircraft opened at your final destination 3 hours or more after the scheduled time.
3+ hours on arrivalCancelled flight
easyJet told you less than 14 days before departure and the replacement flight did not meet the legal time limits.
Under 14 days' noticeOverbooking
You had a confirmed booking, reached the gate on time and were refused boarding against your will.
Payable straight awayWhen it is not due
When easyJet can prove the cause was outside its control, such as a severe storm or an air traffic control strike. Saying so in an email is not proof.
Extraordinary circumstancesAll we need is where you flew from, where to and the date. Check your easyJet flight and you will know in two minutes whether you have a claim.
How much easyJet pays: amounts by route
The fare is irrelevant: a €30 sale ticket earns the same as a last-minute booking. Only the distance counts.
| Flight distance | easyJet routes we see most often | You get |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | Lisbon–Funchal, Porto–Funchal, Milan–Olbia, Brindisi–Milan, Milan–London | €250 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | Funchal–London | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km | Very few on the easyJet network, which flies mainly within Europe and around the Mediterranean | €600 |
Compensation is paid per passenger. A family of three whose Funchal–London flight arrived 3 and a half hours late is owed €1,200 between them. Children with their own seat are entitled to the same amount as adults. In our form you add the flight once and then list everyone else on the booking.
easyJet flight delayed? What to do to claim compensation
Around 4 in 10 of the easyJet claims we handle are about delays, often on summer flights to Sardinia and on routes to and from Lisbon. What counts is when the doors open, not touchdown: 2 hours 55 minutes at landing can become more than 3 hours. While you wait:
- Keep your boarding pass, either printed or in the easyJet app, as proof you were on the flight.
- Screenshot app alerts and emails from easyJet, especially any that give a reason for the delay.
- Note when you actually leave the aircraft and take a photo of the arrivals board.
- Ask the desk for meal vouchers and keep receipts for anything you buy: reasonable costs must be reimbursed.
- Do not swap your claim for a voucher until you know what you are owed in cash.
The care easyJet must give you at the airport
Whether or not compensation is due, easyJet must provide food and drink while you wait and, if you can only fly the next day, a hotel room and transport to it.
| Flight distance | Care from |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | 2 hours |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | 3 hours |
| Over 3,500 km | 4 hours |
| Delay of 5 hours or more | You can choose not to travel and get your fare back |
Missed connections with easyJet
easyJet mainly sells point-to-point flights, so missed connections usually involve two separate bookings, say Brindisi–Milan then Milan–London: each flight counts on its own. If both flights were on a single booking and you reached your final destination 3 or more hours late, compensation is based on the total distance. Read more on our page about easyJet delay compensation.
easyJet flight cancelled: refund, rebooking and compensation
Cancellations are the most common problem in the easyJet cases we handle, at more than 4 in 10 claims. Many passengers accept the refund offered by email and stop there, but compensation is a separate right.
Due whenever a flight is cancelled: you choose between getting your money back and flying on another easyJet flight, including on a later date that suits you.
Paid in addition when you were told about the cancellation less than 14 days before departure and there were no extraordinary circumstances.
| When easyJet told you | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more before | Not due, but you keep the right to a refund or new flight |
| 7 to 13 days before | Due, unless the new flight left no more than 2 hours earlier and arrived less than 4 hours later |
| Less than 7 days before | Due, unless the new flight left no more than 1 hour earlier and arrived less than 2 hours later |
Schedule changes. If easyJet moves your departure by several hours shortly before you fly, the EU Court of Justice may treat it as a cancellation. Already had your refund through Manage Bookings? Check whether compensation is due too. Full details on our page about compensation for a cancelled easyJet flight.
easyJet overbooking and denied boarding
Overbooking shows up more with easyJet than with many airlines in our files: over 15 in every 100 claims. If you held a valid ticket, were at the gate in time and were left behind because the flight was full, compensation is due on the spot, together with the choice of a new flight or a refund. easyJet must first ask for volunteers: if you give up your seat willingly, the benefits you agree with the airline apply instead.
There is no compensation when boarding is refused for reasons linked to you, such as an expired passport or reaching the gate after it closed. Unsure which applies? Let us check your flight for free, or read our guide to easyJet overbooking and denied boarding.
easyJet strikes: who walks out matters
If easyJet's own pilots or cabin crew strike, compensation is normally payable: the EU Court of Justice has ruled that a strike by an airline's staff is part of its normal activity (case C-28/20). An air traffic control strike is different. French controllers' walkouts hit many easyJet routes that cross French airspace, but they are extraordinary circumstances: you keep care and a refund or rebooking, not compensation.
easyJet rejected your claim? The usual reasons and what the law says
easyJet's replies often cite weather, air traffic control or operational issues. Not all of them hold up.
A fault found during checks or maintenance is part of running an airline. The exception is a hidden manufacturing defect flagged by the manufacturer or the authorities.
EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07If easyJet crew or engineers strike, compensation is normally due. If French controllers or airport staff strike, it is not.
EU Court of Justice, case C-28/20easyJet flies the same aircraft many times a day. A delay that builds up through tight turnarounds stays its responsibility unless it proves an extraordinary event started the chain.
These rule out compensation only if they actually affected your flight. We check slot data and weather reports for that airport and hour.
easyJet UK, easyJet Europe and easyJet Switzerland: what changes for you
After Brexit the group set up easyJet Europe, based in Vienna, to run its EU bases, including Milan Malpensa, Naples, Lisbon, Porto, Paris, Lyon, Nice, Amsterdam and Berlin. easyJet Switzerland flies from Geneva and Basel, while easyJet UK operates from British bases such as Gatwick, Luton, Bristol and Manchester. If you are not sure which one operated your flight, we work it out from the flight number.
- Flights leaving the EU or Switzerland, such as Lisbon–London or Milan–London: EU261 applies whichever easyJet airline operated it.
- Flights into the EU operated by easyJet Europe or easyJet Switzerland, for example from Marrakech: also covered by EU261, even though they leave from outside the EU.
- Flights leaving the UK, such as Gatwick–Lisbon: covered by UK261, which mirrors the EU rules with amounts in pounds (£220, £350 or £520).
In practice almost every easyJet flight is protected by one set of rules or the other. Just enter "easyJet" in our form and we identify the operating airline and the rules that work best for you.
How to claim from easyJet: on your own or with us
easyJet has its own online EU261 claim form on easyjet.com. Your details must match the booking exactly and, if you are not the lead passenger, you can only claim for yourself.
Free, but every step is yours, including challenging a rejection. If that fails, you can complain to the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed (the CAA for UK departures) or go to court, at your own time and cost.
Enter your flight in two minutes and sign online for everyone on the booking. We handle the claim, the letter before action and any court case with our own lawyers. If you are paid, our fee is 25% + VAT; if not, you pay nothing. Legal costs are ours, even if the case is lost.
If easyJet has already rejected your claim
Already used the EU261 form and been turned down? You can still pass the case to us. If easyJet's reason does not hold up, we start again with a formal demand.
Documents to have ready
- easyJet booking confirmationA screenshot from the app showing the booking reference is fine.
- Passport or IDFor every passenger, children included.
- easyJet emails and alertsDelay or cancellation messages, any reply to your claim and your receipts.
How long you have to claim from easyJet
The EU Regulation sets no deadline of its own: the time limit comes from national law in the country where you bring the claim, as the EU Court of Justice confirmed (case C-139/11). That is why it differs between, say, England, Portugal and Italy. Even an older flight may still be in time: enter the date and we will tell you.
How long easyJet compensation takes
If easyJet accepts the claim, payment usually arrives within a few weeks. If it refuses and we need a formal demand or court action, allow a few months. We keep you posted at each stage and transfer your share as soon as easyJet pays.
Lost or damaged luggage on easyJet
Bags are not covered by Regulation 261 but by the Montreal Convention. Fill in a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at the baggage desk before leaving the arrivals hall, then write to easyJet within 7 days for damage, or within 21 days of getting your bag back if it was delayed.
easyJet contact details and flight status
- Group head office
- easyJet, Hangar 89, London Luton Airport, Luton, United Kingdom
- Operating airlines
- easyJet UK (Luton), easyJet Europe (Vienna, Austria), easyJet Switzerland (Meyrin, Geneva)
- Claims
- EU261 claim form on easyjet.com
- Flight status
- easyJet app or official website
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