Singapore Airlines compensation: what you can claim on flights from Europe
Heathrow is Singapore Airlines' busiest European gateway, and the airline also flies from Manchester and from a dozen cities across mainland Europe, including Frankfurt, Munich, Paris, Amsterdam, Zurich, Milan, Rome, Barcelona, Copenhagen and Brussels. Many passengers continue from Changi to Australia, New Zealand or South-East Asia. On journeys that long, a qualifying disruption is worth the top amount: £520 per passenger from the UK or €600 from the EU. We have already helped more than 100 Singapore Airlines passengers.
Singapore Airlines is based at Changi Airport, so it is not a European carrier. Regulation (EC) 261/2004 covers its flights only when they take off in the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland, and UK261 does the same for departures from Britain. Flights from Singapore, Bali or Sydney back to Europe fall outside both, however late they land.
Late arrival
You flew out of the UK or the EU and reached your final destination at least 3 hours behind schedule.
3 hours or moreShort-notice cancellation
Your departure from Europe was cancelled and you heard about it less than two weeks ahead.
Under 14 daysOffloaded
The flight was oversold and you were left behind at a European airport with a valid booking.
ImmediateOutside the rules
Return flights from Asia or Australia to Europe, and events genuinely beyond the airline's control.
Inbound flightsChanged planes at Changi? Check your Singapore Airlines flight with just your airports and travel date.
How much Singapore Airlines pays on the trips we see most
Cabin class and fare are irrelevant: economy and suites get the same. The distance to your ticketed final destination is what counts.
| Journey | Covered by | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| London–Singapore | UK261, departs Heathrow | £520 |
| Manchester–Hanoi via Singapore | UK261, final destination counts | £520 |
| Milan–Brisbane via Singapore | EU261, starts in Italy | €600 |
| Singapore–Frankfurt, Bali–Frankfurt | Neither, departs Asia | Nothing |
| New York–Singapore | Neither, no European departure | Nothing |
Every traveller has a separate claim. Three people on a Heathrow–Singapore flight that arrived four hours late can recover £1,560 between them, and a child with their own seat counts like an adult. Add all your companions to one claim on our form.
Delayed Singapore Airlines flight: what to do
Over 7 in 10 of our Singapore Airlines cases start with a delay. On a journey through Changi, the time that matters is when the doors open in Hanoi, Brisbane or Perth, not your arrival in Singapore. Here is what helps:
- Hold on to both boarding passes, the one to Singapore and the onward one.
- Save the SingaporeAir app alerts and any email explaining the delay.
- At Changi, go to the transfer desk for rebooking and, if you are stuck overnight, a hotel.
- Note your final arrival time and take a photo of the arrivals board.
- Weigh up any KrisFlyer miles offer carefully: the cash compensation is still owed.
Meals, hotel and care
On a long-haul departure from Europe, Singapore Airlines has to look after you once the wait reaches 4 hours.
| Length of flight | Care from |
|---|---|
| 1,500 km or less | 2 hours |
| 1,500–3,500 km | 3 hours |
| Over 3,500 km, such as Europe–Singapore | 4 hours |
| After 5 hours | You may decline to fly and get the ticket price back |
Missed connection in Singapore
If your flight from Manchester lands late and the onward plane to Hanoi has gone, a single booking keeps the whole trip covered and the delay is measured at your final stop. With separate bookings, the second flight stands alone. More detail on Singapore Airlines delay compensation.
Cancelled Singapore Airlines flight: your options
A cancelled long-haul departure can cost you a day of your holiday. You have two separate rights, and they can be combined.
You can get your money back or be moved to another flight to the same destination.
£520 or €600 if you were told less than two weeks before the flight.
| When you were told | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 14 days ahead or earlier | No, refund or replacement flight only |
| 13 to 7 days ahead | Yes, unless the replacement leaves no more than 2 hours early and lands within 4 hours of the original time |
| Under 7 days ahead | Yes, unless the replacement leaves no more than 1 hour early and lands within 2 hours of the original time |
Retimed departure. A major schedule change decided a few days before the flight can amount to a cancellation. Read about a cancelled Singapore Airlines flight.
Singapore Airlines overbooking
About 1 in 10 of the Singapore Airlines cases we handle concern denied boarding. If you are kept off a flight at Heathrow or another European airport because more seats were sold than exist, compensation is due on the spot, plus a new flight or a refund. It is not owed when the issue is your visa, passport or the destination's entry rules. Full guide to Singapore Airlines overbooking.
Strikes and Singapore Airlines
If Singapore Airlines' own employees went on strike, the EU Court of Justice would treat it as a risk inherent in running the airline, so compensation would normally be due (case C-28/20). In practice, flights from Europe are more often hit by walkouts of air traffic controllers or airport staff: no compensation then, but meals, a hotel and a refund or rerouting are still owed.
Singapore Airlines rejected your claim? Typical explanations
Maintenance and faults are part of ordinary operations, except hidden manufacturing defects.
EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07A delay carried over from the previous flight does not excuse the airline unless an extraordinary event is proven at its root.
Payable if airline staff struck, not if controllers or airport workers did.
EU Court of Justice, case C-28/20Correct: a non-European carrier's flights into Europe are outside the rules.
Scoot, KrisFlyer and partner flights
Scoot is the low-cost airline wholly owned by Singapore Airlines, which also absorbed its regional arm SilkAir in 2021. As a Star Alliance member, Singapore Airlines often puts partner flights on its tickets: the claim goes to whoever operated the flight, shown as "operated by". KrisFlyer is the loyalty programme, and miles offered after a disruption do not replace cash compensation.
Claiming from Singapore Airlines: DIY or with DelayFlight24
You can write to Singapore Airlines yourself through the contact and feedback form on singaporeair.com, quoting your booking reference and flight number.
Free, but if you are refused it is up to you to approach the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed (the CAA for UK departures) or to go to court.
A two-minute form and a digital signature. We handle the claim, the formal demand and any court case with our own lawyers. Fee only on success: 25% + VAT, so €600 leaves you €417. We cover legal costs even if a case is lost.
Already turned down
That is not the end. We review Singapore Airlines' reply and, if the reason does not stand up, start again with a formal letter before action.
Useful documents
- Itinerary and boarding passesIncluding the leg after Singapore.
- PassportA copy for every passenger.
- Airline noticesEmails, texts and what you spent while waiting.
Deadline for a Singapore Airlines claim
The time limit is set by the national law of the country where you claim, not by the Regulation, as the EU Court of Justice held in case C-139/11. A trip to Asia or Australia from a while back may still qualify: enter the date and we will check.
When Singapore Airlines pays
If the airline accepts, payment usually arrives within a few weeks. If it disputes the claim, the formal demand and any court case add several months. As soon as we receive the money, your share is paid to your bank account.
Delayed or damaged baggage
Lost, damaged or late suitcases are governed by the Montreal Convention, not by Regulation 261. Before leaving the airport, fill in a PIR at the baggage desk, then send a written claim within 7 days for damage or within 21 days of getting the bag back if it was delayed.
Singapore Airlines contacts and flight status
- Head office
- Singapore Airlines Limited, Airline House, Changi Airport, Singapore
- Claims
- Contact and feedback form on singaporeair.com
- Flight status
- SingaporeAir app or official website
- Loyalty
- KrisFlyer
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