Gatwick: delay compensation on European holiday routes
Gatwick is a short-haul airport, and for many of its routes the only question is which side of 1,500 km the destination lies.
Your compensation · LGW · London → FAO · Faro
£350
per passenger, no deduction · owed
- UK261 (UK law)£350 · owed
Three hours or more late at the final destination: full compensation (CJEU, Sturgeon).
- Great-circle distance
- 1,688 km
- Distance band
- 1,500 to 3,500 km
- Court time limit, England and Wales
- 23 October 2032
- Court time limit, Scotland
- 23 October 2031
Write the claim letter to the airline
Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · law as of October 22, 2026 · 4,008 airports (OurAirports)
From Gatwick, most flights go to Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece and France, operated mainly by UK low-cost and leisure airlines. UK261 covers every departure: an arrival three hours or more late pays £220 per passenger up to 1,500 km and £350 from 1,500 to 3,500 km. Several popular destinations sit close to the line. Palma and Alicante are just under, Lisbon, Málaga and Faro just over, so the same delay is worth £130 more to the Algarve than to Mallorca. On the way home, a flight from Faro or Málaga to Gatwick is covered by EU261 because it leaves the EU, whatever the airline, with €250 or €400, and by UK261 as well when a UK or EU airline operates it. You claim once, under the regime that pays more. Days of air traffic control restrictions, such as the UK network failure of 28 August 2023, are extraordinary circumstances: rebooking and care, no compensation.
Ten destinations either side of 1,500 km
| Destination | Distance | UK261 from Gatwick | EU261 back to Gatwick |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nice-Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE) | 1,001 km | £220 | €250 |
| Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN) | 1,109 km | £220 | €250 |
| Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD) | 1,213 km | £220 | €250 |
| Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI) | 1,309 km | £220 | €250 |
| Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport (ALC) | 1,431 km | £220 | €250 |
| Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS) | 1,542 km | £350 | €400 |
| Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport (AGP) | 1,645 km | £350 | €400 |
| Faro - Gago Coutinho International Airport (FAO) | 1,688 km | £350 | €400 |
| Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport (ATH) | 2,393 km | £350 | €400 |
| Tenerife Sur Airport (TFS) | 2,913 km | £350 | €400 |
The line falls between Alicante, 1,431 km, and Lisbon, 1,542 km. On the return leg the euro amounts of the EU regulation follow the same bands, so Faro to Gatwick pays €400. Tenerife, almost 3,000 km away, stays in the middle band under both regimes.
Gatwick: distance and amount
EU261 today (1,500 to 3,500 km)
€400
| UK261 | £350 |
| Long haul, 3 to 4 h late | – |
Air traffic control days
Gatwick has one main runway, and its summer schedule leaves little slack. When air traffic control limits flows, the first delays roll on through the day. Under UK261 such a restriction is an extraordinary circumstance for the flight it directly affects. For later flights, the airline has to show that the delay still followed from the restriction and that it took reasonable measures, such as a spare aircraft or crew. The CAA’s guidance sets out what it must provide meanwhile: food and drink, and a hotel when the wait runs overnight.
From Gatwick: pick a destination
UK261
£220
| Distance | 1,309 km |
Cancelled holidays
If the airline cancels a few days before departure and moves you to a flight the next day, compensation is owed unless the new times are within the limits in the CAA’s cancellation guidance. A package booked with a tour operator adds rights against the operator, but the fixed amount is still claimed from the airline. Refusals go to the airline’s ADR body after eight weeks; the steps are on the UK261 page.