Heathrow: delay compensation on long haul and connecting flights
At Heathrow most claims involve long haul, where half an hour either side of the four-hour line changes the amount by £260.
Your compensation · LHR · London → JFK · New York
£260
per passenger, no deduction · owed
- UK261 (UK law)£260 · owed · reduced by 50% (£520)
Long haul, arrival less than four hours late: the airline may halve the payment.
- Great-circle distance
- 5,540 km
- Distance band
- over 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)
Every flight leaving Heathrow is covered by UK261, whichever airline operates it, so a delayed departure to New York, Dubai or Singapore gives the same rights on a British, Gulf or American airline. Most Heathrow routes are over 3,500 km, which puts them in the top band: £520 per passenger for an arrival four hours or more late, or £260 when the delay is between three and four hours. Inbound flights are different: a flight from New York or Delhi to Heathrow is covered only if a UK or EU airline operates it, so the same delay on a US or Indian airline gives no right under UK261. For connections, the whole booking counts: a passenger flying Edinburgh to Singapore through Heathrow on one ticket is measured over the full distance and at the final arrival in Singapore. The airport’s closure on 21 March 2025, after a fire at an electrical substation, is a typical extraordinary circumstance: no compensation, but care and rebooking remained owed.
Long haul from Heathrow: the four-hour line
| Route | Airline | Distance | 3 h 30 late | 4 h 30 late |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LHR to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) | UK | 5,540 km | £260 | £520 |
| LHR to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) | non-UK | 5,540 km | £260 | £520 |
| LHR to Dubai International Airport (DXB) | non-UK | 5,498 km | £260 | £520 |
| LHR to Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) | UK | 10,883 km | £260 | £520 |
| LHR to Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) | non-UK | 6,731 km | £260 | £520 |
| LHR to Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) | non-UK | 5,707 km | £260 | £520 |
| LHR to Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD) | UK | 1,244 km | £220 | £220 |
| LHR to Edinburgh Airport (EDI) | UK | 534 km | £220 | £220 |
On departures the airline’s nationality makes no difference: UK261 covers them all. Madrid and Edinburgh, both under 1,500 km, stay at the lowest amount, with no reduction. For long-haul routes the difference between the two columns is the reduction, which only exists between three and four hours.
Heathrow long haul: amount by delay
EU261 today
€300
| EU261 from 23 Oct 2027 | €300 |
| UK261 | £260 |
Flights into Heathrow
| From | UK airline | Non-UK, non-EU airline |
|---|---|---|
| John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) | £520 | – |
| Dubai International Airport (DXB) | £520 | – |
| Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) | £520 | – |
| Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) | £520 | – |
| Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) | £520 | – |
The right column is empty for UK261. A flight from Toronto on a Canadian airline is still covered by the Canadian rules in their own currency, which is why the calculator shows them for that route. Elsewhere, only the Montreal Convention remains, and it pays proven damage rather than a fixed sum.
From Heathrow: pick a destination
UK261
£520
| Distance | 5,540 km |
Connections through Heathrow
On one booking, distance runs from the first airport to the last and delay is measured at the last. Edinburgh to Singapore via Heathrow counts 10,951 km, not the 534 km of the first leg, and a late feeder that makes you miss the Singapore flight gives the long-haul amount if you land four hours or more late. The airline that operated the late flight pays. During the wait it must also provide care, as the CAA explains.
Making the claim
Send the claim to the operating airline. If it refuses, or eight weeks pass without a final answer, go to its approved ADR body. Court remains possible for six years in England and Wales (Limitation Act 1980), through Money Claim Online. The full route is set out on the UK261 page.