Manchester Airport: delay compensation on holiday flights from the North
From Manchester the same resorts are further away than from London, and that moves several of them into the higher UK261 band.
Your compensation · MAN · Manchester, Greater Manchester → PMI · Palma de Mallorca
£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
- 1,581 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)
Every departure from Manchester is covered by UK261: an arrival three hours or more late, for a cause within the airline’s control, gives £220 per passenger up to 1,500 km, £350 from 1,500 to 3,500 km and £520 beyond, or £260 on long haul if the delay stays under four hours. Because Manchester lies about 250 km north-west of London, the main Spanish destinations cross the 1,500 km line from here: Palma de Mallorca is about 1,580 km away and pays £350, where the same flight from Gatwick pays £220. Turkey and Crete stay in the middle band, Dubai and Orlando in the top one. Most flights from Manchester are holiday flights, often booked as packages with a tour operator; compensation is still claimed from the airline. On the way back, a flight from Spain, Portugal or Greece leaves the EU and is covered by EU261 for any airline, in euros, as well as UK261 for UK and EU airlines; a flight from Turkey is covered only by UK261, and only on a UK or EU airline.
Holiday routes from Manchester
| Destination | From Manchester | Amount from MAN | From Gatwick | Amount from LGW |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI) | 1,581 km | £350 | 1,309 km | £220 |
| Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport (ALC) | 1,681 km | £350 | 1,431 km | £220 |
| Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport (AGP) | 1,862 km | £350 | 1,645 km | £350 |
| Faro - Gago Coutinho International Airport (FAO) | 1,869 km | £350 | 1,688 km | £350 |
| Gran Canaria Airport (LPA) | 3,024 km | £350 | 2,879 km | £350 |
| Tenerife Sur Airport (TFS) | 3,048 km | £350 | 2,913 km | £350 |
| Dalaman International Airport (DLM) | 3,024 km | £350 | 2,793 km | £350 |
| Antalya International Airport (AYT) | 3,131 km | £350 | 2,908 km | £350 |
| Heraklion International Nikos Kazantzakis Airport (HER) | 2,929 km | £350 | 2,680 km | £350 |
| Dubai International Airport (DXB) | 5,656 km | £520 | 5,474 km | £520 |
| Orlando International Airport (MCO) | 6,804 km | £520 | 6,992 km | £520 |
Palma and Alicante cross the line between the two columns. For the Canaries, Turkey and Crete the band is the same from both airports, and long haul to Dubai or Orlando reaches £520 from either.
From Manchester: pick a destination
UK261
£350
| Distance | 1,581 km |
Coming home
For the return leg the departure country decides. From Spain, Portugal, Greece or Cyprus the EU regulation applies to every airline, so Palma to Manchester pays €400 for a delay over three hours, and UK261 adds a sterling right if a UK or EU airline flies. From Turkey, Egypt or Morocco only UK261 can apply, and only to UK and EU airlines. Claim under the regime that pays more, once.
Manchester holiday flights: amount by delay
EU261 today
€400
| EU261 from 23 Oct 2027 | €400 |
| UK261 | £350 |
Overnight delays and care
Early-morning holiday departures that slip to the evening, or evening flights that move to the next day, are common at Manchester in summer. From three hours of delay on medium routes, the airline must offer meals and refreshments, and a hotel with transfers if you are stuck overnight, as the CAA sets out. If it does not, buy what is reasonable, keep receipts and claim them alongside the compensation. After five hours you can cancel the trip and get the ticket refunded.
When the airline says no
After a refusal, or eight weeks without a final answer, take the complaint to the airline’s ADR body. If that fails, a claim online through Money Claim Online goes to the small claims track. The complete route is on the UK261 page, and lost or damaged bags follow different rules and deadlines (baggage).