Stansted: delay compensation on low-cost European routes

Many Stansted routes sit within a few dozen kilometres of 1,500 km, the line that separates £220 from £350.

What happened?
Cancellation, rerouting, Canada: more details
Accepted a replacement flight?
Canadian airline size (APPR)

Your compensation · STN · London, Essex → ALC · Alicante

€400

per passenger, no deduction · owed

  • EU Regulation 261/2004€400 · owed

    Three hours or more late at the final destination: full compensation (CJEU, Sturgeon).

  • UK261 (UK law)£350 · owed

    Three hours or more late at the final destination: full compensation (CJEU, Sturgeon).

Great-circle distance
1,514 km
Distance band
1,500 to 3,500 km
Time limit in Germany (BGB s. 195, 199)
31 December 2029
Court time limit, England and Wales
23 October 2032

How this is worked out

Write the claim letter to the airline

Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · law as of October 22, 2026 · 4,008 airports (OurAirports)

Stansted is a low-cost airport, with most flights to Spain, Italy, Poland, the Baltic states and Central Europe. UK261 covers every departure, whatever the airline, including airlines licensed in the EU that base aircraft in London. An arrival three hours or more late pays £220 per passenger up to 1,500 km and £350 beyond, and the distance is the great circle between the two airports, not the flown route. That puts many Stansted routes close to the line. Ibiza, Budapest and Rome Ciampino are 1,450 to 1,460 km away and pay £220; Alicante, at about 1,514 km, pays £350. On the way back, EU261 applies to any airline leaving the EU, in euros, and UK261 adds a sterling right for UK and EU airlines. The fare does not matter: a £25 ticket and a £250 ticket give the same amount. Low-cost airlines often refuse first claims, which is why the ADR step, free of charge for passengers, matters at Stansted.

Fifteen routes around the 1,500 km line

Per passenger, arrival 3 h 20 late, cause within the airline’s control, EU airline
DestinationDistance from STNUK261EU261 on the way back
Il Caravaggio International Airport (BGY)978 km£220€250
Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN)1,186 km£220€250
Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD)1,300 km£220€250
Kraków John Paul II International Airport (KRK)1,379 km£220€250
Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI)1,385 km£220€250
Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW)1,414 km£220€250
Ibiza Airport (IBZ)1,450 km£220€250
Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport (BUD)1,451 km£220€250
Ciampino–G. B. Pastine International Airport (CIA)1,459 km£220€250
Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport (ALC)1,514 km£350€400
Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS)1,628 km£350€400
Riga International Airport (RIX)1,625 km£350€400
Vilnius International Airport (VNO)1,685 km£350€400
Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport (AGP)1,732 km£350€400
Faro - Gago Coutinho International Airport (FAO)1,774 km£350€400

Rome Ciampino, 1,459 km, and Alicante, 1,514 km, are about 55 km apart in distance and £130 apart in compensation. The line is the same under the EU regulation on the way back, with €250 and €400. The distance page explains how the great circle is computed (flight distance).

Stansted: try a distance near 1,500 km

EU261 today (1,500 to 3,500 km)

€400

UK261£350
Long haul, 3 to 4 h late–
Open the full calculator with the claim letter →

Why a low fare does not reduce the claim

The compensation in UK261 is a fixed sum per passenger, set by distance only. It is not a refund and has no link with what you paid. On a route where tickets sell for £20, a three-hour delay is worth more than ten times the fare. That is also why first replies from low-cost airlines tend to be refusals citing air traffic control or weather: ask for the specific cause, the time it occurred and how it affected your aircraft.

From Stansted: pick a destination

UK261

£220

Distance1,379 km
Open the full calculator with the claim letter →

Escalating a refusal

After a refusal or eight weeks of silence, the airline’s approved ADR body reviews the file and its decision binds the airline if you accept it. During the delay the airline must also give care from two hours on routes up to 1,500 km and three hours beyond, as the CAA explains. The last step is a small claim through Money Claim Online; the full route is on the UK261 page.

Common questions

Stansted to Alicante: £220 or £350?

About 1,514 km on the great circle, so £350 per passenger for an arrival three hours or more late, if the cause was within the airline’s control. Airlines sometimes quote a lower band by using a different distance; the regulation uses the great circle, which the calculator computes from the airport coordinates.

Does UK261 apply to an EU airline flying from Stansted?

Yes. UK261 covers every flight departing from the UK, whatever the airline’s nationality. An EU airline flying back to Stansted from Spain is covered by both EU261, because the flight leaves the EU, and UK261, because it lands in the UK on an EU carrier. One payment per flight.

The airline rejected my claim in two lines. What next?

Ask for the specific cause and evidence, then wait for the final answer or eight weeks. Then file with the airline’s approved ADR body; for passengers it costs nothing. If the airline is not in a scheme, the CAA’s complaints team can take the case up. Court remains open after either step.

Is a delay caused by crew shortages compensated?

Yes. Staff planning is the airline’s ordinary business, and an absent or sick crew is not an extraordinary circumstance; the Court of Appeal confirmed this in 2021 for a pilot’s illness. Only external causes, such as air traffic control restrictions or weather, excuse the airline.

Keep going

UK261 compensation

The UK version of the EU rules: £220, £350 or £520, which flights it covers, and how to escalate a refusal.

Gatwick (LGW)

Short-haul holidays, the 1,500 km line and return flights from Europe: what UK261 and EU261 pay at Gatwick.

Manchester (MAN)

Holiday charters, package trips and the longer distances from the North: what UK261 pays at Manchester.

Flight distance calculator

Great-circle distance between two airports and the compensation band it puts you in.

Claiming step by step

Write to the airline, escalate to ADR or the CAA, then the small claims court: the route in order.

Official sources for this page

Prepared by

Independent publisher of air passenger rights calculators under EU261, UK261 and Canada's Air Passenger Protection Regulations

Data as of · Editorial policy · Contact

Law as of 2026, checked against the official texts on