EasyJet

easyJet delays and cancellations: watch the clock

easyJet is one of Europe’s biggest short-haul airlines, built around a network of bases with London Gatwick the largest. It flies point-to-point across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East on an all-Airbus fleet — and because it’s short-haul, the typical claim is €250 (£220 from a UK airport), not the headline €600.

But compensation is only half of what you’re owed. The real skill with an easyJet disruption is knowing that your rights grow by the hour — meals at two hours, a cash payout at three, a full refund at five, a hotel overnight. easyJet is generally more straightforward to deal with than some rivals, but it still won’t volunteer everything you’re entitled to. Start with the clock.

What you’re owed at each hour

UK or EU? Which rules cover your easyJet flight

easyJet is unusual: it runs two airlines under one brand. easyJet UK holds a British licence; easyJet Europe, based in Vienna, holds an Austrian (EU) one — created so easyJet could keep flying inside the EU after Brexit. For you, that means:

• Departing an EU airport → EU 261/2004 applies, in euros (€250 / €400 / €600).
• Departing a UK airport → UK261 applies, the same rules in pounds (£220 / £350 / £520).
• Flying into the EU from outside it → covered too, because easyJet Europe is an EU carrier. (Into-EU flights on a non-EU airline would not be — but easyJet’s EU arm is.)

So whichever direction your easyJet flight ran, you’re almost certainly covered — just in different currency, by a different regulator.

What your easyJet claim is worth

The amount is set by the great-circle distance of your route, not how long you waited:

Most of easyJet’s network is short hops in the €250 band. The Mediterranean and island routes — Faro, Athens, Tenerife — reach €400. The only easyJet flights that touch €600 are the long runs to Egypt (Sharm el-Sheikh, Hurghada), which clear 3,500 km to a non-EU country. Note the cap: a flight that stays inside the EU never exceeds €400, however long. Try a few routes:

Delays: the three-hour rule

Compensation depends on your arrival delay, measured when the aircraft doors open at your destination — not when you pushed back. Reach your destination three or more hours late, for a reason within easyJet’s control, and you’re owed €250–600.

Real example. A Gatwick → Malaga flight (about 1,656 km) arrives 3.5 hours late after a technical fault. Not extraordinary, and over 1,500 km → €400 / £350 per passenger, plus the meals you were owed while waiting. Check a delayed flight →

When easyJet doesn’t pay — and what you still get

easyJet’s biggest disruptions tend to come from things outside its control — and 2025 was a textbook case, with French and wider European air-traffic-control strikes forcing it to cancel hundreds of flights in a single weekend. Those are extraordinary circumstances: no €250–600. But the rest of your rights survive intact — a refund or rerouting, and care (meals, and a hotel if you’re stuck overnight). If easyJet fails to provide that care, pay reasonable amounts yourself and claim the receipts back.

Real example. A Gatwick → Nice flight is cancelled by a French ATC strike. No compensation — but easyJet must rebook you or refund the ticket, and cover your meals and a hotel if you’re stranded. Check a cancelled flight →

How to claim from easyJet yourself

1. Gather your evidence — booking reference, flight number and date, easyJet’s stated reason, and receipts for any meals, transport or hotel.
2. Confirm it qualifies — arrived 3+ hours late (or cancelled with under 14 days’ notice, or denied boarding); the cause wasn’t extraordinary; you’re within the time limit.
3. Work out the amount from the distance band — €250/£220, €400/£350 or €600/£520.
4. Submit easyJet’s claim form. Use the official easyJet EU261/UK261 claim form with all passenger names and any supporting documents.
5. Escalate if refused. For UK departures, go to AviationADR (easyJet’s dispute-resolution scheme) or the UK CAA; for EU departures, the national enforcement body of the country you flew from — or hand the claim to a specialist.

Real easyJet scenarios

• Technical delay, medium-haul. Gatwick → Malaga 3.5 hours late after a technical fault → €400 / £350 each, plus care.
• Most common outcome. A Geneva → Nice flight 3 hours late from a crew/rotation issue → €250 flat — the everyday easyJet result.
• ATC strike — the honest no. Gatwick → Nice cancelled by a French ATC strike → no compensation, but refund or reroute and care.
• Unpaid hotel. easyJet cancels overnight and arranges nothing; you book a reasonable hotel and meals and reclaim the receipts, even with no flat compensation due.

See real won cases and verdicts →.

easyJet at a glance

Founded in 1995 and now led by CEO Kenton Jarvis, easyJet flies an all-Airbus A320-family fleet of around 350 aircraft from a web of European bases, with London Gatwick the biggest. Its post-Brexit structure — a UK airline plus the Vienna-based easyJet Europe — is what keeps it flying freely across the EU, and what keeps your passenger rights intact in both directions. It carried roughly 90 million passengers in its 2025 financial year.

Why use Refundio for an easyJet claim

Even with a tidy online form, easyJet claims can stall on “extraordinary circumstances” or drag past the point most people give up. Refundio buys your claim and pays you upfront, usually within days, then deals with easyJet — and the regulator escalation — itself. No win, no fee.

Check your easyJet claim in 2 minutes →

Frequently asked questions

How much compensation will I get for a delayed easyJet flight?

For most easyJet flights, €250 (or £220 from a UK airport). easyJet is short-haul, so the majority of its routes are under 1,500 km. Longer routes of 1,500–3,500 km — London to Faro, Athens or Tenerife — pay €400 / £350. The €600 / £520 band only applies above 3,500 km to a non-EU country, which for easyJet means the long Egypt routes.

Are easyJet flights into the EU covered, or only departures?

Both. easyJet operates an EU airline — easyJet Europe, based in Vienna — alongside easyJet UK. EU 261 covers any flight departing an EU airport, and flights arriving into the EU when operated by an EU carrier (which easyJet Europe is). UK departures are covered by UK261 in pounds.

easyJet didn’t give me a hotel or meals — can I claim that back?

Yes. When a delay or cancellation leaves you waiting, easyJet must provide care — meals, and a hotel plus transfers if you’re overnight. If it doesn’t, pay reasonable amounts, keep itemised receipts (no alcohol) and claim them back, on top of any €250–600 compensation.

My easyJet flight was cancelled by an air-traffic-control strike. What am I owed?

An ATC strike is outside easyJet’s control and counts as extraordinary, so the €250–600 compensation doesn’t apply. But you keep a full refund or rerouting, plus care while you wait.

How do I claim compensation from easyJet?

Use easyJet’s official EU261/UK261 claim form online with your booking reference, flight details and the reason. If refused, escalate to AviationADR or the UK CAA (UK departures) or the relevant national enforcement body (EU departures) — or hand it to Refundio and be paid upfront.

How long do I have to claim from easyJet?

For UK flights, six years in England and Wales (five in Scotland). For EU departures it varies, typically two to three years. Older flights are often still claimable.