United Airlines flight delay and cancellation compensation

Your rights on a United Airlines flight

United Airlines is a United States carrier and a founding member of Star Alliance, flying to Europe from hubs at Newark, Chicago O'Hare, Washington Dulles, Houston and San Francisco. Because United is neither an EU nor a UK airline, your rights do not travel with the aircraft — they attach to the airport you departed from.

• Departing an EU/EEA airport on United — EU261 applies, exactly as it would to any operating carrier. A Frankfurt, Paris, Rome or Barcelona departure back to the US is covered.
• Departing a UK airport — UK261, the retained British version of the rules, applies.
• Arriving into the EU/EEA or the UK from the United States — not covered. Those inbound limbs only protect flights from a third country when the operating airline holds an EU or UK licence, and United holds neither. A Chicago to Munich flight therefore falls outside both regimes.

That distinction settles most United claims, so confirm the direction of the disrupted flight before anything else. Compensation is triggered by arriving at your final destination three or more hours late, a cancellation announced with under 14 days' notice, or involuntary denied boarding when you checked in on time.

How much you could receive

The amount is fixed by the distance of the route, not by the fare or cabin. As almost all of United's European flying is transatlantic and well over 3,500 km, the top band is the usual one:

• EUR 250 — 1,500 km or less
• EUR 400 — 1,500 to 3,500 km
• EUR 600 — over 3,500 km, covering nearly every United route out of Europe

UK261 pays the sterling bands of GBP 220 / GBP 350 / GBP 520. Under Article 7(2) the airline may halve the top figure where a re-routing gets you there under four hours late. Each passenger on the booking claims separately, and business or first-class travellers receive the same sum as economy.

When United Airlines doesn't have to pay

There is no compensation where the disruption was caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even with all reasonable measures — severe weather, air-traffic-control restrictions, airport closures, security alerts or a bird strike.

Two points are widely misunderstood. First, the airline carries the burden of proof: a one-line message blaming "operational reasons" is an assertion, not evidence, and if United cannot substantiate it the defence should fail. Second, a strike by United's own crew is generally not extraordinary, whereas strikes by third parties such as air-traffic controllers or airport handlers usually are. Routine technical faults found during ordinary maintenance normally remain the airline's responsibility.

How to claim from United Airlines

Keep the booking reference, your boarding passes, and any email or app notification about the delay or cancellation. For a missed connection, note the actual arrival time at your final destination rather than the length of the first delay — that is the figure the regulation uses.

United handles claims through its own process and may ask for verification before releasing money. We prepare the submission, chase the follow-up and any appeal, and tell you plainly if a defence is likely to hold. Where a claim stalls, it can be escalated to the national enforcement body in the EU country of departure or the UK Civil Aviation Authority, or pursued in court within the local time limit.

What it costs

The eligibility check is free. If we recover your compensation we charge a fixed EUR 39 success fee — the same whether you're owed EUR 250 or EUR 600 — and the airline's payment goes to you. No win, no fee.