London Stansted flight delay and cancellation compensation

London Stansted flight delay or cancellation: what are your rights?

Stansted is London's principal low-cost airport and Ryanair's biggest base, with a dense short-haul network across Europe alongside carriers such as Jet2 and easyJet. The price of your ticket has no bearing on your rights: a departure from Stansted that gets you to your final destination three or more hours late can carry a fixed UK261 payment of £220 up to 1,500 km, £350 from 1,500 to 3,500 km, and £520 beyond that — often several times the fare paid.

A cancellation notified inside fourteen days and involuntary denied boarding trigger the same amounts.

Which rules apply at London Stansted

Every departure from Stansted is a UK departure, so UK261 applies whatever the airline's nationality. Flights inbound to Stansted are covered only when a UK or EU/EEA carrier operates them — which, given the airport's traffic mix, is almost always the case. Note that the two directions of a Europe route sit under different frameworks: Stansted to Dublin is a UK261 departure in sterling, while Dublin to Stansted is an EU261 departure paid in the €250, €400 and €600 bands.

What should you do at Stansted if your flight is late?

Get the airline's stated reason in writing — a screenshot of the app notification is more durable than a gate announcement. Record when the aircraft doors opened on arrival, because that is the measure regulators use for the three-hour test. Duty of care begins at two hours on short routes: meals, refreshments, a means of communication, and a hotel with transfers if you are stranded overnight. If nothing is offered, spend reasonably and keep receipts to reclaim separately from any compensation.

Why do low-cost flights from Stansted run late?

Low-cost operations run on tight turnarounds, so a delay early in an aircraft's day frequently persists to the last rotation. Wind and low visibility across the south-east, European air traffic flow restrictions on busy weekends, and late inbound aircraft are all regular features. Technical defects, crew running out of hours and commercial cancellations of thin flights sit within the airline's control. Where extraordinary circumstances are claimed, the airline carries the burden of proof: its own crew striking is generally not extraordinary, while air traffic control or airport-staff strikes usually are.

Claiming for a flight from London Stansted

Start with the free eligibility check; we confirm the governing regulation and the band, then submit and chase the claim. Refusals that arrive without evidence are challenged, and unresolved UK claims can be escalated via the Civil Aviation Authority's complaints route or an approved dispute resolution scheme. 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. No win, no fee.

How to claim London Stansted compensation

Start with the flight itself. Our free flight check reads the recorded times for your flight from London Stansted and tells you which band it falls in, in about two minutes.

A London Stansted compensation claim turns on two things: the arrival time, and the reason the airline gives.

For a late arrival, read the flight delay compensation guide. For a flight that never flew, read the cancellation compensation guide. It covers London Stansted cancellation compensation too. Has the airline said no? The case law summary sets out what the courts make of the usual excuses.