Travel SOS Card › 🇬🇧 United Kingdom › Flight delay or cancellation

🇬🇧 United Kingdom flight delayed or cancelled

Delays, cancellations, missed connections and lost bags at the airline counter. What you tick stays on your phone. Nothing is stored or sent anywhere.

What happened

My flight is delayed.
My flight was cancelled.
My first flight was late and I missed my connecting flight.
I was denied boarding because the flight was overbooked.
My checked bag did not arrive.
My checked bag was damaged.

What to ask the airline for

Please rebook me on the earliest next flight.
I don't want to fly. I would like a refund.
Please provide a hotel for tonight.
Can I get a meal voucher?
Please give me a written confirmation of the delay or cancellation. I need it for my insurance.
I want to file a baggage report (PIR). Please give me the reference number.
Please deliver my bag to my hotel when you find it.
Will you reimburse essentials I need to buy now?

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Keep these (for compensation and insurance)

Boarding pass and booking confirmation (a photo is fine)
The written delay or cancellation confirmation from the airline
Receipts for meals, hotel and transport while you waited
For bag problems: the PIR reference number and photos of the bag
Photos of the departures board or announcements, with the time visible

Your rights (summary)

UK261 (UK air passenger rights) covers every flight departing a UK airport, and flights into the UK on a UK or EU airline.
If you arrive 3 hours or more late, the flight is cancelled less than 14 days before departure, or you are denied boarding because of overbooking, you can claim per person GBP 220 (up to 1,500 km), GBP 350 (1,500 to 3,500 km) or GBP 520 (over 3,500 km). On flights over 3,500 km, a 3 to 4 hour delay can be halved.
No cash compensation for extraordinary circumstances such as bad weather or air traffic control, but whatever the cause, a long wait entitles you to meals, drinks and, if needed, a hotel.
Claim through the airline's website. If it refuses, complain to the airline's ADR scheme or the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Complain to the airline first, in writing, with the documents above. Keep copies of everything.
For flights departing the UK, complain to the airline first; if unresolved, use the airline's approved dispute resolution (ADR) body, or the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) if the airline has none.

Before you go

Mobile data (eSIM)

If you get sick or lose something in United Kingdom, maps, translation and calling for help all need data. Install an eSIM before you fly and it works as soon as you land.

See Airalo eSIM plans

Airport transfers and transport

Taxis and directions are the hardest part when you can't speak the language in United Kingdom. Booking an airport pickup or transport pass in advance means less to explain on arrival.

See airport transfers on Klook

Travel medical insurance

A hospital visit in United Kingdom can cost a lot without insurance. Travel insurance can cover treatment, and most insurers ask for the medical certificate, itemized receipt and police report these cards help you request.

Compare EKTA travel insurance

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These cards help you communicate. They are not medical or legal advice. In an emergency, call the local emergency number. Contacts and procedures change; check the official sites.

What you tick stays on your phone. Nothing is stored or sent anywhere. · Last checked: 2026-10