THE TEMPLATE
What should a flight compensation letter say?
Replace everything in [brackets]. Keep only the paragraph that matches what happened. Paste it into the airline’s compensation form if there is one; otherwise send it to customer relations. Keep a copy.
Subject: Claim for compensation under [EC Regulation 261/2004 / UK Regulation 261] — Flight [XX123], [date], booking reference [ABC123]
WHY THIS PARAGRAPH
The regulation and the flight in the subject line. Claims teams sort by it. A subject that says "complaint" goes to a different, slower queue.
I was a passenger on flight [XX123] from [origin] to [destination] on [date], booking reference [ABC123], travelling with [names of everyone else on the booking].
WHY THIS PARAGRAPH
Naming everyone on the booking claims for all of them in one letter. The amount is per person, so this paragraph is where a €600 claim becomes €2,400.
[CANCELLATION] The flight was cancelled. I was informed on [date/time], [n] days before scheduled departure. The alternative flight offered departed at [time] and arrived at [time], [n] hours after the original scheduled arrival. [DELAY] The flight arrived at [destination] at [time], [n] hours and [n] minutes after the scheduled arrival of [time]. [DENIED BOARDING] I held a confirmed reservation, presented for check-in at [time], and was denied boarding against my will.
WHY THIS PARAGRAPH
Keep one. Cancellations turn on notice and re-routing times, so give both to the minute. Delays turn on the arrival time and nothing else. For bumping, "against my will" is the phrase that separates you from a volunteer who took a voucher.
The distance of the flight is approximately [n] km. Under Article 7(1)([a/b/c]), each passenger is entitled to compensation of [€250 / €400 / €600] [or £220 / £350 / £520]. For [n] passengers the total due is [amount].
WHY THIS PARAGRAPH
Do the sum for them. 7(1)(a) is under 1,500 km, (b) is 1,500 to 3,500, (c) is over 3,500. Letters that state the band and the total get paid faster than letters that ask the airline to work it out, because nobody at the airline wants to.
The disruption was not caused by extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. [If you were told a reason: The reason given at the airport was "[reason]", which is within the airline’s operational control.]
WHY THIS PARAGRAPH
This is the refusal they’d send you, answered in advance. If you were told the cause, quote it: "crew unavailability," "technical issue," "operational reasons" are all inside the airline’s control under settled case law, and the refusal template struggles once its own words are on the page.
Please pay [amount] to the account below within 14 days. If the claim is refused, please state the specific reason and provide the evidence relied on. I reserve the right to refer this matter to [CEDR / AviationADR / söp / the national enforcement body] and to the courts. Bank details: [name, IBAN or sort code and account number].
WHY THIS PARAGRAPH
A deadline, a demand for evidence, and the name of the dispute body. That last one is what moves it from the complaints pile to the legal pile. Bank details in the first letter save a two-week round trip later.
WORTH KNOWING
What to attach
Attach the booking confirmation, the airline’s cancellation or delay email if you got one, the board photo or your arrival timestamp, and your boarding pass. That’s all. Four attachments and a short letter get processed; twenty attachments and a long one get parked.
AFTER SENDING
How long does an airline take to pay compensation?
Expect an acknowledgement inside a day or two and then not much. Six to eight weeks to a decision is normal, and silence in between is normal too. If there’s nothing by week eight, or the refusal names no specific circumstance, send one follow-up: ask for the evidence and say you’re now referring the claim to the dispute body you named. Then refer it. Those referrals are free, and when the airline can’t produce the evidence, the passenger tends to win.
Rather have it prepared for you? Flat fee, stated up front — never a percentage of what you\u2019re owed.
Prepare my claim →COMMON QUESTIONS
Questions people ask
Should I email the letter or use the airline’s form?
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The form, if there is one. Most large airlines only process claims that come through it. Paste the letter into the description box and keep the reference number.
I don’t know the exact distance.
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Any great-circle distance calculator will do. The bands are wide, so a rough figure is fine; say "approximately."
Can I use this letter for a flight from last year?
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Yes. Change the date. It works unchanged inside your country’s limitation period.
The airline came back with a voucher offer.
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One reply, short: you’re claiming cash compensation under Article 7 and don’t accept a voucher in settlement.
Does this work for UK261?
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Yes. Swap the regulation name and use the sterling amounts. The article numbers are the same.
General information, not legal advice. Compensation depends on the facts of each disruption and the airline’s evidence. MyAirAdvocate prepares claims for a flat fee and never takes a percentage of what you are owed.