What is UK261 — the UK’s retained flight-compensation framework after Brexit, how it mirrors and differs from EU261, and when to check CAA guidance for your route.

What is UK261?

UK261 is the informal name for the United Kingdom’s retained passenger-rights rules that mirror much of EU261 — care during long disruptions and standardised compensation for certain delays, cancellations and denied boarding on qualifying UK-related flights.

After Brexit the UK kept a parallel framework rather than leaving passengers without delay rights. Eligibility still turns on route, operating carrier and delay at final arrival. Many travellers shorthand both regimes as “261”; the governing text and enforcement body (CAA versus EU national bodies) differ. CAA guidance for your exact airport pair and airline.

If your itinerary mixes UK and EU sectors, you may need to decide which frame fits each claim. Start with what is EU261 and the long-form EU261 complete rules for mechanics that still rhyme with UK practice, then confirm UK-specific notes on the CAA site.

Claim paths: how to claim DIY, compensation checker, optional AirHelp. Overview: flight delay compensation rights.

UK enforcement language and complaint routes differ from EU national bodies even when the cash bands look familiar. If an airline replies with an EU261 template on a UK-departure claim, answer with the UK frame and your booking facts. Keep pounds-and-pence receipts for meals and hotels; care reimbursement is easier to evidence than a disputed extraordinary-circumstances email thread.

When should you think UK261 instead of EU261?

When your claim centres on a UK departure or a UK-enforcement path — for example a delayed flight leaving Heathrow — even if the airline also operates in the EU.

Example: Manchester–Dubai on a non-EU carrier departs the UK and is delayed into the compensation territory under UK rules; you document times and file with the airline, escalating via UK processes if needed. An EU carrier flight Paris–Manchester may point back to EU261 instead. Codeshare operating-carrier checks still apply — codeshare.

Denied boarding and oversales: denied boarding compensation, overbooking.