EU 261 Flight Compensation in Autumn 2026 What the September NATS Outage Means for UK Travellers
Welcome to Travel Advice Bureau, your trusted guide to practical travel safety advice, travel health advice and passenger rights. This week, we are looking at the 8 September 2026 NATS air traffic control outage, what it means for EU 261 and UK261 flight compensation, and the important changes coming under the European Union’s newly adopted reform package.
Our aim is simple: to help you understand what you can claim, what airlines must still provide, and what evidence you should keep if your autumn journey is disrupted.
The September NATS outage and your flight rights
On 8 September 2026, a major technical outage affecting NATS, the UK’s air traffic services provider, caused widespread flight delays and cancellations. The disruption continued to affect passengers through direct knock-on effects as airlines, airports and air traffic services worked to restore normal operations.
On 9 September, the UK Civil Aviation Authority issued Guidance to Industry, alongside a public statement on passenger compensation.
The CAA’s position is that the NATS technical failure, and delays or cancellations directly caused by it, should generally be treated as extraordinary circumstances under UK261 and EU261. In practical terms, passengers are unlikely to receive fixed-sum cash compensation for disruption caused by the outage.
However, there is an important distinction:
“Extraordinary circumstances removes the cash compensation, it never removes the airline’s duty to look after you. Ask for it in writing at the airport.” Paul WalkerDendle, CEO, Travel Advice Bureau
What airlines still owe you
Even where fixed compensation is not payable, your right to care and assistance remains. Depending on the length and timing of the disruption, the operating airline should provide:
Reasonable meals and refreshments.
A means of communication, such as phone calls or internet access.
Hotel accommodation if an overnight stay becomes necessary.
Transport between the airport and your accommodation.
A choice between a refund, re-routing at the earliest opportunity or re-routing at a later date when your flight is cancelled.
If the airline does not provide reasonable care, you can arrange suitable alternatives yourself and request reimbursement. Keep your spending sensible and retain itemised receipts: luxury hotels, alcohol and unnecessary upgrades may not be reimbursed.
The CAA guidance is not legally binding and does not decide every individual claim. If you believe your disruption was not actually caused by the NATS outage or its direct consequences, you can still claim, use an approved alternative dispute resolution provider or pursue the matter through the courts.
EU261 and UK261 in brief
EU261, formally Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, and the UK’s post-Brexit UK261 are now separate but parallel passenger-rights regimes. Changes made by the EU do not automatically apply in the UK.
The key points remain practical:
Delay is measured when you arrive at your final destination, not when the aircraft leaves.
The usual delay threshold for fixed compensation is arrival three hours or more late.
The operating airline is responsible, not your travel agent, tour operator or comparison website.
Extraordinary circumstances can remove the right to fixed compensation, although care and assistance may still be owed.
UK261 generally covers:
Flights departing from the UK on any airline.
Flights arriving in the UK from the EU on a UK or EU airline.
Flights arriving in the UK from outside the EU on a UK airline.
For wider guidance, see the CAA’s flight delay advice, the EU’s official passenger rights guidance and GOV.UK’s flight compensation information.
Current compensation amounts
The following amounts apply when the relevant regime covers your flight, the arrival delay reaches the threshold and the disruption was not caused by extraordinary circumstances.
EU261 and UK261 compensation tiers
Flight distance | EU261 compensation | UK261 compensation |
Up to 1,500 km | €250 | £220 |
1,500–3,500 km, and EU flights over 1,500 km | €400 | £350 |
Over 3,500 km, arrival delay of 3–4 hours | Usually up to €300 where the applicable reduction applies | £260 |
Over 3,500 km, arrival delay of 4 hours or more | €600 | £520 |
These figures are not automatically payable after every delay. The cause, route, notice given for a cancellation and the final arrival time all matter.
A practical long-haul example
Imagine a family of four travelling on a UK261-covered long-haul flight. Their flight arrives more than four hours late because of an airline-controlled issue, such as an avoidable operational problem.
If the claim is valid, each passenger could potentially receive £520. That would make a total of £2,080 for the family.
The result could be very different if the delay was caused by the 8 September NATS outage. In that situation, fixed compensation is unlikely, but the family should still have received meals, communication and accommodation where required.
A cancelled short-haul flight can still mean care
Consider a second example: your short-haul flight is cancelled during a period of widespread air traffic disruption. You are offered a replacement flight the next morning.
If the cancellation was directly caused by the NATS outage, you may not be entitled to the standard £220 UK261 compensation. You should still be offered a choice between:
A refund.
Re-routing at the earliest opportunity.
Re-routing at a later date.
If you remain at the airport overnight, the airline should arrange or pay for reasonable accommodation, transport, refreshments and communication. If you have to purchase these yourself because no practical assistance is offered, keep every receipt and submit the costs to the operating airline.
What is changing under the new EU reform?
The EU formally adopted a revised air passenger rights regulation in July 2026. As of late September, the new regulation had not yet been published in the Official Journal.
It will apply 12 months and 20 days after publication, meaning the practical start date is expected to fall in the middle or latter part of 2027. This is not a change to UK261 today.
The European Commission’s passenger rights update highlights several changes.
Improvements for passengers
Under the new EU rules:
Airlines must proactively inform passengers of their rights within 96 hours of a disruption or the end of the journey, including how to make a claim.
Airlines will have 30 days to pay compensation or provide a formal explanation for refusing it.
Passengers may gain a new self-rerouting right if an airline has not offered an alternative within three hours. Reimbursement will be capped at 400% of the original ticket price.
The list of extraordinary circumstances will be clearer but non-exhaustive.
Fare displays must be more transparent, with one personal item measuring 40 × 30 × 15 cm included without an additional charge.
Strikes by an airline’s own staff will generally remain within the airline’s control, while strikes by airport, air navigation or ground-handling staff are listed as extraordinary circumstances.
What is not changing is equally important: the three-hour arrival delay threshold and the basic €250, €400 and €600 compensation tiers remain.
The EU reform does not change UK261 today, and the UK Government has not announced whether it will align with the new EU rules. UK travellers should not assume that the 96-hour information duty, 30-day response period or self-rerouting protection already applies to UK261 claims.
Your autumn flight disruption checklist
Before you travel, save the airline’s app and check live updates from the airport, airline and CAA travel advice. If your flight is disrupted:
Photograph the departure board, cancellation notice and any written explanation.
Record the scheduled and actual arrival time at your final destination.
Keep boarding passes, booking confirmations and re-routing details.
Save itemised receipts for meals, accommodation, transport and communication.
Claim from the operating airline, not the travel agent or tour operator.
Refer to Article 7 when requesting fixed compensation under EU261 or UK261.
Be cautious if an airline offers a voucher instead of cash: do not accept it unless you genuinely prefer it.
If the airline rejects your claim or does not respond within eight weeks, escalate to an approved ADR provider or the CAA’s Passenger Advice and Complaints Team.
Remember the legal deadlines: six years from the flight date in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and five years in Scotland. An airline’s shorter internal claims window does not override these statutory time limits.
A comfortable place to land after your journey
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Paul’s two-minute take
The NATS outage is a useful reminder that compensation and care are two different things.
You may not receive the usual fixed payment when air traffic control disruption is classed as extraordinary circumstances. That does not mean the airline can leave you to sort out food, a hotel or transport on your own.
Ask for assistance clearly and in writing. Take photographs. Keep receipts. Then claim from the operating airline.
The EU’s new reforms should make passenger rights easier to understand in future, but they do not apply to UK261 today. For now, know which rules cover your flight and do not accept a voucher when you are seeking cash unless you are happy with that choice.
Safe travels,
Paul WalkerDendle CEO, Travel Advice Bureau
For more practical guidance before you travel, explore our travel resources, review destination information through our destinations hub, or contact Travel Advice Bureau for tailored travel advice.
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