Missed Connection Compensation
Use the airline that actually operated the flight, not the one you booked with.
Likely eligible
Statutory payout per passenger
£520
Total for 2 passengers
£1,040
Your saving vs a claims company
If you used a 35% + VAT claims company, they would take £437.
With our free direct claim letter, you keep the entire £1,040.
100% payout · £0 commission
- • Departs from a UK airport, so UK261 applies to any airline.
Estimate based on statutory UK261/EU261 rules. Not legal advice.
Free claim letter generator
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[Your full name]
[Your address]
[Your email]
18 October 2026
Emirates – Customer Relations / Claims Department
Re: Statutory compensation claim – Flight [flight number] on [date of flight]
Booking reference: [booking reference]
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to claim compensation under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as retained in UK law and amended by the Air Passenger Rights and Air Travel Organisers' Licensing (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 ("UK261") in respect of flight [flight number] from Manchester (MAN) to Dubai (DXB) on [date of flight], operated by Emirates.
The flight was delayed, arriving at the final destination more than 4 hours late (measured from when the aircraft doors opened).
The great-circle distance of this route is approximately 5,655 km. Under Article 7 of UK261, the compensation due is £520 per passenger. The claim is made on behalf of the following 2 passenger(s):
1. [Passenger name 1]
Total compensation claimed: £1,040
In line with the judgments of the Court of Justice of the EU in Sturgeon (C-402/07) and Nelson (C-581/10), and the Court of Appeal in Huzar v Jet2.com [2014] EWCA Civ 791, technical problems arising in the normal operation of an airline are not extraordinary circumstances. If you contend that extraordinary circumstances apply, please provide full evidence and explain what reasonable measures were taken to avoid the disruption.
Please pay the compensation in money by bank transfer, as required by Article 7(3). I do not accept travel vouchers in place of cash.
I look forward to your response within 14 days. If this claim is rejected or not resolved within 8 weeks, I will refer it to your approved Alternative Dispute Resolution body or the relevant enforcement authority, and reserve the right to issue proceedings without further notice.
Yours faithfully,
[Your full name]
Prepared using the free claim letter template at flightcompensationcalculator.co.uk.Single booking: ultimate arrival delay rule
Following CJEU Air France v Folkerts (C-11/11), compensation for a connecting journey booked as one reservation is based on the delay at the final destination. A 40-minute first-leg delay that causes you to miss a connection and arrive 5 hours late qualifies in full.
Enter your first departure airport and your final destination in the calculator above, plus the airline that operated the delayed leg.
Separate tickets
If you booked the flights separately (self-connecting), each is assessed alone. The second airline has no duty to rebook you, so allow generous connection times or buy travel insurance.
Which airline do you claim from?
Claim from the airline that operated the flight that caused the delay. For a non-UK/EU airline, it must be covered by the rules on that leg's departure from the UK/EU.
Frequently asked questions
Is a missed connection covered on separate tickets?
Generally no. Each separate booking is its own flight, so only a 3+ hour delay on that individual flight counts.
Which distance is used for a connecting journey?
The great-circle distance from the first departure airport to the final destination — not the sum of each leg (CJEU Bossen, C-559/16).
What if the connection is outside the EU?
If the journey starts in the UK/EU on one booking, it is covered even if the missed connection happens elsewhere (CJEU Wegener, C-537/17).