What is a letter before action?

A letter before action (LBA) is a formal notice sent before starting court proceedings. It sets out your claim, the legal basis (e.g. Consumer Rights Act 2015, Housing Act 1988), the remedy you seek, and a deadline to respond — typically 14 days. Civil Procedure Rules require this step before most court claims, and courts take a dim view of parties who skip it.

Can I write my own legal letter?

Yes. You do not need a solicitor to write a legal letter. What matters is citing the correct legislation, stating your claim with precise dates and amounts, and giving a clear deadline. A well-drafted letter citing the right Act and section often resolves disputes without court proceedings — and costs nothing extra to send.

Does a legal letter actually work?

In many cases, yes. Most businesses, landlords, and employers respond when they receive a formally worded letter that cites specific legislation and mentions court or tribunal proceedings as the next step. It signals you know your rights and are prepared to escalate — which is often enough to get a resolution.

What UK legislation covers consumer complaints and refunds?

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 is the primary law. Section 9 requires goods to be of satisfactory quality; section 20 gives you the right to a full refund within 30 days if goods are faulty. For services, section 49 requires reasonable care and skill. For distance/online purchases, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give you a 14-day cooling-off period.

1 September 2026

Flight Cancelled? Your Right to a Refund, Re-Routing and up to £520 Compensation (UK)

An airline cancelling your flight is one of the few travel disasters where the law is firmly on your side — but only if you know what to ask for. The confusion is that you actually have two separate rights, and they are easy to muddle. One is about getting to your destination or getting your money back. The other is a cash payment on top for the disruption. Airlines are usually quick to mention the first and very quiet about the second. Here is exactly what you are owed, and how to claim it for free.

General information for the UK. Not legal advice. Current as at September 2026 — always check the current position before you act.

The law: after Brexit, the EU air passenger rules were kept in UK law as retained Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, amended by the Air Passenger Rights and ATOL (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019. It covers any flight departing a UK airport (whatever airline you flew), and flights arriving in the UK on a UK or EU airline. It is enforced by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The compensation amounts are set in pounds, so — unlike delay claims booked in euros abroad — you claim in sterling.

Right one: refund or re-routing (always)

Whenever your flight is cancelled — no matter why — the airline must offer you a choice:

A full refund of the unused parts of your ticket, paid within 7 days; or
Re-routing to your destination at the earliest opportunity, or on a later date that suits you, at no extra cost.

This right is not affected by the reason for the cancellation. Even bad weather or a strike does not remove it — the airline still has to get you there or give your money back. One catch to know: if you take the refund and walk away, the airline’s duty to re-route you and look after you ends there, so choose the option you actually want.

Right one, part two: the right to care

If you are left waiting for a re-routed flight, the airline must also look after you — this is the “right to care”, and it applies regardless of whose fault the cancellation was:

Meals and refreshments appropriate to the wait (often given as vouchers);
Hotel accommodation if you have to stay overnight, plus transport to and from it;
Two free phone calls or emails.

If the airline fails to arrange this and you have to pay yourself, keep every receipt and claim it back — but keep the costs reasonable (a modest meal and hotel, not a five-star suite and champagne), because airlines will refuse excessive amounts.

Right two: cash compensation

This is the one airlines rarely mention. On top of the refund or re-routing, you may be owed a fixed cash sum for the disruption. The amount depends on the flight distance:

£220 — short flights of 1,500 km or less;
£350 — medium flights of 1,500–3,500 km;
£520 — long flights of more than 3,500 km.

This is compensation for the cancellation itself and is separate from — and in addition to — your refund or re-routed flight. But it is only payable if two conditions are met: the airline gave you less than 14 days’ notice, and the cancellation was within the airline’s control (see “extraordinary circumstances” below).

The 14-day rule — the trap that decides most claims

How much notice the airline gave you is what makes or breaks a compensation claim:

14 days or more before departure: no compensation is due (though you still get your refund or a new flight).
Between 7 and 14 days: compensation is due unless the airline re-routed you on a flight leaving no more than 2 hours before your original time and getting you there less than 4 hours after your planned arrival.
Less than 7 days: compensation is due unless the re-routing left no more than 1 hour before and arrived less than 2 hours after your original times.

Where the airline re-routes you but you still land some hours late, it may reduce the compensation by 50% if your arrival was within the time windows set out in the regulation. The shorter your notice and the more disrupted your arrival, the stronger your claim.

“Extraordinary circumstances” — and the myth about strikes

The airline does not have to pay the cash compensation if the cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances — things genuinely outside its control, such as severe weather, air traffic control restrictions, security alerts, or political instability. (It still owes you the refund/re-routing and the right to care.)

But airlines lean on this defence far too readily. The most important point: a strike by the airline’s own staff is generally not an extraordinary circumstance — the courts have treated the airline’s own industrial relations as part of the normal running of its business. So “we cancelled because of a pilot/cabin-crew strike” usually does not get the airline off the hook. Neither do routine technical faults. If you are told it was “extraordinary”, ask the airline to say exactly what happened — and do not take a blanket refusal at face value.

If your flight was part of a package holiday

Booked the flight as part of a package (flight plus hotel, or a tour)? You have an additional route under the Package Travel Regulations 2018: your rights are against the package organiser, not just the airline, and if the organiser cancels you are generally entitled to a full refund (normally within 14 days) and, in some cases, compensation. If the flight was ATOL-protected, you are also covered if the company goes bust. You do not lose your air passenger rights — you simply have two doors to knock on.

How to claim — for free

Complain to the airline first, in writing. State the flight, the cancellation, how much notice you got, and that you are claiming a refund/re-routing costs and compensation under retained EC 261/2004. Attach receipts for any expenses.
If they refuse or ignore you, escalate to ADR. Most airlines belong to a free, independent dispute scheme whose decision is binding on the airline if you accept it — AviationADR (easyJet, Ryanair, Wizz Air, TUI, Virgin Atlantic and others) or CEDR (British Airways). Check which one your airline currently uses.
If the airline is in no ADR scheme, take it to the CAA’s Passenger Advice and Complaints Team (PACT), which can look into it — though, unlike an ADR scheme, it cannot force a payout.
Court is the backstop. A claim for cancellation compensation is a money claim; the time limit is normally six years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Limitation Act 1980), and five years in Scotland — so there is rarely any rush, but do not sit on an unpaid claim indefinitely.

You never need a “flight delay claims” company — they take a cut of a payment you can pursue yourself for nothing.

Getting the letter right

A firm, well-referenced letter is what moves a claim from an automated “computer says no” to a proper assessment. A good one states the flight and cancellation, sets out the notice you were given, claims the compensation band that applies to your distance and any out-of-pocket expenses, cites your rights under retained Regulation (EC) 261/2004, and makes clear you will escalate to the airline’s ADR scheme or the CAA if it is not paid. It also gives you the paper trail you need if it ever goes to ADR or court.

Generate Your Cancelled-Flight Claim Letter in Seconds

WriteMyLegalLetter drafts a clear, firm letter to your airline setting out the cancellation, the notice you were given, the refund or expenses you are owed, and your right to compensation under retained EC 261/2004 — with a deadline before you escalate to ADR or the CAA. Answer a few questions and your letter is ready to send.

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Air passenger rights on cancellation apply to flights leaving the UK and to UK/EU airlines flying into the UK. Sources: retained Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (Articles 5, 7, 8 and 9), as amended by the Air Passenger Rights and Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019; Civil Aviation Authority guidance on cancellations, compensation and complaints (AviationADR, CEDR and PACT); Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018; Limitation Act 1980 (six years, England & Wales & NI) and the Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973 (five years, Scotland). Current as at September 2026. General information, not legal advice — check the current position before you act.