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The letters that claim it for you
Five letters covering the whole sequence, from the first claim to the regulator. Copy, fill in the brackets, send. Doing this yourself costs nothing and you keep every euro — which is the entire reason this page exists.
Template 1
The first claim
Send this the moment you have your flight details. Quoting the article changes the reply you get, because it signals the claim will not be fobbed off with a voucher.
Dear Sir or Madam Flight [FLIGHT NUMBER], [ORIGIN] to [DESTINATION], [DATE] Booking reference [REF] I am claiming compensation of [AMOUNT] per passenger under Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 [or: the retained UK version of that Regulation]. The flight [arrived at its final destination NN hours NN minutes behind schedule / was cancelled with NN days' notice / I was denied boarding]. There were [NUMBER] passengers on the booking, named below. The right to compensation for a delayed arrival of three hours or more is established in Sturgeon and others (C-402/07 and C-432/07). If you intend to rely on extraordinary circumstances under Article 5(3), please state the specific cause and the reasonable measures taken to avoid the disruption. I also claim [AMOUNT] in expenses under Article 9, with receipts attached. Please respond within 28 days. Payment should be made by bank transfer to the account below. Passengers: [NAMES] Yours faithfully [NAME]
Template 2
The 28-day chase
Silence is not a refusal. Send this on day 29, and name the escalation you intend — that sentence moves more claims than anything else in the letter.
Dear Sir or Madam Flight [FLIGHT NUMBER], [DATE] — claim of [DATE OF FIRST LETTER] I wrote on [DATE] claiming [AMOUNT] under Article 7. I have had no substantive response within 28 days. Please confirm within 14 days whether you accept the claim. If I do not hear from you, I will refer the matter to [NAME OF ENFORCEMENT BODY] and, if necessary, issue a claim in [COURT]. Yours faithfully [NAME]
Template 3
Rejecting a voucher
Airlines routinely offer credit worth a fraction of the cash owed. Accepting one can be treated as settling the claim. This declines it without closing the conversation.
Dear Sir or Madam Flight [FLIGHT NUMBER], [DATE] Thank you for your offer of [VOUCHER VALUE] in travel credit. I do not accept it. Article 7 provides for payment in cash, by bank transfer or by cheque. Payment in vouchers requires my signed agreement, which I do not give. My claim of [AMOUNT] stands. Yours faithfully [NAME]
Template 4
Challenging an extraordinary circumstances refusal
The burden of proof is on the airline, and it is two-limbed: the event, and the reasonable measures. Most refusal letters address only the first.
Dear Sir or Madam Flight [FLIGHT NUMBER], [DATE] — rejection of [DATE] You have refused my claim on the basis of extraordinary circumstances under Article 5(3). I ask you to reconsider. To rely on Article 5(3) you must show both that an extraordinary circumstance occurred and that you could not have avoided the disruption by taking all reasonable measures. Your letter addresses the first point only. Please provide: the specific cause; the reasonable measures taken; and the rotation history of the aircraft in the 24 hours before my flight. I note that technical faults arising in the ordinary course of operations are not extraordinary circumstances (Wallentin-Hermann, C-549/07), and neither is industrial action by your own staff (Krüsemann, C-195/17). Absent that evidence within 14 days I will refer the matter to [ENFORCEMENT BODY]. Yours faithfully [NAME]
Template 5
Escalating to the enforcement body
Free, and it does not stop you going to court afterwards. Send it to the regulator of the country you departed from.
To [ENFORCEMENT BODY] Complaint against [AIRLINE] — flight [FLIGHT NUMBER], [DATE] I claimed [AMOUNT] under Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 on [DATE]. The airline has [refused / not responded]. Attached: booking confirmation, boarding passes, my correspondence with the airline and their reply. I ask you to investigate and to confirm whether the airline is in breach. Yours faithfully [NAME]
If the letters don’t work
Some airlines simply do not pay without pressure. Once you have written twice and been to the enforcement body, a claims service becomes a reasonable trade — they take a percentage, but a percentage of something beats all of nothing.
Compensair charges 25–35% on a no-win-no-fee basis and is generally the cheaper option on European short-haul. For long-haul, or anything likely to end in court, AirHelp runs legal teams in around 30 countries at 35%, rising to 50% if legal action is needed.
Questions
Do I need a solicitor to claim flight compensation?
No. These claims are designed to be brought by passengers directly. Writing to the airline is free, and the national enforcement body route is free as well.
What should I put in the first letter?
The flight number, date, route, booking reference, the delay at final destination, the amount claimed and the article you are claiming under. Naming Article 7 materially changes the response you get.