ANSWER · UK 261 AND EC 261
What do I need to make a flight compensation claim?
A booking reference or confirmation email is enough to start. The airline holds the operational record, and Art. 5(4) puts the burden of proving whether and when a passenger was informed of a cancellation on the carrier. Boarding passes, receipts for meals and hotels, and any written reason the airline gave all strengthen a claim.
REVIEWED AGAINST RULE SET V6 AND THE CITED PRIMARY SOURCES · UPDATED 7 AUGUST 2026
What is needed and what merely helps
| DOCUMENT | ROLE |
|---|---|
| Booking reference or confirmation email | Establishes the reservation and the itinerary |
| The airline's written reason for the disruption | Frames the Art. 5(3) argument |
| Actual arrival time at the final destination | Decides the 3 hour threshold |
| Boarding pass | Helpful evidence of presenting for boarding, not a precondition |
| Receipts for meals, transfers and hotel | Needed for Art. 9 care costs, which are reimbursed against evidence |
Where the burden sits
Art. 5(4) places the burden of proving whether and when the passenger was informed of a cancellation on the operating air carrier. Art. 5(3) places the burden of proving extraordinary circumstances, and that they could not have been avoided, on the carrier as well.
What we ask for
The free check runs on answers alone and stores nothing. Documents come later, when a claim is actually being prepared: identity evidence and a signed assignment are needed to act for you, and they are uploaded to the portal rather than emailed.
SOURCES
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, Art. 5(4) · EUR-Lex · checked 7 August 2026
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, Art. 5(3) · EUR-Lex · checked 7 August 2026
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, Art. 9 · EUR-Lex · checked 7 August 2026
RELATED QUESTIONS
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