Do I qualify for easyJet strike compensation?
You qualify if your easyJet flight was cancelled or delayed by at least three hours at your final destination; the disruption was caused by a strike involving easyJet’s own cabin crew or directly employed staff; and your flight departed from an EU airport or from a UK airport (the latter governed by UK261).
easyJet is a UK-registered carrier (easyJet plc, Luton, UK) as well as holding EU AOCs through easyJet Europe (Austria) and easyJet Switzerland. Post-Brexit, flights departing UK airports are covered by UK261, while those departing EU airports are covered by EU261.
Real-world example: LGW to AGP, 1,739 km, EU261 Band 2 (€400) / UK261 (£350)
A passenger departing London Gatwick (LGW) on easyJet to Malaga Airport (AGP) travels approximately 1,739 km, placing the route in the 1,500 km to 3,500 km band. Under UK261 (LGW is a UK airport), financial compensation is £350 per passenger. On the return Malaga to Gatwick leg departing from Spain, an EU airport, the EU261 amount of €400 per passenger applies.
Your rights under EU 261 and UK261
Both regulations provide equivalent protection across three categories, reflecting that UK261 was designed to mirror EU261 post-Brexit.
Right to care
From the moment easyJet confirms the cancellation or delay, the airline must provide meals and drinks, two free phone calls or emails, and hotel accommodation with transport if you are required to stay overnight. These obligations apply regardless of the reason for the disruption.
Right to a full refund or rerouting
easyJet must offer a choice: a full refund within seven days; rerouting to your destination at the earliest opportunity under comparable transport conditions; or rerouting at a later date of your choosing, subject to availability. The choice belongs to the passenger.
Financial compensation
The fixed compensation amount is based on route distance. easyJet may reduce it by 50% if it reroutes you and you arrive at your final destination within the regulated time thresholds above the original schedule.
When can you claim easyJet strike compensation?
The claim is valid when: the flight was operated by easyJet (including easyJet Europe and easyJet Switzerland); the departure airport was in the EU or UK; the disruption was caused by easyJet’s own employees on strike; and you experienced a cancellation or a final-destination arrival delay of at least three hours.
Under English and Welsh law, the limitation period is six years from the date of the disrupted flight. Scottish law allows five years. EU member state limitation periods vary; the French limitation, for example, is five years.
When can you NOT claim easyJet strike compensation?
Compensation is not available in the following circumstances.
French ATC strikes
France has a high frequency of air traffic controller strikes that significantly affect easyJet’s European network. A French ATC strike is classified as an extraordinary circumstance, exempting easyJet from financial compensation. Note that easyJet has historically cancelled flights proactively during ATC disruption periods, which can complicate whether individual cancellations qualify as precautionary or ATC-caused.
Advanced cancellation notice
A cancellation notified more than 14 days before departure eliminates the financial compensation entitlement.
Operational changes not caused by strike
If easyJet cancels flights for commercial reasons, schedule optimisation, or crew shortages not resulting from strike action, EU261 or UK261 still applies to the cancellation or delay; however, the extraordinary circumstances defence may be available if the specific cause qualifies. AireClaim analyses each case individually.
Should you accept
an easyJet voucher or ask for cash?
easyJet may offer a voucher or easyJet credits in response to a disruption claim. Under EU261 and UK261 you are entitled to receive financial compensation as a monetary payment, not as travel credit. easyJet credits carry an expiry date and are redeemable only on easyJet, which materially reduces their value if you do not plan to fly with the carrier again.
AireClaim claims only cash compensation for you. A voucher offer from easyJet during the claims process does not satisfy your statutory entitlement unless you explicitly agree to accept it.
How much easyJet strike compensation can you claim?
The applicable amount depends on whether EU261 or UK261 governs your flight, as set out below.
Flight Distance | EU261 Compensation | UK261 Compensation* |
Up to 1,500 km | €250 | £220 |
1,500 km to 3,500 km | €400 | £350 |
Over 3,500 km (intra-EU) | €400 | £520 |
Over 3,500 km (to/from non-EU) | €600 | £520 |
* UK261 applies to all flights departing UK airports, for all carriers. EU261 applies to easyJet Europe and easyJet Switzerland departures from EU airports.
Does easyJet pay strike compensation voluntarily?
easyJet’s approach to voluntary payment varies by claim type. The airline processes straightforward UK261 claims through its online portal and generally settles valid cases without legal escalation. However, easyJet is known to invoke extraordinary circumstances broadly, including for what claimants and courts have characterised as internal operational failures rather than genuine external events.
Claims denied on extraordinary circumstances grounds are best escalated through AireClaim to the UK Civil Aviation Authority (for UK261 claims) or the relevant EU National Enforcement Body (for EU261 claims).
More about easyJet
easyJet plc is a British multinational low-cost carrier founded in 1995 by Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, headquartered at London Luton Airport. The airline operates a fleet of over 320 Airbus aircraft and serves more than 150 airports across 35 countries.
Post-Brexit, easyJet restructured its operations with easyJet Europe (registered in Austria) holding EU air operator certificates, enabling continued operation of intra-EU routes. easyJet plc retains its UK AOC for UK-departing flights. The airline is a member of no major alliance but maintains interline and codeshare agreements.
How to claim easyJet strike compensation, step by step
Step 1: Save all documentation
Keep your easyJet booking confirmation, boarding pass, and any communications from easyJet about the disruption. Photograph physical boarding passes before discarding them.
Step 2: Confirm if the strike was caused by easyJet staff
Check whether the disruption was caused by easyJet’s own cabin crew or ground staff. If easyJet cited an ATC strike or airport action, the claim is significantly more complex; AireClaim can advise on the specific scenario.
Step 3: Submit through AireClaim
Provide your flight details via AireClaim’s portal. The system confirms eligibility, calculates the compensation amount, and submits the formal claim to easyJet under the applicable regulation.
Step 4: Monitor the response
easyJet must respond within a reasonable period. AireClaim tracks the claim and escalates to the CAA or the relevant EU enforcement body if easyJet fails to pay or gives an unjustified refusal.
Step 5: Receive your payment
AireClaim arranges direct payment to your bank account and deducts the success fee only after you receive your compensation.
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FAQ about easyJet strike compensation
Yes. UK261 applies to all flights departing UK airports regardless of which entity (easyJet plc or easyJet Europe) operates the aircraft. The nationality of the carrier determines which regulation covers the inbound EU leg; an easyJet Europe flight from Madrid to Gatwick, operated by an EU carrier, is covered by EU261 for the Spanish departure.
EU261 applies to any cancellation or significant delay by a carrier, regardless of the stated reason. The question of whether extraordinary circumstances apply depends on the specific cause. Crew shortages caused by a strike are different from crew shortages due to illness or rostering failures. AireClaim analyses each case to determine whether the extraordinary circumstances defence holds.
If you booked a package holiday, the tour operator has obligations under the Package Travel Directive in addition to your EU261 rights against easyJet. You can claim EU261 financial compensation from easyJet directly as the operating carrier, regardless of how the package was sold.
Yes, provided you arrived at your final destination at least three hours late. The three-hour delay threshold for compensation is settled law under the Sturgeon v Condor judgment (Court of Justice of the EU, 2009), which established that long delays carry the same compensation rights as cancellations.
EU261 Article 9 requires the airline to reimburse reasonable out-of-pocket expenses for meals, accommodation, and transport directly caused by the disruption if the airline failed to provide these. These expense claims are separate from and additional to the fixed compensation amount.
If easyJet cancelled your flight specifically because of a French ATC strike, the extraordinary circumstances defence is generally valid and compensation is not payable. However, if easyJet cancelled flights before the ATC action began, or cancelled routes not directly affected by the ATC restriction, the defence may not apply. AireClaim assesses the specifics of each claim.