Sample kit: the personal data and the airline’s reply are fictitious (Sarah Example); flight movement, weather and Eurocontrol figures are real. Check your own flight →
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- 1Send letter
- 2Deadline running
- 3Airline’s answer
- 4ADR / regulator
- 5Done
Send the letter to easyJet. Download the PDF (or copy the form text), submit it through the airline’s form, attach your booking confirmation and Annex 1, then mark it here. The 14-day payment deadline runs from the sending date. Takes about 10 minutes.
Payment deadline: (). Wait until then and keep every reply. Afterwards choose here what happened.
The airline maintains its rejection. Send the second reminder from the escalation plan and, already now, file the pre-written complaint with the ADR scheme (AviationADR/CEDR) (free of charge).
No answer is common and no disadvantage. Send the second reminder from the escalation plan; already now you can file the pre-written complaint with the ADR scheme (AviationADR/CEDR) (free of charge).
The procedure is running. ADR bodies currently take weeks to months (söp average 125 days, AviationADR 32 days). Keep their replies; many airlines pay as soon as the complaint is acknowledged.
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{"since":"since","on":"on","days":null}Summary
- The stated reason is not an extraordinary circumstance under CJEU case law.
- Flight movement data confirms an arrival delay of 196 minutes.
easyJet pays clear-cut cases reasonably quickly; UK ADR upheld ~37 % of disputed cases in 2023 (Which?).
- FlightU28385 on 21 August 2026 · LGW→BOD
- RulesUK261
- Claim£220
- Payment deadline14 November 2026
Letter to the airline
12 Sample Street
BN1 1AA Brighton
United Kingdom
[email protected]
easyJet
Customer Relations / Passenger Claims
Brighton, 31 October 2026
Subject: Objection to your rejection – compensation claim for flight U28385 on 21 August 2026 (LGW–BOD), booking K7Q2PX, your ref. EZY-2026-61188
Dear Sir or Madam,
I was a passenger with a confirmed reservation (booking reference K7Q2PX) on your flight U28385 on 21 August 2026 from London Gatwick Airport (LGW) to Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport (BOD) (scheduled departure 18:30, scheduled arrival 21:10, actual arrival 00:26 the following day). The flight reached its final destination more than 3 hours late.
Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as retained in UK law (“UK261”) applies to this flight (Article 3(1)). An arrival delay of three hours or more gives rise to the right to compensation under Article 7 in the same way as a cancellation (CJEU, Sturgeon, C-402/07 and C-432/07; Nelson, C-581/10 and C-629/10). The great-circle distance between the place of departure and the final destination is 704 km, so compensation under Article 7(1)(a) amounts to £220 per passenger.
You rejected my claim of 28 August 2026 relying on a technical problem / unscheduled maintenance. I object to this rejection. Technical problems identified during maintenance or resulting from a failure to maintain an aircraft are inherent in the normal exercise of an air carrier’s activity and are not “extraordinary circumstances” (CJEU, Wallentin-Hermann, C-549/07, paras 25–26; van der Lans, C-257/14, paras 41–43). Only hidden manufacturing defects disclosed by the manufacturer or the authorities, or damage caused by sabotage or terrorism, fall outside this rule. You have not shown any such exception.
For clarity, I quote your reasoning: “We are sorry for the delay to flight EZY8385. The aircraft suffered an unexpected technical fault which constitutes an extraordinary circumstance, so no compensation is payable under UK261.”
As to the evidence: According to the flight movement data (AeroDataBox), the scheduled arrival was 21:10 and the actual arrival 00:26, a delay of 196 minutes. According to the published Eurocontrol Performance Review Unit data, no ATFM delay is recorded at Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport (LFBD) for 21 August 2026; at London Gatwick Airport (EGKK) Eurocontrol records 448 minutes of ATFM arrival delay across 451 arrivals for 21 August 2026 (average 1.0 min per flight; aerodrome 448 min). For the airspaces, Eurocontrol records 3,346 minutes of en-route ATFM delay across 8,755 flights in United Kingdom airspace (average 0.4 min per flight; ATC capacity/staffing 1,865 min, weather 1,481 min) and 26,870 minutes of en-route ATFM delay across 11,982 flights in France airspace (average 2.2 min per flight; ATC capacity/staffing 11,523 min, weather 14,415 min, ATC industrial action 439 min); this does not establish a regulation that affected my flight in particular. The official METAR weather observations for 21 August 2026 (UTC) show – EGKK: visibility ≥ 10 km, gusts up to 16 kt, no significant weather phenomena; LFBD: minimum visibility 2000 m, wind up to 15 kt, phenomena: TS – partly restricted conditions; however, no evidence has been provided that my flight in particular could not be operated. The complete data are enclosed as Annex 1.
I require payment of £220 by 14 November 2026. Please let me know if you need further details for the transfer. If payment is not received by then, I will refer the matter to the ADR scheme or issue a claim in the County Court (Money Claim Online) without further notice, claiming interest at 8 % per annum under s. 69 County Courts Act 1984 and court fees.
Yours faithfully,
Sarah Example
Enclosures:
– Booking confirmation / boarding pass
– Annex 1: Evidence pack (Eurocontrol ATFM data and METAR weather reports for the flight day)
– Your rejection letter
Short version for the airline’s web form
For airlines that only accept claims through their web form.
Many airlines (Ryanair, easyJet, Wizz) only accept claims through their web form. This version fits usual character limits. (1073 characters)
How to submit to easyJet
- ChannelCompensation Claims Portal, no login
- NeededBooking reference (7 characters) + flight number and date
- AttachmentsPDF, PNG, JPG, GIF, BMP, HTML under 5 MB each
- TurnaroundNot stated by easyJet; about 28 days reportedly
- Open the portal, enter booking reference, flight number and date. The lead passenger can list all passengers on the booking; a non-lead passenger can only claim for themselves.
- There is no free-text box: upload the letter PDF as your statement, plus booking confirmation and boarding passes.
- Enter your bank country and currency when asked; easyJet arranges the transfer after approval. The portal does not email a copy, so screenshot the confirmation.
What to expect
- Reportedly template refusals citing “severe weather” or air traffic control, sometimes different from the reason given on the day; a UK court accepted a thunderstorm-related ATC restriction as extraordinary in 2019, so check Annex 1 before relying on a weather argument.
- One submission per booking; a second submission for the same flight is usually rejected as a duplicate.
UK: AviationADR after a final answer or 8 weeks. Germany: easyJet is a member of the Schlichtungsstelle Reise & Verkehr (söp).
Information as of October 2026. Sources: airline help pages, CAA, söp, Verbraucherzentrale, Which?.
Annex 1 – Evidence pack
Eurocontrol, METAR weather and flight movement for your flight day, with sources. Included in the PDF.
A. Eurocontrol ATFM delay data
Source: EUROCONTROL Performance Review Unit, datasets “Airport Arrival ATFM Delay” and “En-Route ATFM Delay (FIR)”, daily values for 21 August 2026. Minutes = total ATFM delay minutes across all flights; 0 = no ATFM regulation delay recorded that day (flight counts are not held for such days, “—”).
| Entity | Flights | ATFM min total | Weather | ATC | ATC strike | Other strike | Aerodrome | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arrival LFBD Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Departure EGKK London Gatwick Airport | 451 | 448 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 448 | 0 |
| Airspace United Kingdom | 8755 | 3346 | 1481 | 1865 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Airspace France | 11982 | 26870 | 14415 | 11523 | 439 | 0 | 0 | 493 |
Note: data is aggregated per airport/airspace and day, not per flight. It shows whether ATC or weather regulations existed at all that day. Covered are the departure and arrival airports and the airspaces of the departure and arrival states; airspaces overflown in between are not included. The airline must additionally prove that your flight in particular was affected. ansperformance.eu/data · cause codes
B. METAR weather observations (UTC)
Departure: London Gatwick Airport (EGKK)
Summary: 24 reports; minimum visibility ≥ 10 km; max wind 12 kt, gusts 16 kt; no significant weather phenomena.
Show all reports
| 00:50 | EGKK 210050Z 05003KT 9999 SCT023 SCT033 15/12 Q1010 |
| 01:50 | EGKK 210150Z 35006KT CAVOK 15/12 Q1010 |
| 02:50 | EGKK 210250Z 36005KT 9999 FEW020 15/12 Q1010 |
| 03:50 | EGKK 210350Z 36005KT CAVOK 15/11 Q1010 |
| 04:50 | EGKK 210450Z 34004KT 280V010 9999 SCT048 14/11 Q1011 |
| 05:50 | EGKK 210550Z 32006KT 280V350 CAVOK 14/11 Q1011 |
| 06:50 | EGKK 210650Z 36008KT 330V040 CAVOK 15/11 Q1011 |
| 07:50 | EGKK 210750Z 02009KT 9999 FEW020 16/11 Q1012 |
| 08:50 | EGKK 210850Z 04010KT 9999 FEW024 17/11 Q1012 |
| 09:50 | EGKK 210950Z 01007KT 340V130 9999 SCT030 18/10 Q1013 |
| 10:50 | EGKK 211050Z 01008KT 340V110 9999 FEW037 19/08 Q1013 |
| 11:50 | EGKK 211150Z 33006KT 290V030 9999 SCT042 20/09 Q1013 |
| 12:50 | EGKK 211250Z VRB06G16KT 9999 SCT047 20/08 Q1013 |
| 13:50 | EGKK 211350Z 36008KT 320V110 9999 FEW048 21/08 Q1013 |
| 14:50 | EGKK 211450Z 34007KT 310V030 9999 FEW048 21/07 Q1013 |
| 15:50 | EGKK 211550Z 34009KT CAVOK 20/06 Q1014 |
| 16:50 | EGKK 211650Z 32007KT 190V360 CAVOK 20/06 Q1014 |
| 17:50 | EGKK 211750Z 31007KT 280V040 CAVOK 20/06 Q1014 |
| 18:50 | EGKK 211850Z 32006KT CAVOK 20/06 Q1015 |
| 19:50 | EGKK 211950Z 03012KT CAVOK 18/09 Q1016 |
| 20:50 | EGKK 212050Z 02007KT 340V080 CAVOK 16/09 Q1017 |
| 21:50 | EGKK 212150Z 02006KT CAVOK 15/09 Q1018 |
| 22:50 | EGKK 212250Z 02006KT CAVOK 14/09 Q1018 |
| 23:50 | EGKK 212350Z 34005KT CAVOK 14/09 Q1018 |
Arrival: Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport (LFBD)
Summary: 24 reports; minimum visibility 2000 m; max wind 15 kt; phenomena: TS.
Show all reports
| 00:00 | LFBD 210000Z AUTO 30004KT 250V340 9999 SCT031 BKN048 BKN060 18/16 Q1014 TEMPO 4000 -SHRA BKN040TCU |
| 01:00 | LFBD 210100Z AUTO 22005KT 9999 RA SCT027/// BKN035/// BKN042/// ///CB 18/16 Q1014 TEMPO 4000 -SHRA BKN010 |
| 02:00 | LFBD 210200Z AUTO 22006KT 9999 FEW030/// SCT056/// OVC070/// ///TCU 18/17 Q1013 TEMPO 4000 -SHRA SCT040CB |
| 03:00 | LFBD 210300Z AUTO 24004KT 9999 FEW029/// BKN060/// BKN088/// ///TCU 18/17 Q1013 TEMPO 4000 -SHRA SCT040CB |
| 04:00 | LFBD 210400Z AUTO 21004KT 9999 FEW029 BKN090 BKN110 17/17 Q1013 TEMPO 4000 -SHRA SCT040CB |
| 05:00 | LFBD 210500Z AUTO 22006KT 9999 BKN025/// BKN031/// BKN040/// ///TCU 17/17 Q1013 TEMPO 4000 -SHRA SCT040CB |
| 06:00 | LFBD 210600Z AUTO 23006KT 9999 SCT004/// SCT024/// BKN062/// ///TCU 18/17 Q1013 TEMPO 2000 -TSRA BKN025CB |
| 07:00 | LFBD 210700Z AUTO 23005KT 9999 FEW007/// SCT047/// BKN060/// ///CB 19/17 Q1014 TEMPO 2000 -TSRA |
| 08:00 | LFBD 210800Z AUTO 22005KT 9999 SCT007/// SCT038/// BKN054/// ///CB 19/18 Q1014 TEMPO 4000 SHRA |
| 09:00 | LFBD 210900Z AUTO 24005KT 210V270 9999 BKN010/// BKN034/// BKN086/// ///TCU 20/17 Q1015 TEMPO 4000 SHRA BKN035TCU |
| 10:00 | LFBD 211000Z AUTO 25007KT 9999 SCT025/// SCT050/// BKN064/// ///CB 22/16 Q1015 TEMPO 4000 SHRA BKN010 BKN035TCU |
| 11:00 | LFBD 211100Z AUTO 33005KT 270V020 9999 FEW037/// SCT100/// ///CB 23/15 Q1015 TEMPO 4000 SHRA BKN010 BKN035TCU |
| 12:00 | LFBD 211200Z AUTO 28012KT 250V330 9999 NSC 25/12 Q1015 TEMPO 4000 SHRA BKN010 BKN035TCU |
| 13:00 | LFBD 211300Z AUTO 29012KT 260V320 CAVOK 25/11 Q1015 TEMPO 4000 SHRA BKN010 BKN035TCU |
| 14:00 | LFBD 211400Z AUTO 29014KT CAVOK 25/11 Q1016 TEMPO 4000 SHRA BKN010 BKN035TCU |
| 15:00 | LFBD 211500Z AUTO 29015KT 260V320 9999 4400 NSC 25/11 Q1016 NOSIG |
| 16:00 | LFBD 211600Z AUTO 29013KT 250V310 CAVOK 25/11 Q1016 NOSIG |
| 17:00 | LFBD 211700Z AUTO 31011KT 280V030 9999 FEW046 24/12 Q1017 NOSIG |
| 18:00 | LFBD 211800Z AUTO 28010KT CAVOK 23/12 Q1017 NOSIG |
| 19:00 | LFBD 211900Z AUTO 32007KT 280V340 CAVOK 21/13 Q1017 NOSIG |
| 20:00 | LFBD 212000Z AUTO 29004KT CAVOK 20/14 Q1018 NOSIG |
| 21:00 | LFBD 212100Z AUTO 31004KT CAVOK 19/14 Q1018 NOSIG |
| 22:00 | LFBD 212200Z AUTO VRB03KT CAVOK 17/13 Q1018 NOSIG |
| 23:00 | LFBD 212300Z AUTO 26003KT 9999 FEW034 17/13 Q1019 NOSIG |
C. Flight movement data
| Status | Arrived |
|---|---|
| Scheduled arrival | 2026-08-21 21:10+02:00 |
| Actual arrival | 2026-08-22 00:26+02:00 |
| Delay | 196 min |
Source: AeroDataBox (schedule and ADS-B data), retrieved 2026-10-31. Local times.
Source: Iowa Environmental Mesonet (Iowa State University), archive of official METAR reports. CAVOK = visibility ≥ 10 km, no significant cloud or weather. TS = thunderstorm, SN = snow, FZ = freezing, FG = fog. mesonet.agron.iastate.edu
Escalation plan
If easyJet has not paid by 14 November 2026: deadlines, ADR, court route, pre-written complaint and second reminder.
| Date | Step |
|---|---|
| 23 October 2026 | 8 weeks since first complaint → ADR filing possible (already possible) |
| 31 October 2026 | Send the letter (email/web form and, if possible, post or registered mail) |
| 14 November 2026 | Payment deadline expires |
| 21 August 2032 | Indicative end of limitation period (6 years) |
- Airline deadline
If the airline does not pay by the deadline in your letter, send one short reminder referring to this letter. Keep every email. - ADR after 8 weeks or a final answer
Once you have the airline’s final response or 8 weeks have passed since your first complaint, file with the airline’s ADR scheme: AviationADR (online portal) or CEDR. Which scheme your airline belongs to: CAA list of ADR schemes. Free for passengers; the decision binds the airline if you accept it. Attach this letter, the airline’s replies and the evidence pack. - Airline not in any scheme
Use the CAA’s Passenger Advice and Complaints Team: how the CAA can help. The CAA cannot order payment but records the case. - Small claims (Money Claim Online)
Alternatively or afterwards, issue a claim at Money Claim Online (guidance on gov.uk). Court fee £35 for claims up to £300, £50 up to £500 (recoverable if you win). Claim statutory interest at 8 % under s. 69 County Courts Act 1984. Most airlines settle after service. - Time limit
Six years from the flight date in England and Wales (five in Scotland).
Pre-written ADR / regulator complaint
Second reminder (if the deadline passes)
Checklist before sending
Five points, two minutes.
This kit was generated from your inputs and public data. It is not legal advice and does not replace an individual assessment. Check names, times and amounts before sending.