We all know you may be entitled to compensation for a flight delay, cancellation, or denied boarding. But is flight compensation paid per person or per booking?
Here’s the short answer: under the UK and EU air passenger rights rules UK261 and EU261, compensation is calculated per eligible passenger, not per booking.
This means that if several people are travelling together and each passenger qualifies for compensation, each person would be entitled to receive their own payment.
But how does flight compensation work for group bookings? Who gets paid? Do you all get the same amount?
Here’s what you need to know.
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Is flight compensation paid per person?
Yes!
If you’re eligible for compensation under UK261 or EU261, the amount each eligible person will receive is calculated on a per-passenger basis.
Want to know when you’re eligible for compensation under UK261 or EU261? Please see our previous article on the topic:
> UK261 or EU261: which rules cover your flight after Brexit?
It doesn’t matter if you were travelling as a group under 1 booking, or 4 individual ones; each eligible passenger would be entitled to their own compensation.
For example:
- You and 3 family members are on the same flight, under 1 booking
- The flight gets delayed 3+ hours
All 4 of you may be entitled to compensation individually.
The amount each person receives will depend on the applicable rules, the circumstances of the disruption and, where relevant, the flight distance.
It is important to remember that compensation is not automatically payable whenever a flight is delayed or cancelled. The disruption must meet the relevant eligibility requirements.
Does everyone on the same flight booking receive the same compensation?
… Not necessarily.
Although each passenger may be individually entitled to compensation, this also means that the amount of compensation each passenger may receive is also assessed on an individual basis.
Though you’re travelling in a group, you may not all have had the same experience of flight disruption as each other: what if you all joined the journey from different connecting flights? What if one of you got bumped off while the others didn’t?
Different aspects of passenger rights laws will be triggered by the different experiences each of you had during the same booked journey, which may mean different compensation amounts for each of you.
What if we booked separately?
When it comes to flight compensation amounts, it doesn’t matter whether you’re all under 1 single booking, or if you’re flying under a solo ticket; the amount you’re owed will be calculated on an individual basis either way, and the figure you receive will be the same.
How much flight compensation can you receive per person?
This will depend solely on the relevant air passenger rights rules that apply to your flight!
Under UK261 or EU261, you may be owed up to £520 GBP (or €600 EUR) respectively for eligible flight disruption. For more information on this, please see our dedicated webpages below:
> What are the flight delay compensation amounts?
> What are the flight cancellation compensation amounts?
REMEMBER:
The above amounts are not guaranteed payments. Airlines may not be required to pay compensation in certain circumstances, including where the disruption was caused by extraordinary circumstances out of their control.
To check whether you’re covered by UK261 or EU261, please see our previous article on the topic:
> UK261 or EU261: which rules cover your flight after Brexit?
Does it matter who made the flight booking?
Not really.
The person who booked the flight is not normally automatically entitled to receive the compensation for every passenger included in the reservation – unless they are given permission to do so, via a Letter of Authority form from each consenting passenger.
Many airlines will allow a ‘lead passenger’ (normally the one who booked it) to submit compensation claims on behalf of each consenting passenger in the booking, all at once.
If you choose to claim as a group, the airline may pay the entire compensation amount for each passenger directly to the lead passenger who claimed on everyone’s behalf.
But this does not mean you have to let a lead passenger claim for you – each passenger is equally entitled to submit their own separate claim if they wish to do so, regardless of how their flight was booked.
If you booked your original flight ticket separately, rather than as part of a group booking, you’ll need to sort your own claim out yourself – although, again, many airlines will give you the option to allow someone else to claim for you, as long as you fill out a Letter of Authority Form.
Make sure to check the guidelines from your specific airline!
Example: a family of 4 claiming flight compensation
Now, let’s put the above into practice.
Imagine a family of 4 travelling together, and that each member of the family qualifies for the maximum amount of flight delay compensation under UK261: £520 GBP.
We’re also going to assume that they all had the exact same experience, and were thus entitled to the same compensation.
- Passenger 1: £520
- Passenger 2: £520
- Passenger 3: £520
- Passenger 4: £520
Total delayed flight compensation: £2,080
As you can see in this example, each passenger qualifies individually for the compensation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is flight compensation split between everyone on a booking?
No. Compensation is generally calculated per eligible passenger rather than divided between all passengers on the booking.
Can each passenger claim compensation separately?
Yes. Each eligible passenger has an individual entitlement, although the practical claims process may allow passengers travelling together to submit their claims collectively or through an authorised representative.
If I paid for everyone’s flight tickets, do I receive all the compensation?
Not automatically. Paying for the booking does not, by itself, give you ownership of every passenger’s compensation entitlement.
Do children qualify for flight compensation?
They can. If you paid any sort of fee (whether the standard air-fare, a reduced child/infant fee, or a small admin fee) for your child to be on the flight, they generally have the same entitlement to compensation as any adult passenger.
However, if your child flew totally for free, they may not qualify for compensation. Their eligibility will depend on the circumstances and the relevant legal requirements.
Does everyone on a booking receive the same amount?
Not necessarily. Compensation depends on the applicable rules and the circumstances of each individual passenger’s journey. Passengers on the same flight will often qualify for the same amount, but this is not guaranteed.
I have a flight complaint! How do I get started with AviationADR?
Once your evidence is together, you can lodge your complaint with us for FREE in whichever way suits you – through our online portal, our app, by post, or by phone:
> Start your complaint with AviationADR
> What to do before you come to us
> Complain about an airline in the UK
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