Complaining about a flight or a package holiday
Which airlines use which dispute scheme, what to do if yours uses none, and the compensation rules under UK261.
The short answer
- You can escalate after
- 8 weeks from your first complaint
- Or sooner, if
- they send you a deadlock letter — a final response saying they will do no more. That removes the waiting period completely.
- Who decides it
- AviationADR or CEDR
- Deadline
- within 12 months of the airline’s final response, or of your last written contact if they never responded; the incident itself must be within 6 years (5 in Scotland)
Which scheme covers your provider
These two are not interchangeable. Sending your complaint to the wrong one wastes the weeks you have just spent waiting, so check the list.
AviationADR
- air astana
- air baltic
- airbaltic
- air canada
- air canada rouge
- asiana
- asiana airlines
- buzz
- delta
- delta air lines
- easyjet
- egyptair
- garuda indonesia
- klm
- lauda
- malta air
- royal brunei
- ryanair
- tap air portugal
- tui
- tui airways
- turkish airlines
- virgin atlantic
- wizz air
CEDR
- ba cityflyer
- british airways
- cathay pacific
- norse atlantic uk
- scandinavian airlines
- sas
Not on either list? This airline is not on the CAA’s published list for either approved scheme. Where an airline belongs to no scheme, PACT is the route — but note that, unlike an approved ADR provider, PACT’s view is NOT binding on the airline. Check here.
The law on your side
- Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as retained in UK law ("UK261")
- the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/634)
Checked against the source on 16 September 2026. If you spot something out of date, tell us and we will fix it.
What to do first
Complain to the company in writing, and make it a formal complaint in those words — that is what starts the clock. Say what happened with dates, what you want, and give them 14 days. Keep every reply.
If they go quiet or fob you off, the clock above is what you are counting down.
Or have it written for you
Pester writes the complaint citing the right law, and drafting one is free — copy it and send it yourself. For £9 it sends it in your name, chases every three working days, and builds the ombudsman pack when they stall.
Draft my complaint free