Checked 26 October 2026

Wizz Air flight delay and cancellation compensation: how to claim

If your Wizz Air flight arrived 3 hours or more late, or was cancelled with less than 14 days' notice, you are owed £220 to £520 per passenger unless Wizz Air can prove an extraordinary circumstance. Claims go through the "Submit a claim" form in Wizz Air's help centre, and AviationADR is next if it refuses.

Which Wizz Air flights are covered

Wizz Air UK (flight numbers starting W9) is a UK airline. Wizz Air Hungary (W6) is an EU airline. Both fly from UK airports, and both are covered.

• Leaving a UK airport: UK261 applies, whichever Wizz Air company operates the flight.
• Leaving an EU airport for the UK: EU261 applies.
• Arriving in the UK from outside the EU: UK261 applies, because both are UK or EU airlines.

For a delay, the clock runs to your final destination. "Arrival" means when at least one aircraft door opens, and a departure delay on its own does not count. The cause must not be an extraordinary circumstance.

How much Wizz Air pays

The amount is fixed by flight distance and paid per passenger, including children with a paid seat. Infants travelling free are excluded.

On flights leaving the EU, EU261 pays €250, €400 or €600. Care is owed whatever the cause: meals and refreshments once the wait reaches 2, 3 or 4 hours depending on distance, two phone calls or emails, and a hotel with transport for an overnight stay.

How to claim from Wizz Air

1. Gather your details. You need the booking reference, flight number, date, boarding passes and the reason Wizz Air gave.
2. Open the help centre. Go to the Wizz Air delay, cancellation and refund page.
3. Choose "Submit a claim". This opens the claim form. Fill it in with the flight that was delayed or cancelled.
4. Attach your receipts if you claim care costs. Meals, hotel and transport are owed whatever caused the disruption.
5. Keep the confirmation. Save the claim reference and every reply from Wizz Air.

You have 6 years from the flight date in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and 5 years in Scotland.

If Wizz Air says no

Wizz Air can refuse if it proves the disruption came from an extraordinary circumstance and that it took all reasonable measures. Usually accepted:

• severe weather;
• air traffic control restrictions or strikes;
• airport closures or runway problems;
• security risks and political instability;
• strikes by third parties, such as airport or ground-handling staff;
• bird strikes (Pešková, 2017);
• a medical emergency or a disruptive passenger on that flight.

Not accepted: technical faults from the normal running of an aircraft (Huzar v Jet2.com [2014] EWCA Civ 791), the airline's own staff striking, crew sickness (Lipton v BA CityFlyer [2024] UKSC 24), crew shortages, rostering, knock-on delay from the airline's own earlier problem, and "operational reasons" without more.

If Wizz Air refuses or does not reply, the free dispute body is AviationADR (aviationadr.org.uk). You must have complained to Wizz Air first. You can go to AviationADR if Wizz Air has not replied within 8 weeks, or within 12 months of its final reply. A decision binds Wizz Air if you accept it, and you can still go to court if you reject it.

The county court route is Money Claim Online, on the small claims track for claims up to £10,000. The fee is £35 up to £300 and £50 up to £500, recoverable if you win.

Claiming yourself or using a company

Claiming through the help-centre form is free and you keep the full amount. The guide to claiming yourself covers what to keep, when to escalate and how the court stage works.

A claim company takes a share of what is recovered, so you receive less. Fees differ by company and by whether a case goes legal. The comparison of claim companies sets out each published fee with a worked example.

Related guides

• Flight delay compensation
• Cancelled flight compensation
• Denied boarding compensation
• How to claim it yourself
• Claim companies compared
• All airlines