Single booking — the airline owns the whole journey
When all flights share one booking reference (PNR), UK261 treats the itinerary as one trip to a final destination. If you booked Manchester–Heathrow–Bangkok on one ticket and the Manchester–Heathrow leg arrived late enough to cause a 4+ hour delay reaching Bangkok, the carrier responsible for the delay owes compensation based on Manchester–Bangkok distance — even if the long-haul sector departed on schedule after you were rebooked.
When all flights share one booking reference (PNR), UK261 treats the itinerary as one trip to a final destination. If you booked Manchester–Heathrow–Bangkok on one ticket and the Manchester–Heathrow leg arrived late enough to cause a 4+ hour delay reaching Bangkok, the carrier responsible for the delay owes compensation based on Manchester–Bangkok distance — even if the long-haul sector departed on schedule after you were rebooked.
The responsible carrier is usually the one operating the flight that caused the knock-on — but airlines dispute this. File with the operating airline of the delayed segment first; if bounced, include all carriers on the booking and let ADR assign liability.
Minimum connection times (MCT) matter for airline liability internally but not for your entitlement — if the airline sold you a 45-minute connection at Heathrow and you missed it, that is their scheduling problem on a single ticket.
Separate tickets — no connection protection
Budget-travel "self-transfer" itineraries — flying easyJet to Amsterdam then separately booking KLM to Nairobi on a different ticket — are two unrelated contracts. If the easyJet leg is delayed and you miss the KLM flight, KLM owes nothing under UK261 unless its own flight was also delayed 3+ hours. easyJet owes compensation only for the AMS arrival delay on the first ticket, not for the missed long-haul.
Budget-travel "self-transfer" itineraries — flying easyJet to Amsterdam then separately booking KLM to Nairobi on a different ticket — are two unrelated contracts. If the easyJet leg is delayed and you miss the KLM flight, KLM owes nothing under UK261 unless its own flight was also delayed 3+ hours. easyJet owes compensation only for the AMS arrival delay on the first ticket, not for the missed long-haul.
Travel insurance with "missed departure" or "missed connection" cover is the primary remedy for separate tickets. Policies vary: some require 3+ hour delay on the inbound flight; others exclude self-transfers entirely. Read the wording before relying on it.
Build buffer time: 3+ hours for same-terminal connections, 4+ hours for cross-terminal at multi-terminal hubs (Heathrow, JFK), and overnight buffers for long-haul self-transfers. The savings on split tickets rarely justify a missed intercontinental flight.
Codeshare and wet-lease — who pays?
UK261 liability sits with the operating carrier — the airline whose flight number is operated on its own aircraft and crew. A ticket sold as "British Airways" but operated by American Airlines from New York to London is an American operation; UK261 does not apply to inbound US carriers that are neither UK nor EU.
UK261 liability sits with the operating carrier — the airline whose flight number is operated on its own aircraft and crew. A ticket sold as "British Airways" but operated by American Airlines from New York to London is an American operation; UK261 does not apply to inbound US carriers that are neither UK nor EU.
Outbound from the UK, any departing flight is covered regardless of operator nationality — so an Emirates Manchester–Dubai delay triggers UK261 against Emirates even if you booked through a travel agent.
Wet-lease situations (one airline providing aircraft and crew to another) still point to the operating carrier on the day of flight — check the airport departure board and boarding pass for the actual operator code if compensation is rejected on "wrong airline" grounds.
Package holidays and tour operator flights
Flights within ATOL-protected package holidays are still covered by UK261 for delay compensation — claim against the operating airline, not the tour operator. Package Travel Regulations may additionally give refund rights if the holiday changes fundamentally, but that is separate from per-passenger UK261 cash.
Flights within ATOL-protected package holidays are still covered by UK261 for delay compensation — claim against the operating airline, not the tour operator. Package Travel Regulations may additionally give refund rights if the holiday changes fundamentally, but that is separate from per-passenger UK261 cash.
If the tour operator rebooks you onto a much later flight, measure UK261 delay against your original scheduled arrival at destination — not the rebooked flight if you were forced to accept it without voluntary waiver of rights.
Practical checklist before booking connections
Prefer single-ticket connections sold by one airline or alliance partner — UK261 protection and airline rebooking duty apply throughout. Avoid separate tickets for intercontinental connections unless you accept insurance-only protection and long buffer times.
Prefer single-ticket connections sold by one airline or alliance partner — UK261 protection and airline rebooking duty apply throughout. Avoid separate tickets for intercontinental connections unless you accept insurance-only protection and long buffer times.
Screenshot MCT and connection times at booking. If an OTA sells an impossibly tight self-transfer, the OTA is not liable for UK261 — but you may have consumer rights against the agent under UK consumer law for misleading sales in some cases.
On delay day, do not voluntarily accept voucher-heavy rebooking packages without checking whether you are waiving UK261 compensation — read the small print before signing at the airport desk.