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Complain to Emirates

Dubai-based airline operating UK routes

Airline

Flight delayed or cancelled? You could be owed £220–£520

Under UK261 on flights leaving the UK, depending on distance and delay.

Check what I’m owed

Something else? Start my Emirates complaint

Contact emails

customerrelations@emirates.com

Customer Service

Emirates ombudsman & regulator routes

Is there an ombudsman for Emirates?

None. Emirates is in no CAA-approved ADR scheme, so the free route after 8 weeks or a final response is the CAA's Passenger Advice and Complaints Team (PACT). It can review your case and raise it with Emirates, but it cannot make a binding decision. If that fails, the small claims court can. Go to the CAA’s complaint page. Read our guide to aviation ADR.

Can you complain to the CAA about Emirates?

Yes, and for Emirates it is the only independent route, because Emirates is in no approved ADR scheme. Complain to Emirates in writing first; if it stays unresolved after 8 weeks or you get a final response, the CAA's Passenger Advice and Complaints Team (PACT) will look at it and can raise it with Emirates. It cannot order Emirates to pay you; the small claims court can.

Laws that protect you

UK261 Flight Compensation Regulation

Compensation of £220 to £520, set by flight distance and how late you land, for delays, cancellations and denied boarding. Covers any flight leaving the UK, and flights into the UK only when a UK or EU airline operates them.

UK261/2004Article 3Article 7

Consumer Rights Act 2015

Services must be performed with reasonable care and skill.

Section 49Section 54

Tips for Emirates complaints

  • Check UK261 covers your flight first: leaving the UK always counts, but arriving into the UK only counts if a UK or EU airline operated it
  • Keep your boarding pass and booking confirmation
  • Document the delay with photos of departure boards
  • Airlines must provide food, drink, and accommodation for long delays
  • You can claim for flights up to 6 years old
  • Extraordinary circumstances don’t include crew shortages or technical issues
  • No UK261 claim doesn’t mean no claim: the Montreal Convention still covers provable losses, and a card payment may be reversible through your bank

If Emirates doesn't respond

  1. 1

    Customer Service

    8 weeks from your first complaint

    Contact the airline’s customer service team via email or online form

  2. 2

    Formal Complaint

    Submit a formal complaint referencing UK261 and your booking reference

  3. 3

    CEDR / AviationADR

    8 weeks

    Escalate to the airline’s ADR scheme after 8 weeks or deadlock

    Visit website
  4. 4

    Small Claims Court

    File a claim online via Money Claims Online for up to £10,000

    Visit website

When you can escalate

8 weeks

If Emirates hasn’t sorted it within 8 weeks, or sends a final response sooner, you can take it to the CAA's Passenger Advice and Complaints Team (PACT). It can review your case and raise it with Emirates, but it cannot make a binding decision.

Frequently asked questions

Airlines should respond within 8 weeks. After that, you can escalate to their ADR scheme (CEDR or AviationADR) for free.

If UK261 covers your flight, yes, once you arrive 3 hours or more late: £220 under 1,500km, £350 for 1,500km to 3,500km, and over 3,500km £260 for 3 to 4 hours or £520 beyond 4 hours. Airlines can refuse only by proving extraordinary circumstances.

Two situations. Any flight departing a UK airport, whichever airline operates it. And flights arriving at a UK airport only when the operator is a UK or EU airline. So a delayed flight home on a non-UK, non-EU airline falls outside UK261 even if you booked it in Britain, while the same airline flying you out of the UK is covered.

The Montreal Convention still applies to international flights and covers losses you can prove, such as a missed connection you had to rebook or a night in a hotel, though not a flat compensation payment. Check the airline’s own delay policy, claim on travel insurance, and if you paid by card ask your provider about a chargeback. Where the flight left another country, that country’s own passenger rules may also apply.

You can claim for flights up to 6 years old in England and Wales, or 5 years in Scotland.

Severe weather, air traffic control strikes, and security risks qualify. Crew shortages, technical faults, and IT issues generally do not.

Put your complaint in writing to customerrelations@emirates.com with "Formal complaint" in the subject line. Include your account or reference number, what went wrong, and the outcome you want (a refund, repair, or compensation). Keep everything in writing so you have a paper trail. If Emirates hasn't sorted it within 8 weeks, you can escalate free to the CAA's Passenger Advice and Complaints Team (PACT).

Send complaints to customerrelations@emirates.com. Put "Formal complaint" in the subject line, include your account or booking reference, and state the outcome you want. Keeping it in writing creates the paper trail you'll need if you escalate later.

None: Emirates is in no CAA-approved ADR scheme. Once Emirates has had a chance to fix it, the free route is the CAA's Passenger Advice and Complaints Team (PACT), after 8 weeks or a deadlock letter. It can review your case and raise it with Emirates, but it cannot make a binding decision. If that fails, the small claims court can.

Yes, and for Emirates it is the only independent route. Emirates is in no approved ADR scheme, so the CAA's Passenger Advice and Complaints Team (PACT) will look at your complaint after 8 weeks or a deadlock letter and can raise it with Emirates. It cannot order Emirates to pay; the small claims court can.

Only leaving the UK. Emirates is not a UK or EU airline, and UK261 covers inbound flights only when a UK or EU carrier operates them, so a delay on the way home is outside the regulation even if you booked in Britain. Flying out of a UK airport you are covered in full. If UK261 does not apply, the Montreal Convention still covers losses you can prove, travel insurance may pay, and a card payment can sometimes be reversed through your bank.

Tools & guides for your Emirates complaint

Free calculators and explainers that strengthen the case you make to Emirates.

Further reading

Not sure what the law actually entitles you to? Start with our UK consumer rights guide - refunds, faulty goods, and how to enforce your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Work at Emirates? Reply to complaints here.

Don't let Emirates ignore you

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Disclaimer: NoReply is an independent consumer advocacy platform. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Emirates or any of the companies listed on this site. Where an address is marked verified, we read it on Emirates’s own site or a complaint sent to it arrived. Addresses marked not verified have not been checked, and ones marked bounced do not reach Emirates. This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.