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Complain to United Airlines

US airline with UK routes - complaints about delays and lost baggage on transatlantic flights

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 United Airlines complaint

Contact emails

customercare@united.com

Customer Service

United Airlines ombudsman & regulator routes

Which ombudsman handles United Airlines complaints?

The airline's approved ADR scheme, or the CAA if it has none. Once United Airlines’s own complaints process is exhausted (after 8 weeks or a deadlock letter), you can take your complaint there for free. Go to the ombudsman. Read our guide to aviation ADR.

Can you complain to the CAA about United Airlines?

Not for individual disputes: the CAA sets the rules for the sector but does not resolve personal complaints or award compensation. Complain to United Airlines directly first and keep written records, then escalate to the airline's approved ADR scheme, or the CAA if it has none if it stays unresolved after 8 weeks or you receive a deadlock or final-response letter. You can still report United Airlines to the CAA to flag systemic problems, but that will not get your own money back.

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 United Airlines 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 United Airlines 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 United Airlines hasn’t sorted it within 8 weeks, or sends a final response sooner, you can take it to the airline's approved ADR scheme, or the CAA if it has none.

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 customercare@united.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 United Airlines hasn't sorted it within 8 weeks, you can escalate free to the airline's approved ADR scheme, or the CAA if it has none.

Send complaints to customercare@united.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.

United Airlines complaints can be escalated to the airline's approved ADR scheme, or the CAA if it has none, free of charge, after 8 weeks or a deadlock letter. Complain to United Airlines directly first: the ombudsman only takes your case once the company has had a chance to fix it, and an approved scheme's decision binds United Airlines, while the CAA can only advise.

Not for an individual dispute: the CAA regulates the industry but doesn't resolve personal complaints. Your route is to complain to United Airlines in writing, then escalate to the airline's approved ADR scheme, or the CAA if it has none for a free decision. You can still report United Airlines to the CAA to flag systemic problems.

Only leaving the UK. United Airlines 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 United Airlines complaint

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

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 United Airlines? Reply to complaints here.

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Disclaimer: NoReply is an independent consumer advocacy platform. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to United Airlines or any of the companies listed on this site. Where an address is marked verified, we read it on United Airlines’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 United Airlines. This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.