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    Can You Claim Flight Compensation for Old Flights?

    In the UK you can claim flight compensation going back 6 years. Here's what you need, how to find old flight details, and whether it's worth doing.

    2026-03-014 min readThe UK limitation period for flight compensation claims under the Limitation Act 1980.SentoBot Editorial
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    Yes — if you had a delayed or cancelled flight and never claimed, it might not be too late. In the UK, the Limitation Act 1980 gives you 6 years to make a contract claim, which is what a flight compensation claim is based on.

    How Far Back Can You Go?

    • UK and EU flights: Up to 6 years
    • Some EU countries differ: France 5 years, Germany 3 years, Spain 5 years. The law of the country where the airline is based can affect this.

    For most UK travellers on UK carriers, 6 years is the practical limit. So a delayed easyJet flight from Gatwick in 2020? Potentially still claimable.

    What Do You Need to Make a Historic Claim?

    • Flight number and date
    • Booking confirmation or e-ticket (check old emails)
    • Boarding passes (sometimes stored in Apple Wallet or Google Pay)
    • Any emails from the airline about the disruption

    How to Find Old Flight Details

    • Search your email for the airline name or "boarding pass"
    • Check your bank/credit card statements for airline charges around that date
    • Log into the airline's website — most keep booking history for several years
    • Flight tracking sites like FlightAware keep historical delay data

    You Don't Need the Exact Minutes: Compensation services have access to historical flight performance databases. If you know the flight number and date, they can usually determine the exact delay length from official records.

    Is It Worth Claiming for Old Flights?

    If the flight qualifies and the amount is €250–€600 per passenger, almost certainly yes. A no-win, no-fee service costs you nothing to try. The only thing you spend is 10 minutes filling in the claim form.

    START TODAY

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    Sento earns a referral if you click through our links — this never affects our recommendations. Prices and details correct at time of publication. Updated 2026-03-01.