Vueling does not give you a form to fill in. Compensation requests go through a chat assistant on its website, which means you leave with less of a paper trail than with other airlines. Plan for that from the start: keep your own record of what you sent and when.
Which Vueling flights are covered
Vueling is licensed in Spain and is part of the same group as Iberia and British Airways. Its flights fall under:
- EU261 on every departure from an EU or EEA airport (Art. 3(1)(a), Regulation 261/2004);
- EU261 on flights into the EU from outside it, such as from Morocco or the UK, because the operating carrier is an EU airline (Art. 3(1)(b));
- UK261 on every departure from a UK airport.
A Vueling flight sold under an Iberia or British Airways number is still Vueling’s responsibility, because the operating carrier is liable (Art. 3(5)).
Amounts
Vueling’s help page states that the delay is counted at arrival: 3 hours or more at your destination gives the right to request compensation, unless the cause was extraordinary. The same amounts apply to a cancellation notified less than 14 days before departure (Art. 5(1)(c)) and to denied boarding.
| Flight distance | EU261 | UK261 |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | €250 | £220 |
| 1,500–3,500 km | €400 | £350 |
| Over 3,500 km | €600 | £520 |
Two details Vueling’s table leaves out:
- A flight inside the EU longer than 1,500 km is always in the €400 band, whatever its length (Art. 7(1)(b)).
- The amount is halved when you are rerouted and arrive within 2, 3 or 4 hours of the original time, depending on the band (Art. 7(2)).
Vueling also explains what you get before compensation comes into it:
- After 2 hours of delay: its ground staff should give you meal vouchers and two calls or messages, plus a hotel and transfers if you have to wait overnight.
- After 5 hours: you can drop the trip and get a full refund within 7 days (Art. 8).
Good to know
A reform of EU261 adopted in 2026 keeps the three-hour threshold and these amounts; its new rules do not apply yet.
Where to file
Open Vueling’s compensation assistant. The chat asks you to identify the booking in one of two ways:
- booking code and the e-mail address used to book; or
- booking code, departure airport and date of the first flight.
Vueling’s help centre lists separate assistants for refunds, baggage incidents, complaints and checking the status of a case.
Because the claim is made in a chat window:
- screenshot the conversation, including any case number;
- note the date and time;
- if the assistant gives no clear answer, send a written demand as well. Our claim letter has the wording.
Tip
A dated written claim is what AESA and the courts will ask to see.
If Vueling refuses or does not reply
AESA. For flights departing Spain, and flights arriving in Spain from outside the EU on an EU airline, the Agencia Estatal de Seguridad Aérea runs a free dispute procedure. According to AESA:
- you must claim from the airline first, within five years of the incident;
- after one month without a reply, or with a reply you reject, you can file with AESA within one year of that first claim;
- AESA decides within 90 days of having the full file;
- the decision binds the airline, which has one month to comply. It does not bind you.
Flights from France, Italy or another EU country. Vueling has bases outside Spain. The enforcement body of the country of departure is the competent one.
Flights from the UK. Complain to Vueling first. Vueling is not listed as a member of an approved ADR body, so the next step is the Civil Aviation Authority’s passenger team or the county court.
Court. The European Small Claims Procedure covers cross-border claims in the EU up to €5,000 (Regulation (EC) No 861/2007).
Not sure whether the cause counts as extraordinary? See extraordinary circumstances, or run the flight through the rights calculator.