Routes / LHR–EDI
534 km great circle · Up to 1,500 km
London LHR to Edinburgh EDI delay compensation
London Heathrow Airport to Edinburgh Airport is 534 km by great circle, a domestic United Kingdom route. Under UK261 that is £220 per passenger when you arrive 3+ hours late.
- 1London LHR
- 2Edinburgh EDI
- 3Great circle 534 km
- 4UK261 band £220
Which rules cover LHR–EDI
London → Edinburgh
Whatever the airline, this direction is covered by UK261 (the flight departs from the UK (Article 3(1)(a)), whatever the airline).
Edinburgh → London
Whatever the airline, this direction is covered by UK261 (the flight departs from the UK (Article 3(1)(a)), whatever the airline).
What you could be owed by hours late
Arrival delay at EDI (or LHR on the return), for a delay caused by the airline, per passenger, where each rule applies:
| Hours late | UK261 |
|---|---|
| 2 hours | £0 |
| 3 h 30 min | £220 |
| 4 h 30 min | £220 |
| 6 h 30 min | £220 |
| 9 h 30 min | £220 |
At 534 km the amount is the same from 3 hours late onwards — there is no extra for longer delays under the EU and UK rules.
The distance and the band
EU261 and UK261 measure distance "by the great circle route method" between the departure airport and the final destination. From the published coordinates of London Heathrow Airport (51.470748, -0.459909) and Edinburgh Airport (55.950145, -3.372288) that is 534 km. The nearest band boundary is 1,500 km, 966 km beyond this route, so the band is not in doubt. Among the 17 routes on this site in the up to 1,500 km band, it is number 11 by length.
Other routes from London Heathrow Airport (EGLL) on this site: New York (5,540 km), Los Angeles (8,760 km), Toronto (5,707 km), Dubai (5,498 km), Boston (5,240 km), Dublin (449 km), Paris (347 km), Frankfurt (654 km), Amsterdam (370 km), Athens (2,427 km), Helsinki (1,848 km), Glasgow (555 km).
Other routes from Edinburgh Airport (EGPH) on this site: Amsterdam (666 km).
If LHR–EDI is only one leg of your booking, measure to the final destination instead: a connection that makes you late at the end is compensated over the whole journey's distance.
Help at the airport while you wait
On a flight of this length, meals and refreshments are owed once the departure is 2 hours late under UK261, and a hotel with transport if you have to stay overnight — whatever caused the delay. Keep receipts for anything you buy: it is claimed back separately from any compensation.
Claiming on this route
Claim from the operating airline directly — it costs nothing.
UK261: If the airline's final answer is unsatisfactory, or it has not answered within eight weeks, go to the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) body the airline belongs to, or to the CAA's Passenger Advice and Complaints Team if it belongs to none.
Claim pages of airlines based in United Kingdom (whether they fly this exact route varies by season):
- British Airways: Flight cancellation compensation (British Airways)
- easyJet: Delays and cancellations (easyJet)
- Virgin Atlantic: Claims for flight disruption (Virgin Atlantic)
- Jet2: Flight delay and cancellation claims (Jet2)
Airport coordinates: OurAirports country file (GB). Rules: UK Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, Article 7 (legislation.gov.uk). Checked 2026-10-20. General information, not legal advice.