Cancelled flight

When your flight is delayed or cancelled, you may be entitled to assistance and compensation from the airline. Feel free to use our free tool, the Flight Calculator. By answering questions, you will find out what rights you have, such as whether and how much compensation you are entitled to.

The Flight Calculator

Send your claim to the airline

Always contact the airline to make your claims. If you have bought your ticket from a travel agency you should still contact the airline. If your booking includes several flights with different airlines, you should contact the airline that is responsible for the cancelled flight.

If you are claiming compensation for costs that occurred because of the cancelled flight, you need to send proof of the costs, for example receipts. You should send your claims within 2 months from the incident.

Wait for a response from the airline

Once you have sent your claim to the airline, you need to wait for an answer. It usually takes a few weeks to get an answer, but if you have waited more than 6 weeks without getting an answer, you can take the next step with your case.

You can use our Flight Calculator to find out about your rights. However, here you can find more detailed information about your rights.

Specific rules for cancelled flights within the EU

Within the EU there are specific regulations for flights. These regulations can entitle you to assistance when the flight is delayed or cancelled. You may also be entitled to compensation.

The EU rules apply in the following cases:

• When you are flying from an airport within the EU.
• When you are flying from an airport outside the EU to an airport within the EU with an airline registered in the EU.

The rules also apply to Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Réunion, Mayotte, Saint-Martin (French Antilles), the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands (but not the Faroe Islands) in the same way as for all EU countries.

When your flight is cancelled and it is covered by the EU rules, you are always entitled to one of the following options:

• Rebooking to the next available flight.
• Rebooking to a later date.
• A refund for the part of the ticket you were unable to use.

The airline must always offer you the choice between rebooking and a refund. This applies regardless of the reason that the flight is cancelled, and regardless of when you received the information that the flight was cancelled.

Rebooking

If the trip is rebooked, it should be rebooked to a comparable trip.

You are entitled to information, food and drinks

The airline should offer you free food and drink in reasonable proportion to the wait. The airline must also inform you of what rights you have.

The airline should provide hotel accommodation if it is necessary

If you have chosen to be rebooked to the next available flight and it means that you remain at the airport or at the destination one or more nights, the airline must pay for an overnight stay at a hotel. They should also provide transportation to and from the airport. If the airline does not offer free accommodation, you can request compensation for such expenses that have been necessary, appropriate and reasonable.

Rebooking with another airline

If your airline cannot arrange a rebooking to your destination as soon as possible, you can demand a rebooking with another airline. For example, if your airline can offer another flight only in two days, but another airline can offer a journey on the same day.

Always contact your airline first before arranging a new flight ticket yourself.

If your request of rebooking your flight is denied

If you have requested the airline to rebook your flight, but the airline declined it, you can buy a new ticket for an equivalent journey yourself and then claim compensation for it. You can also claim compensation for your expenses for food, drink and hotel costs. Remember to keep all receipts.

Refund

If your journey no longer serves any purpose, you have the right to receive a full refund of the entire ticket cost, even for the part of the journey you have already used.

How and when will you receive a refund?

When you are to receive a refund, the airline is obliged to pay back your ticket costs within 7 days. A refund shall be made in cash, with an electronic bank transfer, bank giro transfer or check. If you agree to it, a refund can be made through vouchers or in another manner.

If the refund is not made on time, you can also request late payment interest from the airline. Inform the airline in writing that you are demanding interest from the day the refund should have been made.

If you have paid via credit

If you have paid via any form of credit, such as a credit card or invoice, you are protected by the Consumer Credit Act. This means you can make the same claims against your credit provider/bank as you would against the company. You can therefore demand a refund from your credit provider/bank if the company does not refund you. In such cases, contact the credit provider and explain that you want to use the right of objection under the Consumer Credit Act.

More information

Contact the enforcement authority for help

If you have written evidence that you are entitled to a refund, but the company still does not refund you, you can turn to the Enforcement Authority. You might be able to apply for a so-called payment order or European payment order if the airline is within the EU.

If you can show that you have also demanded late payment interest from the company, you can include this in your application.

Contact the Enforcement Authority for more information on how it works and what it costs. Note that the fee charged by the Enforcement Authority can also be claimed from the company.

Apply for a payment order on the Enforcement Authority’s website

You cannot demand to continue flying for free

If you accept a refund, you cannot simultaneously request the airline to fly you to your destination free of charge.

A refund of the ticket means that the agreement with the airline is ended, and that you now are responsible for getting home yourself. Then, the airline does not need to pay for food, drink or hotel costs, for example. However, in some cases, you may request a complimentary flight back to the departure point as soon as possible. But only if the purpose of your trip has been lost due to the cancelled flight.

You may be entitled to compensation and damages when your flight is cancelled.

• Compensation involves reimbursing you for lost time.
• Damages involve reimbursing you for extra expenses you incur.

You may be entitled to compensation when your flight has been cancelled, if your air travel is covered by the EU rules.

How much you are entitled to depends on the length of the flight

• EUR 250 for all flights of no more than 1,500 km.
• EUR 400 for all flights between 1,500 km–3,500 km.
• EUR 400 for all flights within the EU that are longer than 3,500 km.
• EUR 600 for flights that are longer than 3,500 km and have not been fully carried out within the EU.

How is the length of the journey calculated?

The length of the flight is calculated from the departure point to the final destination. How you should calculate depends on whether your ticket is considered continuously or not. If you have a layover, for example Stockholm - Copenhagen - New York, the distance is calculated from Stockholm directly to New York. If you have purchased individual tickets, the distances are calculated separately.

Use our free tool the Flight Calculator to calculate how much compensation you are entitled to.

The Flight Calculator

Did you travel with one single ticket or with separate tickets?

If you have one single ticket for the entire journey that means that stopovers are included in the journey. When you have a single ticket, you usually only need to check in once. It is also usually indicated when you book the ticket if it is one single ticket or if there are several different tickets.

If you only have one booking number, it is usually a single ticket. If there are several different booking numbers, there are probably separate tickets.

When you are not entitled to compensation

You are not entitled to compensation if you received information about the change:

• 14 days or more before the planned departure.
• 7–13 days before the planned departure, and your new departure time is no more than 2 hours before the original departure time and your new arrival time is no later than 4 hours after the original arrival time.
• 6 day or less before the planned departure, and your new departure time is no more than 1 hour before the original departure and your new arrival time is no later than 2 hours after your original arrival time.

The airline is not obliged to pay financial compensation if the cancelled flight is due to extraordinary circumstances. Extraordinary circumstances mean events that are beyond the airline’s control and cannot be avoided even if all reasonable steps are taken.

Examples of circumstances that may be extraordinary:

• political instability
• weather conditions that make it impossible to fly
• security risks
• unforeseen deficiencies in flight safety
• when a strike happens that affects the operations of the airline.

Strikes among the airline's own staff are usually not considered extraordinary circumstances. Neither are technical faults on the aircraft.

The compensation can be cut in half

The compensation can be halved if you are offered rebooking. What determines whether the compensation can be halved is how many hours delayed you are compared to your original arrival time. If you do not accept the suggested rebooking, your original arrival time is compared with the suggested one to determine if the compensation should be halved.

In the following cases, your compensation may be halved:

• When the flight distance is up to 1,500 km, the compensation is 250 EUR. If the proposed rebooking results in a delay of less than 2 hours, the compensation can be halved to 125 EUR.
• When the flight distance is between 1,500 and 3,500 km, the compensation is 400 EUR. If the proposed rebooking results in a delay of less than 3 hours, the compensation can be halved to 200 EUR.
• When the flight distance is more than 3,500 km and would not be entirely within the EU, the basic compensation is 600 EUR. If the proposed rebooking results in a delay of less than 4 hours, the compensation can be halved to 300 EUR.

When are you entitled to compensation?

You may be entitled to compensation if your flight is delayed or cancelled. Compensation refers to reimbursement for expenses you incur due to the delayed or cancelled flight.

Expenses you may be entitled to get compensation for

• food and drinks
• missed hotel nights
• loss of income

It is important you limit your expenses. Otherwise you may only receive compensation for part of your expenses.

You must be able to prove what expenses you had, and they must be tied to the delay. Save all receipts for your expenses as evidence. If you want compensation for lost income, you will need a certificate from your employer.

The airline does not need to compensate you for your expenses if they can demonstrate that they have done everything reasonably required to avoid the flight issue.

If you believe the airline is breaking the rules, please file a report to the Swedish Consumer Agency.

Examples of such situations:

• The airline has not offered you a refund or helped you to rebook a cancelled flight.
• You have not received your refund in a timely manner.
• The airline has not informed you about your rights.

The Swedish Consumer Agency does not investigate or decide on your individual case, but complaints are important for supervisory work. The Consumer Agency ensures that companies comply with the rules and can take action against those who do not.

File a report on the Swedish Consumer Agency's website (in Swedish)

Do you want guidance or an assessment of your personal case? Find more information under the section "What to do if your claim is rejected".

The airline is not obliged to pay financial compensation if the delayed or cancelled flight is due to extraordinary circumstances. Extraordinary circumstances (also called force majeure) mean events that are beyond the airline’s control and cannot be avoided even if all reasonable steps are taken.

Examples of circumstances that may be extraordinary:

• political instability
• weather conditions that make it impossible to fly
• security risks
• unforeseen deficiencies in flight safety
• when a strike happens that affects the operations of the airline.

Strikes among the airline's own staff are usually not considered extraordinary circumstances. Neither are technical faults on the aircraft.

Who determines if it is an extraordinary circumstance?

There are no defined situations that are always considered to be extraordinary. This must be assessed case by case.

It is up to the airline to prove that the delayed or cancelled flight was due to an extraordinary circumstance. The airline must also be able to prove that they did everything they could to avoid the flight being delayed or cancelled.

Travel with a Swedish airline or an airline not registered within the EU

The Swedish Consumer Agency

If you need guidance, you can contact our national information service. We can provide information on your rights and what options you have to make progress. We provide independent guidance and therefore cannot assess your individual matter, resolve disputes or contact companies for you.

Contact us

Municipality's Consumer Guidance

Many municipalities provide consumer guidance where you can seek free information and support. The assistance offered may vary from one municipality to another.

Travel with an airline from another country within the EU, Norway, Iceland or the United Kingdom

If you are residing in Sweden and the airline you have issues with is registered in another EU country, Norway, Iceland or the United Kingdom, you can receive free advice from ECC Sweden. ECC Sweden is part of a network of consumer offices within the EU. In some cases, ECC Sweden may share the case with a sister office in another country to attempt to reach a solution through mediation.

Contact ECC Sweden

Before contacting ECC Sweden you need to have lodged a claim with the airline first.

To ECC Sweden, you need to submit a description of the problem and documentation showing what has happened. Documentation is necessary if your case is to be shared with any sister office in another country. Remember to keep your originals and only send copies to ECC Sweden.

Send your case via email to: konsumenteuropa@konsumentverket.se

The email should include:

• your contact information and the airline's name
• your ticket or boarding card
• a copy of your complaint and the claims you have made
• receipts
• the airlines reply

Once you have submitted your case, you will usually receive a response within approximately a couple of weeks.

ECC Sweden cannot

• Force a company to act according to the law. The work is based on the company being willing to cooperate with the ECC network to reach a resolution.
• Mediate in a case if we cannot identify the seller or if the seller refuses to cooperate with the ECC network.
• Act as legal representation or assist when the consumer has already initiated legal proceedings.
• Assist in purchases between businesses or purchases between individuals.

If you have any questions

ECC Sweden is part of the Swedish Consumer Agency. Do you need help clarifying your rights or want to discuss if and how you can proceed with your case? Then you can contact the information service.

Contact us

There are several different authorities that can assess your case if the airline rejects your claims. Which one depends, among other things, on the type of compensation you demand and what country you flew from.

If you flew from Sweden

In Sweden it is the National Board for Consumer Disputes (ARN) that can assess whether you are entitled to financial compensation, the airline has rejected your claims. If you flew from or were supposed to fly from Sweden, you can always turn to ARN.

Submit a complaint on ARN's website

If you flew from another country than Sweden

There are two types of financial compensation you may be entitled to – compensation and damages.

Compensation

Compensation is provided in the form of a sum from 250 to 600 EUR. The compensation aims to reimburse you for time lost due to, for example, a delayed or canceled flight, or because you were denied boarding.

Damages

Damages are compensation for expenses incurred due to, for example, a delayed or canceled flight, or because you were denied boarding. This may include needing to buy food at the airport, missing a hotel night or losing income.

Where to turn if you demand damages

If you demand damages, you can turn to the National Board for Consumer Disputes (ARN). This applies if you demand damages only or if you demand both damages and compensation.

Submit a complaint on ARN's website

Where to turn to if you only demand compensation

If you only demand compensation, you should contact an authority in the country you flew from or were supposed to fly from. Below you will find a list of authorities within the EU where you can send your case. The different authorities operate in different ways and not all of them handle individual cases.

List of authorities within the EU

Are you unsure which authority to turn to?

If you are unsure where to send your case, you can always contact us. We can also assist you with information about what you can do to have your case assessed or if the authority in the country you need to contact does not handle individual cases.

Contact us