Changed departure time for flight

Your rights as a passenger

• The flight has an earlier departure time

  If your flight has been brought forward, your rights are dependent on if the flight can be considered cancelled or not and if the flight is covered by EU rules.

  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 and French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion Island, Mayotte, Saint-Martin (French Antilles), the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands (The Faroe Islands is not included).

  If your flight is not covered by the EU rules, it is the terms and conditions of your flight ticket and possibly legislation in other countries that determines what your rights are.

  If the departure time is more than one hour earlier the flight is considered cancelled

  You should be given the choice between rebooking the flight or receiving a refund for the ticket. You may also be entitled to compensation

  If the departure time is brought forward less than one hour, the flight is not considered cancelled. This means that you do not have the right to compensation or rebooking.

  Read more about your rights when a flight is cancelled

  Do you have the right to compensation?

  If the flight has been cancelled and the air travel is covered by EU rules, you might have the right to compensation in the form of a standard amount. The amount is between 250 – 600 euros. The compensation is intended to compensate you for the time you lost.

  You are not entitled to compensation if you received information on the schedule change 14 days or more before the planned departure. You also do not have the right to compensation if the flight was changed because of extraordinary circumstances that was beyond the airline´s control and could not have been avoided even if all reasonable steps are taken.

  Compensation for expenses

  You might have the right to compensation for expenses that are directly linked to the schedule change. You must be able to prove what expenses you had, and they must be tied to the delay. Save all the receipts for your expenses as evidence.

• The flight has been postponed

  Has the airline changed your departure time so it departs later?

  It is difficult to answer what you are entitled to because it is not stated in the EU’s flight regulations.

  Start by reading the terms and conditions of your ticket. Airlines often state in their terms what applies in case of a changed departure time.

  Has your departure been postponed by several hours? Do you think the new flight time affects you significantly? Contact the airline and argue for a rebooking or refund. Explain how the rebooking affects you. Write to the airline and keep a copy.

  If you have incurred extra costs or require other financial compensation, include this in your claim.

  If the airline says no, you can proceed for an assessment. What applies must be determined on a case-by-case basis.

  Changed flight number or route

  If the flight number or route for your flight has changed, it is likely considered a cancelled flight. For a cancelled flight covered by EU regulations, you always have the right to choose between a refund or rebooking.

  More information on cancelled flights

• Have your case reviewed

  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.

  It costs 150 SEK to file a complaint with 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