Airlines in bankruptcy
Flygbolag i konkurs - Engelska
If the airline files for bankruptcy, it is often difficult to get your money back for tickets or a compensation for other costs. Your best chance of getting money back is if you paid for the tickets with a credit card.
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Translated page: This text has been translated from Swedish. The text and appearance of the page may look different from the original page.
If you paid by credit card or invoice
A credit card is a card where the money is not withdrawn directly from your bank account. Instead, you receive a bill afterwards for the purchases you have made. If you paid for the airline ticket with a credit card or by invoice, there is a chance for you to get the money back from your bank.
With credit payments, you are protected by the Consumer Credit Act. This gives you the possibility to make the same demands towards the creditor, like the bank, as towards the seller, in this case the airline. Contact the bank and explain that you want to dispute the cost in accordance with the Consumer Credit Act.
If you paid for the airline ticket with a card other than a credit card
If you paid for the airline ticket with a card other than a credit card, the card company may have its own rules that give you the right to compensation. What applies depends on what is stated in the card company’s terms and conditions. Contact the card company and ask what applies to your card.
If you bought package travel
If you have bought a travel package and the airline company for the trip enters bankruptcy, you must contact the travel organiser to get help. The organiser has a responsibility to arrange replacement travel for you. If the organiser cannot arrange a different journey and you cannot depart on the trip, you have a right to get the money back for the trip. If you are at the destination, the organiser must ensure that you are transported back to your point of departure.
If it is a package travel organiser that enters bankruptcy, you can read more about it here.
Insurance when airlines enter bankruptcy
The travel cover of home-owner’s insurance does not normally apply when an airline enters bankruptcy, nor do other travel insurance policies. There are insurance policies that can protect you from airline bankruptcies. If you have signed an insurance policy against airline bankruptcy, contact the place where you signed the insurance. There is an insurance company cancellation cover that includes airline bankruptcy, but it is a special supplement that needs to be signed.
Read more about insurance on the website of the Swedish Consumer’s Insurance Bureau
Direct claims to the bankruptcy estate
If the airline enters bankruptcy, there is a possibility to file claims for compensation with the airline’s bankruptcy trustee. Contact the bankruptcy trustee in writing and explain clearly what compensation you are claiming.
A bankruptcy estate often has other debts that have a higher priority than the debt to you as a consumer, which makes it difficult to get money back from the bankruptcy estate.
Source: KonsumentverketKonsument Europa
This website is co-financed by the European Union. ECC Sweden is part of the Swedish Consumer Agency and is co-financed by the EU.