Delayed flight

Your rights when the flight is delayed

• In the EU there are specific rules for flights. These rules can give you the right to seek assistance and compensation when a flight is delayed.

• Use our flight calculator to find out what applies in your situation, for example how much compensation you are entitled to.

1. Calculate what you can claim of the airline

When your flight is delayed or canceled, 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.

Try the Flight Calculator

Send your demand to the airline

Always contact the airline to make your demands. 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 delayed flight.

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

Waiting for a response from the airline

Once you have sent your complaint 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.

2. Your rights in case of flight delays

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 delayed 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 canceled. 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.

Assistance from the airline

If your flight is delayed by at least 2 hours, and the flight is covered by the EU rules, the airline must offer you free food and drink in reasonable proportion. The airline must also inform you of what rights you have. If the airline does not offer food and drink, you can request compensation for expenses that have been necessary, appropriate and reasonable for you during the delay.

Free overnight accommodation at a hotel in case of delay of one or more nights

If you are delayed for one or more nights, the airline is also obligated to arrange overnight accommodation at a hotel. The airline should also cover the transportation between the hotel and the airport. If the airline does not offer free accommodation, you can request compensation for necessary, appropriate and reasonable expenses incurred.

A delay of more than 5 hours

If your flight departs to the final destination more than 5 hours late, the airline must offer you a refund for the part of the ticket you have not been able to use.

If you have already travelled your first leg of the flight journey, but the delay has ruined your purpose to carry on to your final destination, you do have the right to receive a full refund of the entire ticket cost. You also have the right to be booked on a return flight to the original point of departure as soon as possible.

When you accept a refund, you cannot at the same time require the airline to fly you to your destination free of charge.

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.

Your right to financial compensation

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

• The compensation is intended to compensate you for time you lost because of the delay.

• Compensation is about reimbursing you for any extra expenses you incur.

Compensation

In order to be entitled to compensation, the air travel must be covered by the EU rules and the delay must be 3 hours or longer.

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

• EUR 250 for flights of no more than 1,500 km.

• EUR 400 for flights between 1,500–3,500 km.

• EUR 400 for 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.

To the Flight Calculator

When you are not entitled to compensation

The airline is not obliged to pay financial compensation if the delayed or 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.

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.

If you do not agree with the airline, there are places you can forward your case to in order to get a free and impartial assessment. Read more about it in step 4, Have your case reviewed.

The compensation can be cut in half for longer flights

For flights over 3,500 kilometers that are not solely within the EU, the amount may be halved if the delay is more than 3 hours but less than 4 hours.

Example: You fly from Sweden to Thailand. In this case, the flight is longer than 3,500 kilometers, and you are entitled to 600 EUR in compensation if the flight is delayed by at least 3 hours. However, if the flight is delayed by a maximum of 4 hours, the compensation is halved to 300 EUR.

Damages

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

Exampel of expenses you may be entitled to be compensated for

• food and drinks

• missed hotel nights

• loss of income

It is important that 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 of the receipts for your expenses as evidence. If you want compensation for lost income, you will need a certificate from your employer. You can receive a maximum of 4,694 SDR, which corresponds to approximately 68,000 SEK (the amount in kronor depends on the exchange rate).

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. You cannot receive financial compensation for mental suffering, the trouble of having to wait, feelings of discomfort or similar difficulties due to the delayed flight.

3. If you need guidance

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 form 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

• the Property Irregularity Report

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 us at the information service.

Contact the information service

4. 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 in which country the flight issue took place.

When the flight issue happened in 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

When the flight issue happened in 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

5. Report to the Swedish Consumer Agency

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 canceled flight.

• You have not received your refund in a timely manner.

• The airline has not informed you about your rights.

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