Denied boarding
Nekad ombordstigning - Engelska
If you have been denied boarding because of, for example, an overbooked flight, you have the right to assistance and compensation from the airline.
Cooperation:This website is co-funded by the European Union.
Translated page: This text has been translated from Swedish. The text and appearance of the page may look different from the original page.
Find out your rights and make a claim
Calculate what you can claim of the airline
If you have been denied boarding, 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.
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 denied you boarding. If you are claiming compensation for costs that occurred because you were denied boarding, 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.
Specific rules for denied boarding within the EU
Within the EU there are specific regulations for flights. These regulations can entitle you to assistance when you have been denied boarding. 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.
If your flight is not covered by EU rules, your right to compensation may be different from when EU rules apply. Contact the airline to find out what applies to your trip.
When can the airline deny boarding?
If a flight is overbooked, the airline must first ask if there is anyone who volunteers to not board the plane in exchange for compensation. The volunteers should also be offered 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.
If there were not enough volunteers the airline may have the right to deny boarding. If you are denied boarding against your will, you have the right to assistance and compensation from the airline.
If you do not have valid travel documents
It is your responsibility to have valid travel documents. It is important that you check what documents are needed for your trip. It is your responsibility to have, for example, a valid passport, visa and valid ticket. It is also your responsibility to check in on time.
You are not entitled to assistance or compensation if you are denied boarding because of missing travel documents.
If the airline has made an error, you may be entitled to both help and compensation from the airline.
Right to assistance from the airline
If you are denied boarding against your will, you are entitled to assistance and compensation from the airline.
Refund or rebooking
If you are denied boarding against your will the airline should offer you 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.
If the trip is rebooked, it should be rebooked to a comparable trip.
You are entitled to food, drinks and hotel accommodation
When you are denied boarding against your will, you are entitled to assistance from the airline. The airline should for example offer you free food and drinks in reasonable proportion to the wait. This is if you have accepted to be rebooked to the next available flight.
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 food, drink, or accommodation, you can request reimbursement for necessary, appropriate and reasonable expenses incurred.
If EU rules do not apply
If EU rules do not apply to your flight, it is not sure that you can demand assistance from the airline. The rules are different in different countries. Contact the airline to find out what goes for your trip.
Even if EU rules do not apply to your trip, you might not have the right to demand compensation for damages. Read more about it under the headline “Compensation for damages”.
Your right to financial compensation
There are two different kinds of financial compensation that you may be entitled to when you have been denied boarding:
General compensation.
Compensation for damages reimbursing you for extra expenses you incur.
General compensation
Have you been denied boarding and is your flight subject to EU regulation? In that case you might have the right to compensation in the form of a standard amount. You can demand the following amounts:
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.
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.
In these cases, you are not entitled to compensation
In some cases, the airline might have the right to deny you boarding without offering assistance or compensation. Situations where the airline has the right to deny you boarding:
if you do not have valid travel documents
if you have not paid your ticket on time
if you do not have passport or visa when needed
If you have not checked in on time
if you are a security risk or if your luggage is a security risk
if you refused to undergo security check.
There is no exception for extraordinary circumstances
When you have been denied boarding you always have the right to compensation, except for in the situations listed above. This means that you have the right to compensation even if the airline says that you do not because of extraordinary circumstances.
No right to compensation if you have volunteered to give up the seat
If you have volunteered to give up your seat, you do not have the right to compensation.
Compensation for damages
You may have the right to compensation for damages you incurred because you were denied boarding. This may include missing a hotel night or lost income.
You must be able to prove what expenses you had, for example with receipts. If you lost income, you need to provide a certificate from your employer.
What to do if your claim is rejected
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.
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 the information service
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 turn to ARN.
It costs SEK 150 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.
Source: Konsument EuropaKonsumentverket
Proofread: 3 June 2024
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.