The airline is not answering your claim
Updated
You sent your compensation claim weeks ago. Maybe you got an automatic reply with a case number, maybe nothing at all. Silence is not a refusal and not an answer, but it does not have to stop you. After a set wait you can take the case further without the airline's reply.
How long to wait
Each country's complaint body expects you to give the airline a chance to answer first:
- Sweden: a company should normally answer within about four weeks. Then you can go to ARN.
- Norway: if you have no final written answer within 4 weeks (8 weeks after an interim reply), you can go to Transportklagenemnda.
- Denmark: the airline has up to 6 weeks to answer. Then you can complain to Trafikstyrelsen.
- Finland: no fixed waiting period is published. Contact KKV consumer advice, or ECC Finland if the airline is based in another EU/EEA country or the UK, before KRIL.
The body that takes your case depends on where the disruption happened, not on where you live. Norway's board takes any flight to, from or within Norway.
Watch the clock while you wait
Waiting does not pause the deadlines:
- Sweden: you must file with ARN within 1 year of your first complaint to the airline.
- Norway: file with Transportklagenemnda within 1 year of your written complaint. The 3-year limitation from the flight keeps running, and writing to the airline does not stop it.
- Denmark: 3 years from the flight.
- Finland: 3 years, but each written claim you send restarts the period. A reminder letter helps here.
More on this: EU261 time limits in the Nordics.
Send one reminder
A short reminder gives you a clear date to point to. Something like this:
"On [date] I claimed compensation under Regulation (EC) 261/2004 for flight [number] on [date], booking reference [ref], case number [if any]. I have had no answer. Please pay €[amount] per passenger within 14 days, or send a written decision with the documents you rely on. If I do not hear from you, I will take the case to [board]."
The 14 days is your choice, not a legal rule. Send it through the same channel as your claim, and keep a copy.
What to send the board
- your original claim and the reminder, with dates
- any automatic replies or case numbers
- booking confirmation and boarding passes
- proof of the delay or cancellation (emails, texts, screenshots of the arrival time)
- receipts for meals, hotel or transport
- in Finland and Denmark: a signed power of attorney from each adult co-passenger
Step by step
- Send the reminder and wait the period for your country.
- File with the board. Details in our Nordic complaint boards guide.
- Finland: KRIL, free, online form or kril@oikeus.fi. EU261 cases can be filed in English.
- Sweden: ARN at arn.se, 150 kr, minimum claim 750 kr. The travel form exists in English, but English filing is not confirmed.
- Denmark: Trafikstyrelsen through borger.dk, MitID required. If you have no MitID, contact info@trafikstyrelsen.dk.
- Norway: Transportklagenemnda via www.reiselivsforum.no, free, Norwegian or English.
- Court is possible at any time, and is the last step if the airline ignores a board decision too.
When it is worth it, and when not
Silence often means a claim sits in a queue. A board complaint usually forces an answer. If the airline does not answer the board either, that tends to count against it: in one reported Norwegian case, Widerøe sent no reply to the board and the passenger was awarded €250.
It is less useful if the flight is close to the limitation period. Then go straight to the board or court rather than waiting longer.
Appeal My Flight writes the reminder and the board complaint for €29 per booking. You send it yourself and keep the payout.
See also the airline rejected your claim.
FAQ
The airline only sent an automatic reply. Does the wait start then?
Count from the date you sent your claim. Keep the automatic reply as proof it arrived.
Can I skip the airline and go straight to the board?
No. Every Nordic board requires a written claim to the airline first. Most also expect you to wait for its answer.
The airline offered a voucher instead. Do I have to take it?
No. A voucher replaces cash compensation only if you agree to it in writing.