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Brussels Airlines said no to your compensation claim

Updated
General information, not legal advice. The outcome depends on the facts of your case.

Your Brussels Airlines flight between Brussels and Copenhagen, Stockholm, Gothenburg or Oslo was hours late or cancelled, and the airline said no. Often the reason is a strike in Belgium. That can hold, but not always, and Brussels Airlines still has to prove it did what it could to get you there.

We are not affiliated with Brussels Airlines and do not act for it.

Which rules apply to Brussels Airlines

Brussels Airlines SA/NV is a Belgian airline in the Lufthansa Group, with its hub at Brussels Airport. As an EU airline it is covered by Regulation 261/2004 on flights out of the Nordics and on flights back, and on its flights into the EU from outside Europe. Its own passenger-rights notice says the same.

Brussels to Copenhagen (754 km), Gothenburg (905 km) and Oslo (1,113 km) are all under 1,500 km, so compensation is €250 per passenger for an arrival 3 hours or more late. On a connection the distance is measured in a straight line from the first departure to the final destination, not the distance flown. The EU Court decided that in a case against Brussels Airlines (Bossen C-559/16). See missed connection.

This winter Brussels Airlines adds Kittilä, Kemi and Evenes (press release, 17 August 2026).

Check who flew the plane

Brussels Airlines' notice says the airline that operated the disrupted flight is responsible. On its Copenhagen timetable, two flights, SN2265 Brussels–Copenhagen and SN2264 Copenhagen–Brussels, are marked "Operated by: BT", which is airBaltic. If your flight was one of those, the claim goes to airBaltic. See airBaltic rejected your claim.

What Brussels Airlines says, and what the rules say back

"A national strike in Belgium." Brussels Airport had no departures on 13 February 2025, 25 June 2025, 14 October 2025, 26 November 2025 and 12 March 2026, when security and ground staff joined national action days. In early June 2026 an air traffic control strike stopped all flights in Belgium for several hours. Brussels Airlines says it was not involved. A strike by airport staff or air traffic controllers can be extraordinary, but it is not automatic (Airhelp v SAS C-28/20, paragraph 42). The airline must also show it took all reasonable measures, including rebooking you on other airlines (LE v TAP C-74/19). Ask when you were offered a new flight and which alternatives it checked.

The handler's staff. On 9 October 2026 Brussels Airlines cut part of its schedule because of the expected impact on staff at its handling partner, who joined a national demonstration (Travel Weekly, 8 October 2026). Ask whose staff were missing and why. A contractor the airline chose itself is a weaker excuse than a nationwide airport closure.

"Strikes" in general. Brussels Airlines' notice lists "strikes" as extraordinary without saying whose. A strike by its own pilots or cabin crew is not extraordinary (C-28/20), nor is a solidarity strike at a group company (CS v Eurowings C-613/20). Its pilots and cabin crew announced a strike for 23 to 25 June 2022 (VRT, 16 June 2022). See strike cancellation.

How to claim from Brussels Airlines

Does Brussels Airlines follow the boards?

We found no sign of a pattern. SVT's 2018 list of airlines refusing to pay after Sweden's ARN named Brussels Airlines once, for a cancelled flight (SEK 23,496). It is not named in Råd & Rön's black list articles of August 2025, November 2025 and August 2026, and it was not on Norway's list of unpaid board decisions in October 2023. The full Swedish list is paywalled.

Step by step

  1. Reply to Brussels Airlines in writing. Claim the amount per passenger in money. Ask for the delay code, the timeline, whose staff were on strike, and which rebookings it checked, also with other airlines.
  2. Wait for the answer: about 4 weeks in Sweden and Norway, 6 weeks in Denmark. See airline not responding.
  3. Go to the board for the country where the disruption happened. Brussels Airlines is Belgian, so in Finland contact ECC Finland before KRIL. In Sweden, ARN may decline a non-resident's complaint about a non-Swedish airline; then use the ECC in your own country. Transportklagenemnda takes any flight to, from or within Norway, via www.reiselivsforum.no. In Denmark, use Trafikstyrelsen with MitID. For a flight from Brussels, Brussels Airlines points to the Belgian Consumer Mediation Service if it has not answered within two months; your own country's ECC helps for free. See the Nordic complaint boards and EU261 time limits.

When it is worth it, and when not

Strong: a strike by Brussels Airlines' own staff, a handler's staff shortage, a technical fault, or a strike day where the airline only offered a flight days later.

Weaker: a documented full closure of Brussels Airport, where the airline rebooked you on the first available flight. Not sure? Try the rejection checker.

Appeal My Flight writes the reply to Brussels Airlines and the board complaint for €29 per booking, however many passengers. You send it yourself and keep the payout. We cannot promise an outcome.

FAQ

My flight was cancelled on a Belgian strike day. Is that the end of it?

Not always. The airline must prove the strike hit your flight and that it rebooked you as fast as it reasonably could, including on other airlines.

My Copenhagen flight had an SN number but was flown by airBaltic. Who pays?

airBaltic, as the operating airline. Check the "operated by" line on your booking.

Brussels Airlines offered a voucher. Can I swap it for money later?

No. Its voucher terms say the vouchers are non-refundable. Ask for a bank transfer instead.

Got the airline's reply? Paste it into the rejection checker and see what EU court rulings say about their excuse.