Guides for rejected flight claims

Short, practical guides based on EU261, EU court rulings and decisions of the Nordic complaint boards.

• Rejection checker
• Compensation calculator

The airline's excuse

• "Extraordinary circumstances": what the airline must prove
  Airlines must prove the event and that they took all reasonable measures, including rerouting on other airlines. Many refusals fail on the second part.
• A technical fault is almost never extraordinary
  Technical faults are part of normal operations unless a manufacturer or authority flagged a hidden defect fleet-wide. How to answer a technical-fault refusal.
• Air traffic control restrictions and compensation
  ATC restrictions are often accepted as extraordinary. The question is what the airline did to reroute you. That is where passengers win.
• Bird strikes and compensation
  A bird strike is extraordinary, but only for the delay it actually caused. A one-line mention is not proof. Ask for the incident report and timeline.
• Crew sickness is not an extraordinary circumstance
  The EU court ruled in 2023 that a sick crew member does not excuse the airline. Finland's board applies the same logic to crew running out of duty hours.
• Flight cancelled because of a strike
  An airline's own staff strike is not extraordinary. ATC and airport strikes usually are. How to tell them apart and what to ask the airline for.

Airlines

• Finnair rejected your compensation claim
  Finnair rejects claims filed more than two months after the flight. KRIL treats five months as on time. Appeal for €29 flat, not 35 % of your payout.
• Lufthansa rejected your compensation claim
  Lufthansa often cites strikes, weather or "not our flight". How to answer and which board takes your Nordic flight. Flat €29, keep 100%.
• Norwegian refused your compensation
  Norwegian has refused board decisions in Sweden and Norway. Build a case that holds up. Flat €29 appeal pack, you keep 100 % of the payout.
• Ryanair rejected your compensation
  Ryanair tops Sweden's list of firms ignoring the consumer board. Use a Nordic board and build your case for court. Flat €29, keep 100 %.
• SAS denied your compensation
  SAS often cites ATC, bird strikes or strikes. Its own staff strikes do not count (C-28/20). Appeal for €29 flat instead of giving a claim firm 35 %.
• Widerøe refused your compensation
  Widerøe often cites weather at small coastal airports. It must prove it for your departure. Appeal for €29 flat instead of paying a claim firm 35 %.

Your claim, step by step

• Claiming flight compensation for a family or group
  EU261 pays per passenger, so four people on a delayed flight can be owed €1,600 or more. How to claim as a family or group, and what claim companies take.
• Complaint boards for flights in Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway
  Which board takes your case, whether it accepts English, what it costs and how long it takes. KRIL, ARN, Trafikstyrelsen and Transportklagenemnda.
• How long you have to claim in each Nordic country
  Finland: 3 years from your last written claim. Denmark and Norway: 3 years from the flight. Sweden expects about a year. Board deadlines differ again.
• The airline is not answering your claim
  Each Nordic board has its own waiting period: about 4 weeks in Sweden and Norway, 6 in Denmark. After that you can escalate. Reminder text included.
• The airline offered a voucher instead of your compensation
  EU261 compensation is paid in money. A voucher replaces it only with your signed agreement. How to reply, and what to do if you already took one.
• The airline rejected your compensation claim. Here is how to appeal
  Most rejections cite "extraordinary circumstances", which the airline has to prove. We write your appeal and board complaint for a flat €29.
• You missed your connection. Who pays?
  One booking is one journey. The delay counts at your final destination, even if the first flight was only a little late. How to answer "not our flight".
• You were denied boarding. Here is what the airline owes you
  If you checked in on time and were refused boarding against your will, EU261 compensation is due at once. How to answer "you were late" or "smaller plane".
• Your flight was cancelled and the airline refused compensation
  The airline must prove when you were told about the cancellation and what rerouting it offered. How to answer the usual refusals under EU261.