Icelandair said no to your compensation

Updated 13 October 2026

Your Icelandair flight between Keflavík and Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki or another Nordic airport was delayed or cancelled, and Icelandair turned down your claim. Iceland is outside the EU, but Icelandair is still covered by EU261, and Iceland's own authority has ordered it to pay.

We are not affiliated with Icelandair and do not act for Icelandair.

Which rules apply to Icelandair

Iceland is in the EEA and has made Regulation 261/2004 part of its own law, now through regulation no. 466/2024. Samgöngustofa, the Icelandic Transport Authority, enforces it. So:

Flights from Iceland to the Nordics are covered, like any flight from the EU or EEA.
Flights from a Nordic airport to Iceland are covered too.
Flights from North America via Keflavík to the Nordics are covered when Icelandair, an EEA airline, operates them.

Compensation is €250, €400 or €600 per passenger. On one booking, a delay counts at your final destination, so a late flight into Keflavík that makes you miss the onward flight counts as one journey (Air France v Folkerts C-11/11). See missed connection. Icelandair also sells codeshares with Finnair, SAS, airBaltic and others; the airline that operated the flight pays (Article 3(5)).

What Icelandair says, and what the decisions say back

Strikes and staff action. In September 2026, the aircraft mechanics' union FVFÍ planned an indefinite strike from 23 September. Icelandair said it would cancel every departure from Iceland on 23 and 24 September, and it turned down the union's offer to postpone by a week. Reykjavík Grapevine reported that the strike was called off on 23 September. If your flight was cancelled in a dispute between Icelandair and its own staff, a strike by the airline's own staff, mainly over pay, is not an extraordinary circumstance (Airhelp v SAS C-28/20). A wildcat strike by flight staff is not extraordinary either (Krüsemann C-195/17). See strike cancellation.

Samgöngustofa took the same line in decision 39/2015. A Keflavík–Helsinki flight was cancelled on 19 May 2014 when pilots refused overtime after a law ended their strike. Icelandair called it a wildcat strike. Samgöngustofa ordered €400: overtime is part of Icelandair's own organisation, and Icelandair showed no coordinated action.

Crew illness. A crew member's sudden illness or death shortly before departure is not an extraordinary circumstance (TAP Portugal C-156/22 to C-158/22). See crew sickness.

Government restrictions. In decision 75/2020, Icelandair cancelled a Keflavík–Berlin flight two days ahead and pointed to COVID border rules. Samgöngustofa ordered €400 to each passenger, because the borders were not closed and Icelandair had not shown it took all reasonable measures.

"We emailed you the schedule change." In decision 121/2024, a flight was brought forward by 3 hours. Bringing a flight forward by more than 1 hour counts as a cancellation (Azurair C-146/20). Icelandair sent screenshots showing it had emailed the change more than two weeks ahead, and Samgöngustofa accepted that. Check the inbox of the email address in the booking, including spam. The burden of proving when you were told is on the airline (Article 5(4)). If you booked through an agent and the notice never reached you, the airline still pays (Krijgsman C-302/16).

How to claim from Icelandair

Start from Icelandair's own pages on flight delays and cancellations. Refunds have a separate request page. A refund (Article 8) and compensation (Article 7) are separate, and you can be owed both. If Icelandair offers a voucher, it replaces money only with your signed agreement. See voucher instead of compensation. For deadlines, see EU261 time limits in the Nordics.

Does Icelandair follow the boards?

For flights from Iceland, Samgöngustofa's rulings are binding and enforceable. Under Iceland's Aviation Act no. 80/2022, a ruling cannot be appealed to another authority, and taking it to court does not suspend enforcement. We found no published figures on Icelandair and the Nordic boards, and Sweden's Råd & Rön list is behind a paywall.

Step by step

Reply to Icelandair in writing. Claim the amount per passenger and ask for the evidence behind its reason.
Wait for the answer: about 4 weeks in Sweden and Norway, 6 weeks in Denmark. See airline not responding.
Go to the right body. For a flight from Iceland, that is Samgöngustofa. For a flight from a Nordic airport, use the board for that country. Icelandair is based in Iceland, an EEA country, 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. See the Nordic complaint boards.

When it is worth it, and when not

Strong: a strike or staff action involving Icelandair's own employees, crew illness, technical faults, and restrictions that did not actually stop your flight.

Weak: a schedule change Icelandair can show it sent more than two weeks ahead. Not sure? Try the rejection checker.

Appeal My Flight writes the reply to Icelandair 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

Iceland is not in the EU. Does EU261 still apply?

Yes. Iceland is in the EEA and applies the regulation through its own law, enforced by Samgöngustofa.

My flight from Copenhagen to Keflavík was delayed. Which board?

The board for the country of departure, here Trafikstyrelsen in Denmark. For a flight from Keflavík, it is Samgöngustofa.

Can I claim for the hotel in Reykjavík too?

Yes. Meals, hotel and transport can be claimed against receipts, on top of the fixed compensation.

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