Widerøe refused your compensation

Updated 13 October 2026

Widerøe said no to your compensation claim, and the reason was almost certainly the weather. On the short runways along the Norwegian coast, wind, low cloud and snow stop flights often. Sometimes that excuse holds. Often it does not.

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

What the refusal usually means

Widerøe refusals tend to cite:

• weather at the departure or arrival airport
• crew stuck somewhere else because of weather
• knock-on delays from an earlier flight the same day

The last two matter. The weather may not have hit your departure at all. It hit the aircraft or the crew earlier in the day.

What the rules and the board say

EU261 applies to flights within Norway through the EEA agreement, so domestic Widerøe flights are covered. Most Widerøe routes are under 1,500 km, which means €250 per passenger.

Weather can be an extraordinary circumstance. But Widerøe must prove two things: that the weather really hit your flight, and that it took all reasonable measures to get you there (Airhelp v SAS C-28/20, para 23; Wallentin-Hermann C-549/07). Weather on an earlier flight can count, but Widerøe must still show what it did to limit the delay, including flights on other airlines (C-74/19). Only the part of the delay the weather caused is excused (Pešková C-315/15).

Two Widerøe cases at Transportklagenemnda, as reported by iTromsø, show both sides:

• Widerøe won: Tromsø-Bodø, February 2024, 3 h 29 min late. The cabin crew were stuck in Bergen by weather, and Widerøe keeps standby crew only in Bergen and at Torp. The board accepted that the delay could not have been avoided.
• The passenger won: Trondheim–Sandefjord, January 2024, cancelled because the crew were stuck in heavy snow in Tromsø. Widerøe did not reply to the board, and the passenger got €250.

Other Norwegian cases show what decides weather disputes. SAS lost an Oslo–Málaga case where it blamed a storm that only reached Norway the next day, while Norwegian flew the same route about 30 minutes later. Norwegian won a case at Alta where strong wind and a slippery runway made landing unsafe, and that was documented.

A note on crew: sudden crew illness is not extraordinary (TAP Portugal C-156/22 to C-158/22). A crew shortage that has nothing to do with the weather is normal operations. See crew sickness.

What evidence to ask Widerøe for

• the delay code and timeline for your departure
• METAR weather data for the right airport and time, and how long the weather lasted
• if crew were stuck: where, why, and why standby crew could not be used
• whether other airlines flew the same route or from the same airport
• what alternatives you were offered, including a bus or another airline

Step by step

1. Reply to Widerøe in writing. Explain why the refusal does not hold and ask for the documents.
2. Wait 4 weeks for a final written answer (up to 8 weeks after an interim reply).
3. Complain to Transportklagenemnda within 1 year of your written complaint to Widerøe. It is free, and the website and online form at www.reiselivsforum.no are in Norwegian and English, so you can file in English. In 2024 the board had 217 Widerøe cases. See the Nordic complaint boards.
4. If Widerøe does not follow the decision, you can sue directly in tingretten after a decision on the merits, or use forliksrådet (about NOK 2,071 in 2026).

Limitation: 3 years from the flight, and writing to Widerøe does not stop that clock. A board case does.

When it is worth it, and when not

Worth it when:

• Widerøe has not explained how the weather hit your departure
• other flights left the same airport at the same time
• the real cause was crew or a technical fault, with weather mentioned in passing
• the delay was much longer than the bad weather

Harder when the airport was closed or below minimums, Widerøe can document it, and you were rebooked quickly.

Appeal My Flight writes the reply to Widerøe and the board complaint for €29 per booking. You send it yourself and keep the payout.

FAQ

Does EU261 apply to domestic flights in Norway?

Yes. It applies to departures from airports in the EU and EEA, including domestic flights in Norway.

How much can I get?

For most Widerøe routes, €250 per passenger, because the distance is under 1,500 km.

Do I get hotel and meals even if the weather was extraordinary?

Yes. Care is owed whatever the cause. Keep your receipts.