SAS compensation: claiming for delayed and cancelled SAS flights
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Quick answer
SAS is licensed within the EU/EEA, so Regulation 261/2004 applies to every SAS departure from the EU/EEA and to every SAS flight into the EU from outside it. The Court of Justice decided in *Airhelp v SAS* that a strike by SAS's own pilots is not an extraordinary circumstance. Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo to London or Frankfurt pay €250; transatlantic sectors pay €600.
Operating carrier
SAS Scandinavian Airlines SK / SAS · Sweden
EU/EEA-licensed carrier — Regulation 261/2004 applies to all its flights departing from the EU/EEA and to its flights into the EU/EEA.
Where to send your claim
- Official claim form / help centre
- https://www.flysas.com/en/customer-service/
- Dispute-resolution scheme
- ARN (Sweden)
Compensation examples on SAS Scandinavian Airlines routes
- Copenhagen → London (979 km)€250
- Stockholm → Copenhagen (547 km)€250
- Oslo → Copenhagen (517 km)€250
- Oslo → Málaga (2,841 km)€400
- Copenhagen → New York (6,189 km)€600
- Oslo → New York (5,933 km)€600
Can SAS Scandinavian Airlines passengers claim compensation?
Yes. SAS Scandinavian Airlines holds a EU/EEA licence, so Regulation 261 covers its flights departing from the EU/EEA, the UK or Switzerland and its flights into them: €250–€600 per passenger for an arrival delay of 3 hours or more, a cancellation announced under 14 days ahead, or denied boarding — unless the airline proves an extraordinary circumstance.
Does this apply to your flight?
SAS Scandinavian Airlines flight affected?
A few short questions — no flight number needed yet. You get a preliminary result on the facts you give; the full check confirms it from the itinerary.
Already known from this page
- SAS Scandinavian Airlines
What happened to your flight?
Which SAS entity flew you
SAS flights carry the SK code but may be operated by SAS Scandinavian Airlines, by its subsidiaries SAS Connect (Irish licence) and SAS Link (Swedish licence), or by regional partners under SK numbers. All are EU/EEA carriers, so your rights are the same across the network. Address the claim to SAS.
How to claim from SAS
SAS takes compensation claims through the customer service pages on flysas.com (compensation and refund form). Provide the booking reference, all passenger names, flight number, date and the arrival delay at your final destination, and quote Article 7. SAS pays to a bank account; it may first offer EuroBonus points or vouchers — you are entitled to money and can decline.
What SAS typically argues
- Strikes — SAS has had pilot strikes in 2019 and 2022. In Airhelp v SAS (C-28/20) the Court held that a strike organised by the airline’s own staff over pay and conditions is inherent in running an airline and not extraordinary. Third-party strikes (ATC, airport ground handlers) can be.
- Scandinavian winter weather — snow and de-icing at Oslo, Stockholm and Copenhagen; extraordinary only where it actually prevented your flight and the airline took all reasonable measures.
- Late inbound aircraft — compensable unless the root cause was extraordinary.
- Technical problems — not extraordinary (Wallentin-Hermann).
Escalation
- Sweden: the National Board for Consumer Disputes (ARN) hears passenger complaints and issues recommendations SAS generally follows; the Swedish Consumer Agency is the enforcement body.
- Denmark: Trafikstyrelsen (Civil Aviation and Railway Authority) handles complaints for flights departing Denmark.
- Norway: Transportklagenemnda (Transport Complaints Board) for flights departing Norway.
- Flights departing another EU country: that country’s enforcement body. Court: small-claims procedures in the departure country or the European Small Claims Procedure.
Typical amounts
Copenhagen–London, Stockholm–London, Oslo–London, Stockholm–Copenhagen and Oslo–Copenhagen are under 1,500 km (€250). Oslo–Málaga and other southern Europe leisure routes fall in the €400 band. Copenhagen, Oslo or Stockholm to New York, Newark, Chicago, Boston or Miami pays €600.
Operating facts: SAS Scandinavian Airlines
From the registries behind the checker and, where enough cases exist, from claims passengers tracked on Horvera. Nothing here is estimated.
- Official claim channel
- https://www.flysas.com/en/customer-service/
Channel not yet verified by a reviewer.
- Dispute-resolution body
- No ADR scheme on file for this airline.
- Enforcement body (Sweden)
- Swedish Consumer Agency / National Board for Consumer Disputes (ARN)
The competent body is the one of the departure country; this is the airline's home-country body.
- Time limit for a court claim (Sweden)
- No reviewed limitation period on file for this country.
- Flight lookup on Horvera
- Not on Horvera: there is no live flight-status lookup. You enter the route, the date and the airline; every figure in the check and the letter is stated as your own record.
- Collected from tracked claims
- Not enough verified Horvera cases yet (we publish only from 30 tracked claims sent to this airline).
Straight answers
Each answer is computed from the registries behind the checker and carries its source and verification date.
Can I claim compensation from SAS Scandinavian Airlines?
Yes, if your SAS Scandinavian Airlines flight arrived three hours or more late, was cancelled with less than 14 days' notice, or you were denied boarding against your will — and the airline cannot prove an extraordinary circumstance. EU261 applies because of the airline's licence and where the flight departed.
- Conditions
- Arrival at the final destination three hours or more after the scheduled time (delay).
- Cancellation announced less than 14 days before departure, and no re-routing inside the legal time windows.
- Confirmed booking, on-time check-in and boarding refused against your will.
- The airline cannot prove an extraordinary circumstance it could not have avoided with all reasonable measures.
Source: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights · Interpretative Guidelines on Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (2016/C 214/04) · verified 12 September 2026
How much compensation does SAS Scandinavian Airlines pay?
On the example routes for SAS Scandinavian Airlines the fixed amount is 250 to 600 EUR per passenger, set by distance, regardless of the ticket price.
- Conditions
- Up to 1,500 km · 1,500–3,500 km · over 3,500 km; intra-EU flights over 3,500 km take the middle amount.
- Over 3,500 km the airline may halve the amount if the arrival delay was under four hours.
- Per passenger, for every passenger on the booking.
Source: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights · Joined Cases C-402/07 and C-432/07 Sturgeon v Condor and Böck v Air France · verified 12 September 2026
Which law applies to a SAS Scandinavian Airlines flight?
Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (EU261): SAS Scandinavian Airlines is an EU/EEA-licensed carrier, so it applies to every flight departing the EU/EEA and to its flights into the EU/EEA from outside.
- Conditions
- Any flight departing the regime's territory is covered whichever airline operates it.
- A flight into the territory from outside is covered only when a licensed carrier of that regime (or the EU) operates it.
Source: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights · verified 12 September 2026
How long do I have to claim against SAS Scandinavian Airlines?
The time limit is set by the national law of the departure country and differs by country; no reviewed period is on file for SE. Claim promptly — the airline's form has no deadline, but the courts do.
- Conditions
- Limitation is national law (CJEU C-139/11); escalation steps do not stop the clock.
Source: Case C-139/11 Cuadrench Moré v KLM · verified 14 September 2026
Where do I send a claim to SAS Scandinavian Airlines?
Through the claim channel of SAS Scandinavian Airlines: https://www.flysas.com/en/customer-service/. Claim from the operating carrier, in writing, and keep proof of sending.
- Conditions
- Claim from the airline that operated the flight (on the boarding pass), not necessarily the one that sold the ticket.
- In writing, with the booking reference, flight number, date and the passengers' names; keep proof of sending.
Source: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights · Interpretative Guidelines on Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (2016/C 214/04)
What if SAS Scandinavian Airlines refuses to pay?
No ADR scheme is on file for SAS Scandinavian Airlines. After a refusal, complain to Swedish Consumer Agency / National Board for Consumer Disputes (ARN) — the enforcement body of the departure country decides; a court claim remains available within the time limit.
- Conditions
- No fixed waiting period is published for this body; check its admissibility rules.
- The national enforcement body of the departure country can examine the airline's compliance.
- A court claim remains available within the national time limit, as a last resort.
Source: How to complain: contact the airline first, then the National Enforcement Body of the country of departure (or arrival for inbound EU-carrier flights) · verified 14 September 2026
What if SAS Scandinavian Airlines says the delay was due to weather?
Weather can be an extraordinary circumstance — but only on the facts. SAS Scandinavian Airlines must prove the conditions were incompatible with operating this flight, that they affected this flight and not just the airport in general, and that no reasonable measure could have avoided the delay. A generic reference to weather does not discharge that burden.
- Conditions
- The burden of proof is on the airline (Art. 5(3)).
- The weather must have affected this flight, not just the airport in general; other flights that operated are evidence.
- The airline must also show what it did to avoid the disruption — spare aircraft, crew, re-routing.
- A technical fault, by contrast, is inherent in normal operations and not extraordinary.
Source: Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights · Interpretative Guidelines on Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (2016/C 214/04) · Case C-549/07 Wallentin-Hermann v Alitalia · Case C-257/14 van der Lans v KLM · verified 12 September 2026
Prepare the claim letter
Enter your flight and what happened; get the regulation, the amount, the evidence list and an editable letter — free.
Frequently asked questions
My SAS flight was cancelled during the SAS pilot strike. Am I owed compensation?
Yes, in principle. The Court of Justice held in Airhelp v SAS (C-28/20) that a strike by the airline's own staff is not an extraordinary circumstance. Compensation depends on the notice given and the alternative offered, as for any cancellation.
Which body do I escalate to — ARN, Trafikstyrelsen or Transportklagenemnda?
The one for the country your flight departed from: ARN for Sweden, Trafikstyrelsen for Denmark, Transportklagenemnda for Norway. For departures elsewhere in the EU, that country's enforcement body.
SAS offered me EuroBonus points. Do I have to accept?
No. Compensation under Article 7 is paid in money unless you agree in writing to another form. You can decline points or vouchers and ask for a bank transfer.
Sources
- Court of Justice of the European UnionCase C-28/20 Airhelp v Scandinavian Airlines — a strike organised by the airline's own staff is not an extraordinary circumstance
- Court of Justice of the European UnionJoined Cases C-195/17 etc. Krüsemann v TUIfly — a "wildcat strike" by airline staff is not an extraordinary circumstance
- Court of Justice of the European UnionJoined Cases C-402/07 and C-432/07 Sturgeon v Condor and Böck v Air France — passengers of flights delayed by three hours or more may claim compensation
- Court of Justice of the European UnionCase C-257/14 van der Lans v KLM — spontaneous technical failure is inherent in the normal exercise of the activity
- Court of Justice of the European UnionCase C-549/07 Wallentin-Hermann v Alitalia — technical problems are not, as such, extraordinary circumstances
- European CommissionInterpretative Guidelines on Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (2016/C 214/04)
- European Parliament and CouncilRegulation (EC) No 261/2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights
Last legally reviewed: 12 September 2026 · Content updated: 12 September 2026
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