SWISS compensation: claiming for delayed and cancelled SWISS flights

Does EU261 apply to SWISS flights?

Yes, in three ways. SWISS departures from Zurich, Geneva or Basel fall under Regulation 261/2004 as applied in Switzerland through the EU–Swiss Air Transport Agreement; SWISS departures from EU airports fall under EU261 directly; and SWISS flights arriving in Switzerland from outside Europe are covered because SWISS is treated like an EU carrier. The amounts are the same in all three: €250, €400 or €600 per passenger, usually paid in CHF.

Condiciones

• Arrival delay of 3 hours or more, a cancellation announced under 14 days ahead, or denied boarding
• The operating carrier on the boarding pass: Helvetic and Edelweiss are Swiss carriers too

Excepciones

• SWISS flights into the UK from outside Europe are not covered by UK261 (SWISS is neither a UK nor an EU carrier)
• Long-delay compensation from Switzerland rests on EU case law Swiss courts only take into account

Ejemplo

SWISS Zurich–New York delayed 4 hours: €600 per passenger; SWISS New York–Zurich delayed 4 hours: also covered, as a Swiss carrier inbound.

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Check my SWISS flight

Does SWISS pay compensation for a delayed flight?

In practice yes: SWISS applies the EU three-hour rule and pays delay compensation on the EU model when the cause was not extraordinary. If SWISS refuses a delay claim for a flight departing Switzerland, a Swiss civil court is not formally bound by the Sturgeon case law, so litigation carries more uncertainty than in the EU; cancellation and denied-boarding compensation carry no such doubt.

Condiciones

• Doors opened 3 hours or more after the scheduled arrival at the final destination

Excepciones

• Zurich fog, Skyguide restrictions or the night curfew can be extraordinary where SWISS proves they held your flight; crew and technical problems are not

Ejemplo

SWISS Geneva–London delayed 3 h 15 by a crew-duty limit: €250 per passenger, no extraordinary circumstance.

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Check my delayed SWISS flight

Where do I escalate a SWISS refusal?

For a flight departing Switzerland, to FOCA (the Federal Office of Civil Aviation), which assesses and can sanction SWISS but cannot order payment, and then to the conciliation authority and the civil court in the simplified procedure — Switzerland has no ADR scheme. For a SWISS flight departing an EU airport, to the enforcement body of that country (the LBA for Frankfurt, the DGAC for Paris) and any ADR scheme SWISS belongs to there.

Condiciones

• Complain to SWISS first, in writing, and keep its answer
• Swiss courts generally apply a two-year limitation period

Excepciones

• For a SWISS flight departing the UK, UK261 applies and the CAA is the body

Ejemplo

A refused Zurich–Lisbon claim: FOCA complaint, then the Zurich conciliation authority within two years.

Siguiente paso

How to appeal a rejection

Can I claim compensation from SWISS?

Yes, if your SWISS 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. CH261 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 de septiembre de 2026

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How much compensation does SWISS pay?

On the example routes for SWISS 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 de septiembre de 2026

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Which law applies to a SWISS flight?

Regulation 261/2004 as applied in Switzerland under the EU–Swiss Air Transport Agreement: SWISS is a Swiss-licensed carrier. EU261 applies to its flights departing the EU.

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 · Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on Air Transport (signed 21 June 1999) · verified 12 de septiembre de 2026

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How long do I have to claim against SWISS?

For flights departing CH, a court claim is likely time-barred after 24 months (Art. 14 of the Air Transport Ordinance (LTrV, SR 748.411), applied to Art. 7 compensation by the Basel-Stadt Appeals Court (BEZ.2016.3, 29 June 2016)). Other departure countries have their own limits; the airline's own claim form has no deadline of its own.

Conditions

• The country whose enforcement body is competent — normally the departure country — sets the limit.
• Limitation is national law (CJEU C-139/11); escalation steps do not stop the clock.

Source: BEZ.2016.3 · Case C-139/11 Cuadrench Moré v KLM · verified 14 de septiembre de 2026

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Where do I send a claim to SWISS?

Through the claim channel of SWISS: https://www.swiss.com/ch/en/customer-support/passenger-rights. 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) · verified 14 de septiembre de 2026

Write the claim letter →

What if SWISS refuses to pay?

No ADR scheme is on file for SWISS. After a refusal, complain to Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA / BAZL) — 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 18 de septiembre de 2026

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What if SWISS says the delay was due to weather?

Weather can be an extraordinary circumstance — but only on the facts. SWISS 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 de septiembre de 2026

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