SAS flight delay and cancellation compensation

Your rights on an SAS flight

SAS Scandinavian Airlines is the flag carrier of Sweden and Denmark, built around hubs at Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo — all inside the EEA. It holds a Scandinavian operating licence, which makes it an EU/EEA carrier, so EU261 reaches both directions:

• Departures from any EU/EEA airport — covered whoever operates the flight
• Arrivals into the EU/EEA from a third country — covered because SAS holds an EU/EEA licence, which brings its North American and Asian inbound flights inside the regulation
• UK routes — UK261 applies to departures from the UK and to arrivals into the UK on SAS

SAS joined SkyTeam in 2024, but alliance membership does not change who is liable: the claim follows the operating carrier.

How much you could receive

Compensation is due when you arrive at your final destination three or more hours late, when a flight is cancelled with less than 14 days' notice, or when you are denied boarding on an oversold flight after checking in on time.

• EUR 250 — routes of 1,500 km or less, such as Copenhagen to Stockholm
• EUR 400 — intra-EU routes over 1,500 km and other routes of 1,500 to 3,500 km
• EUR 600 — routes over 3,500 km, covering the intercontinental network to the United States and Asia

Article 7(2) allows the top band to be halved where a re-routed long-haul flight arrives under four hours late. UK261 uses GBP 220 / GBP 350 / GBP 520. The amount is set by distance, not the fare, and each passenger on the booking claims separately.

When SAS doesn't have to pay

No compensation is due where the airline proves extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even with all reasonable measures — severe winter weather, air-traffic-control restrictions, airport closures, security incidents or bird strikes. Nordic de-icing and snow constraints can genuinely qualify.

The burden of proof is on the airline. A rejection that cites the weather without evidence of the conditions on the day is not a completed defence. A strike by SAS's own pilots or cabin crew is generally not extraordinary, while strikes by air-traffic controllers or third-party airport staff usually are, and routine technical faults normally remain the airline's responsibility.

How to claim from SAS

Keep the booking reference, boarding passes, the disruption notice, and receipts for meals or a hotel if none was provided. Note the actual arrival time at your final destination.

Response times vary and lengthen after storms and disruption peaks. If a claim is refused without substantiation, it can be escalated to the national enforcement body of the departure state — the relevant Swedish, Danish or Norwegian authority — or taken to court within the local limitation period.

What it costs

The eligibility check is free. If we recover your compensation we charge a fixed EUR 39 success fee — the same whether you're owed EUR 250 or EUR 600 — and the airline's payment goes to you. No win, no fee.