--- title: "SAS Flight Delay and Cancellation Compensation" url: https://flightcompensations.com/airlines/sas author: "Jaacov Sonenblick" published: 2026-09-04 updated: 2026-10-06 publisher: FlightCompensations summary: "SAS is a Scandinavian carrier and an EU/EEA airline, so EU261 covers its flights in both directions — claims run from EUR 250 to EUR 600 each." --- # SAS flight delay and cancellation compensation SAS is a Scandinavian carrier and an EU/EEA airline, so EU261 covers its flights in both directions — claims run from EUR 250 to EUR 600 each. **SAS flight delay** and cancellation claims **pay** €250 to €600 per passenger under EU261, or £220 to £520 under UK261. You qualify if you land three or more hours late at your final destination, if SAS cancels with under 14 days' notice, or if it denies you boarding. EU261 covers departures from Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo alike. ## Is an SAS flight delay covered from Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo? SAS Scandinavian Airlines is the flag carrier of Sweden and Denmark, built around hubs at **Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo** — all inside the EEA. It is an EU-licensed airline, 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**. ## What is a delayed or cancelled SAS flight worth? 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 do you claim from SAS, and who handles a complaint? 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. ## How to claim SAS compensation Start with the flight itself. Our [free flight check](/claim) reads the recorded times for your SAS flight and tells you which band it falls in, in about two minutes. For the law behind the figure, the [flight delay compensation guide](/flight-delay-compensation) covers arrival delays and the [cancellation compensation guide](/flight-cancellation-compensation) covers a flight that never operated. If SAS has already refused you, the [case law summary](/passenger-rights/case-law) sets out what the courts have said about the usual excuses. ## Frequently asked questions ### Does it matter which SAS hub my flight departed from? Not for coverage. Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo all sit inside the EU/EEA, so a departure from any of them is protected by EU261 regardless of the airline. What can differ is which national enforcement body handles an escalation, since that follows the country the flight departed from. ### SAS gave me a travel voucher. Do I have to accept it? No. Compensation must be paid in money unless you agree in writing to another form, and vouchers often carry expiry dates and route restrictions. Compare the voucher's real value against the statutory figure for your distance band before accepting, because acceptance may be treated as settling the claim. ### My SAS flight was cancelled by heavy snow. Is anything still owed? Compensation may be excluded, because severe weather is a recognised extraordinary circumstance where the airline can show it could not have avoided the disruption with all reasonable measures. Your right to care is not affected, though: meals, communications and hotel accommodation with transfers for an overnight wait remain due, as does a refund or re-routing. ## Sources - https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32004R0261 - https://www.caa.co.uk/passengers/resolving-travel-problems/delays-and-cancellations/ - https://curia.europa.eu/juris/liste.jsf?num=C-402/07 - https://curia.europa.eu/juris/liste.jsf?num=C-549/07 - https://curia.europa.eu/juris/liste.jsf?num=C-195/17 - https://curia.europa.eu/juris/liste.jsf?num=C-452/13 Read the full page with the claim check at https://flightcompensations.com/airlines/sas