Widerøe flight delay and cancellation compensation

Your rights on a Widerøe flight

Widerøe is Scandinavia's largest regional airline, flying an extensive short-haul network across Norway and to nearby European destinations, much of it into small airports the larger carriers do not serve. Because Norway is a member of the EEA, Widerøe holds an EEA operating licence and sits fully inside EU261 — it is treated exactly as an EU carrier would be:

• Departures from any EU/EEA airport, including its Norwegian bases, are covered whoever operates the flight
• Arrivals into the EU/EEA from outside it are covered because Widerøe holds an EEA licence
• Departures from the UK, and arrivals into the UK on Widerøe fall under UK261, in sterling

Because most of the network is short regional flying, the great majority of Widerøe claims fall in the lowest distance band — but the three-hour threshold and the fixed amounts apply exactly as they do on any longer route.

Compensation is triggered by arriving at your final destination three or more hours late, a cancellation with under 14 days' notice, or denied boarding on an oversold flight.

How much you could receive

The amount is fixed by distance, not by the fare.

• EUR 250 — routes of 1,500 km or less, which covers most of the regional network
• EUR 400 — intra-EU/EEA routes over 1,500 km, and any other route between 1,500 and 3,500 km
• EUR 600 — routes over 3,500 km, which this short-haul network does not normally reach

UK261 claims use GBP 220 / GBP 350 / GBP 520. Each named passenger with a confirmed reservation claims separately, and the fare makes no difference. Where sectors connect on a single booking, compensation is measured by total lateness at the final destination, not by the length of the first delay.

When Widerøe 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 weather, ATC restrictions, airport closures, security incidents or a bird strike. Norway's northern and coastal airfields are genuinely exposed to weather, so some defences here are stronger than average, but each still has to be evidenced against the conditions on the day.

• The airline carries the burden of proof, both of the cause and of the reasonable measures it took. A one-line "weather" rejection is not a completed defence.
• A strike by Widerøe's own crew is generally not extraordinary, following EU case law on staff disputes; a third-party or ATC strike usually is.

Routine technical faults found during ordinary maintenance normally remain the airline's responsibility, and the right to care applies whatever the cause.

How to claim from Widerøe

Keep the booking reference, boarding passes for every sector, the notification of the change, and receipts for meals or a hotel if none was offered. Note the actual arrival time at your final destination.

Response times vary between claims and lengthen after weather events. If a claim is refused without proper substantiation, it can be escalated to the Norwegian enforcement body for departures from Norway, to the enforcement body of another departure state, or pursued in court within the applicable time limit.

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.