Delayed flight at Stockholm Arlanda: compensation

For flights departing from Stockholm Arlanda Airport: yes. The regulation covers passengers travelling from an airport located in the territory of a Member State (Article 3(1)(a)), and Stockholm Arlanda is in Sweden. Departures from here are therefore normally covered even when the airline is from a country outside the EU.

For flights landing at Stockholm Arlanda, the rules normally apply only if the flight comes from an airport outside the EU and the airline is registered in the EU (Article 3(1)(b), as the Swedish Consumer Agency summarises it). If the flight comes from another EU airport, the rules already apply to the departure from there. The route and the airline that actually operated the flight always decide the individual case.

Of the example routes below, Helsinki is the shortest (399 km) and New York the longest (6,292 km). The Article 7 levels are 250 € for Helsinki (399 km) and London (1,462 km), 400 € for Athens (2,452 km), Larnaca (2,982 km) and Tenerife (4,376 km) and 600 € for Dubai (4,785 km) and New York (6,292 km). For flights entirely within the EU the level is 400 € even when the route is longer than 3,500 km, for example Tenerife.

The distances are great-circle distances between the airports, and the levels are calculated with the same rules engine as the check on this site. The amounts are per passenger and assume the other conditions are met. The routes are distance examples to illustrate the levels. They do not mean that any particular airline operates them.

You go to the airline first. Under Article 16 of the regulation each Member State must designate a body responsible for enforcement, and passengers may file complaints with such a body.

Separately, section 14 of the Air Transport Act (2010:510) says that the Swedish Consumer Agency (Konsumentverket) is to supervise whether airlines and tour operators comply with Regulation (EC) No 261/2004. The Act does not say in so many words that the Consumer Agency is the body referred to in Article 16.

The Consumer Agency gives guidance but does not assess individual cases, resolve disputes or contact companies for you. You can report an airline that breaks the rules, but the agency does not investigate individual cases. For compensation claims the Swedish Transport Agency refers to the National Board for Consumer Disputes. If you live in Sweden and the airline is registered in another EU, EEA or UK country, Konsument Europa (the European Consumer Centre) can give advice.

Swedavia owns, runs and develops Stockholm Arlanda Airport. Swedavia's FAQ refers booking questions to the airline, and delayed baggage is to be reported to the airline's baggage service. Compensation for delays is not covered there, so direct your claim to the airline. With the Swedavia app you can subscribe to your flight and get notifications about changes.

Under Articles 6 and 9 the airline must offer meals and refreshments in reasonable proportion to the waiting time when it reasonably expects a delay of two hours or more (flights of 1,500 km or less), three hours or more (flights within the EU of more than 1,500 km) or four hours or more (all other flights). If an overnight stay becomes necessary, a hotel room and transport between the airport and the hotel must be offered free of charge.

Assistance for passengers with a disability is booked through your airline, preferably when you book the flight and at least 48 hours before departure, and according to Swedavia it is free. At Stockholm Arlanda it is available around the clock, every day of the year, from arrival at the terminal until you are seated on the aircraft. Check in at the airline's desk at least one hour before departure and meet the staff at the designated meeting point in the terminal; if you need help getting in, use the Help-point outside the terminal entrance no later than two hours before departure. Staff help you through security, to the gate and to the aircraft or your seat, but do not provide medical or sanitary help. On arrival the aim is to meet you within 5 minutes of the aircraft reaching the gate and never later than 20 minutes. Without a booking, the wait can be up to 45 minutes, or help may not be possible.

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