Delayed flight at Stockholm Bromma: compensation

If you depart from Stockholm Bromma Airport, you are normally covered by EU261, because Article 3(1)(a) applies to travellers leaving an airport in a Member State. That the airline comes from a country outside the EU normally changes nothing for a departure from here.

If you land at Stockholm Bromma, the position is different. The rules then normally apply only when the aircraft comes from an airport outside the EU and the airline is registered in the EU (Article 3(1)(b), as the Swedish Consumer Agency presents it). If you arrive from another EU airport, it is that departure that counts. The route and the operating airline decide each individual case.

The shortest example route goes to Helsinki (406 km) and the longest to Athens (2,420 km). Article 7 gives 250 € for Helsinki (406 km), Copenhagen (522 km), Amsterdam (1,132 km), Frankfurt (1,196 km) and London (1,447 km) and 400 € for Barcelona (2,289 km) and Athens (2,420 km) here.

The distances are straight-line and the amounts are worked out with this site's own rules engine, per passenger and on the proviso that the other conditions are met. The destinations are distance examples only. They do not mean that any particular airline operates them.

The airline comes first. Article 16 of the regulation says each Member State must designate a body responsible for enforcement and that passengers may complain to such a body.

Another part of the framework is section 14 of the Swedish Air Transport Act (2010:510), which gives the Swedish Consumer Agency (Konsumentverket) supervision of whether airlines, agents, tour operators and ticket sellers comply with Regulation (EC) No 261/2004. The Act does not say in so many words that the Consumer Agency is the body under Article 16, and we do not claim that either.

The Consumer Agency itself writes that it does not assess individual cases, resolve disputes or contact companies for you, but that reports about airlines that break the rules are used in its supervision. For compensation claims the Swedish Transport Agency refers to the National Board for Consumer Disputes. If you live in Sweden and flew with a carrier registered in another EU, EEA or UK country, Konsument Europa (the European Consumer Centre) can help.

Swedavia owns, operates and develops Stockholm Bromma Airport. The airport's FAQ page says questions about your booking go to the airline, and that it is the airline that has the legal responsibility for carrying you and your baggage. Compensation for delays is not covered there. Delayed or missing baggage is reported to the airline's baggage service, because Swedavia has no access to the airlines' passenger and baggage records. In the Swedavia app you can subscribe to your flight and receive 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 or reduced mobility is booked through the airline, preferably when you book and at least 48 hours before departure. Swedavia calls it free of charge and a statutory right, and it is available around the clock every day of the year. The page also mentions invisible disabilities, such as autism. Report to the airline's check-in desk at least one hour before departure; if you need help getting into the building, use a Help-point outside the entrance no later than 2 hours before departure. According to Swedavia, help through security, to the gate and the aircraft, to your seat with a cabin wheelchair if you cannot walk, and to and from the toilet is included; medical or sanitary assistance and help on board are not. You may bring two mobility aids at no cost. For pre-booked assistance the aim is to meet you within 30 minutes or as agreed, and on arrival within 5 minutes of the aircraft reaching the gate, never more than 20 minutes. Without a booking the wait can be up to 45 minutes, and help may not be possible at all.

Pick the situation that fits best after your journey from Stockholm Bromma and read what applies.