Air travel with a disability

Your rights in brief

If you have a disability, the rules intended to protect you mean that an airline:

• may not deny you travel on the grounds of your disability

• may not charge a higher price for the air travel even if you need assistance

• must try to give you the assistance you need for the journey

• must give you information you need and can understand.

Refused travel due to safety requirements

In exceptional cases, an airline can refuse you to book travel or board an aircraft because you have a disability. This is if the safety requirements make it impossible to take on-board or transport individuals with disabilities due to the size of the plane. This can, for example, be about the assistive devices you need not having room or preventing passability in the plane.

If you are refused to make a booking, you have the right to know why. The airline must answer you in writing within five days.

If you are not permitted to travel with the airline on the basis of safety requirements, they must always try to offer you an alternative.

If you have booked an airline ticket but may not board on the grounds of safety reasons, you have the right to get your money back or rebook your journey.

Assistance during air travel

If you have a disability and need assistance, you must notify the airline no later than 48 hours before the time of departure.

If you have a disability, airlines can require that you must have an escort to give you assistance if it is required for safety on-board the plane.

Right to adapted safety information

You are entitled to receive information on the airline’s safety rules for passengers with disabilities. The information must be in an accessible format and in the same language in which the other passengers get information.

Damaged or lost assistive devices

If the airline damages or loses an assistive device that you need for your disability, such as a wheelchair, you have the right to damages. If the compensation you demand exceeds the amount limit of 1288 SDRs, you need to provide a special explanation.

Report to the Swedish Consumer Agency

The Swedish Consumer Agency and the Swedish Transport Agency have a joint responsibility for ensuring that the rules that protect passengers with disabilities are followed. If you think that an airline or an airport is breaking the rules, you can report it to the Swedish Consumer Agency.

A report to the Swedish Consumer Agency does not mean that your individual case will be investigated. However, it is important information for the Swedish Consumer Agency when they review how the companies are following the rules.

File a complaint to the Swedish Consumer Agency

Read more about travelling with a disability on the Swedish Transport Agency’s website (information in swedish)