Changed departure time for flight – your rights

Has the airline changed your flight's departure time? These points are important to know! 

• If the flight has been brought forward more than one hour the flight is considered cancelled.  

• You might have the right to compensation for expenses that are directly linked to the schedule change.

Your rights as a passenger

The flight has an earlier departure time 

If your flight has been brought forward, your rights are dependent on if the flight can be considered cancelled or not and if the flight is covered by EU rules.  

The EU rules apply in the following cases:  

•  When you are flying from an airport within the EU. 

• When you are flying from an airport outside the EU to an airport within the EU with an airline registered in the EU.

The rules also apply to Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion Island, Mayotte, Saint-Martin (French Antilles), the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands (The Faroe Islands is not included).  

If your flight is not covered by the EU rules, it is the terms and conditions of your flight ticket and possibly legislation in other countries that determines what your rights are.

If the departure time is more than one hour earlier the flight is considered cancelled

If the flight has been brought forward more than one hour the flight is considered cancelled. You might have the right to compensation.  

When a flight is cancelled, you are entitled to choose between a rebooking or a refund of the flight ticket.  

If the departure time is brought forward less than one hour, the flight is not considered cancelled. This means that you do not have the right to compensation or rebooking.   

Read more about your rights when a flight is cancelled

Do you have the right to compensation? 

If the flight has been cancelled and the air travel is covered by EU rules, you might have the right to compensation in the form of a standard amount. The amount is between 250 – 600 euros. The compensation is intended to compensate you for the time you lost. 

You are not entitled to compensation if you received information on the schedule change 14 days or more before the planned departure. You also do not have the right to compensation if the flight was changed because of extraordinary circumstances that was beyond the airline´s control and could not have been avoided even if all reasonable steps are taken.

Compensation for expenses 

You might have the right to compensation for expenses that are directly linked to the schedule change. You must be able to prove what expenses you had, and they must be tied to the delay. Save all the receipts for your expenses as evidence. 

The flight has been postponed 

If your flight has been postponed, your rights are dependent on if the flight can be considered cancelled or not and if the flight is covered by EU rules.  

The EU rules apply in the following cases: 

• When you are flying from an airport within the EU. 

• When you are flying from an airport outside the EU to an airport within the EU with an airline registered in the EU. 

The rules also apply to Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion Island, Mayotte, Saint-Martin (French Antilles), the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands (The Faroe Islands is not included).  

If your flight is not covered by the EU rules, it is the terms and conditions of your flight ticket and possibly legislation in other countries that determines what your rights are.  

Cancelled flight  

If your route or flight number has been changed, your flight might be considered cancelled.  

Read more about your rights when a flight is cancelled

Delayed flight

If your flight has been postponed by at least two hours, you have the right to support and information. The airline is obliged to offer food and drinks in proportion to the delay. The airline should inform you of your rights as a flight passenger. 

If you are delayed one or several nights, or if you must stay at a different location for longer than you had planned, the airline is obliged to pay for your stay at a hotel. The airline should also pay for the transport between the hotel and the airport.  

If your departure is postponed by five hours or more, you have the right to a refund of the ticket price. If you have begun your travel, the airline should offer you a return ticket to the airport where your flight started.  

Read more about your rights when a flight is delayed

Right to compensation

If your flight has been cancelled or your arrival time has been postponed by more than three hours and the flight is covered by EU rules, you might have the right to compensation in the form of a standard amount. The amount is between 250 – 600 euros. The compensation is intended to compensate you for the time you lost. 

You are not entitled to compensation if you received information on the schedule change 14 days before the planned departure. You also do not have the right to compensation if the flight was changed because of extraordinary circumstances that was beyond the airline´s control and could not have been avoided even if all reasonable steps are taken.  

Compensation for expenses

You might have the right to compensation for expenses that are directly linked to the schedule change. You must be able to prove what expenses you had, and they must be tied to the delay. Save all the receipts for your expenses as evidence. 

How to get an assessment of your case

The body that should review your case depends, among other things, on the kind of compensation you are demanding and the country in which the problem with the flight arose. Contact us and we will provide information on where you can turn to. 

Contact information to Hallå konsument