Changing your mind about or cancelling a flight

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Avboka eller ångra flygresa - Engelska

You have no statutory right of withdrawal (right to change your mind) when you book air travel. The airline’s own terms and conditions apply. However, you can cancel the trip and get back air travel tax and other fees included in the ticket.

Translated page: This text has been translated from Swedish. The text and appearance of the page may look different from the original page.

Changing your mind about or cancelling a flight – Keep this in mind

  • Each airline has its own travel terms and conditions. Your ability to get a refund when cancelling a regular airline ticket depends on the terms of your booking.

  • You do not have a right of withdrawal for airline tickets, but it is always possible to cancel a flight. If you do not have cancellation insurance, you will only get a refund for the taxes and fees included in the ticket.

Your options if you regret your purchase

  • You do not have a right of withdrawal when you purchase an airline ticket, but you can cancel the trip. How much money you are entitled to get back from the airline when you cancel depends on the type of ticket you purchased. It is the terms of your ticket that determine what you are entitled to, not the reason for your cancellation.

    Regardless of the ticket type, you always have the right to get back the flight tax. You also have the right to get certain fees refunded. You should get back the fees that the airline does not have to pay because you did not travel.

    If you have purchased a refundable ticket, you are entitled to a full refund of the ticket price.

    Contact your airline to cancel and claim the money you are entitled to. The airline has the right to charge a fee for the refund, but only if it is stated in the terms.

    Rebook Ticket

    Airlines may also offer tickets that can be rebooked. If you want to travel at another time, you need to check the terms of your ticket. You can also contact the airline to see if the trip can be rebooked.

    If you bought the flight ticket through a travel agency

    Even if you bought your flight ticket through a travel agency or travel broker, it is usually the airline you should contact to cancel or rebook. It is usually the airline's terms for the ticket you bought that regulate what you are entitled to.

  • A cancellation cover is a type of insurance. It provides better protection if you want to cancel your trip.

    You can obtain cancellation cover insurance in various ways, such as:

    • purchasing it from the travel agency or airline selling you the ticket,
    • through an extended home insurance,
    • paying part of the trip with a card that includes travel insurance.

    The terms and conditions for the cancellation cover determine under what circumstances you can cancel a ticket. For example, you may need to be ill and have a medical certificate showing this.

    More about cancellation protection on the Consumer Insurance Bureau's website (in Swedish)

  • Feeling concerned about taking a trip does not entitle you to cancel it and receive a full refund. This applies regardless of the reason for your concern. You are therefore not entitled to cancel and receive a full refund due to, for example, a pandemic, travel advisories from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, or unrest at the destination.

    When you purchase a flight, the terms and conditions of the ticket determine whether you have the right to cancel. If you have bought a non-refundable ticket, the airline is not obligated to refund the ticket price if you cancel the trip yourself, regardless of the reason.

    If you do not want to or cannot use your flight ticket, you are always entitled to request a refund for airport taxes and other fees that the airline does not have to pay because you did not travel. However, you cannot demand a refund of the ticket price itself unless you have a refundable ticket.

  • If you accidentally misspell your name when booking an airline ticket, the airline’s terms and conditions will determine whether you can correct the mistake. Some airlines allow their customers to make changes for free, while others permit changes for a fee. In some cases, you may need to cancel the ticket and then book a new one with the correct name.

More information

  • Municipality's Consumer Guidance

    Many municipalities provide consumer guidance where you can seek free information and support. The assistance offered may vary from one municipality to another.

    The Swedish Consumer Agency

    If you need guidance, you can contact our national information service. We can provide information on your rights and what options you have to make progress. We provide independent guidance and therefore cannot assess your individual matter, resolve disputes or contact companies for you.

    Contact us

    Agreement with a company from another country within the EU, Norway, Iceland or the United Kingdom

    If you are residing in Sweden and the company you have issues with is registered in another EU country, Norway, Iceland or the United Kingdom, you can receive free advice from ECC Sweden. ECC Sweden is part of a network of consumer offices within the EU. In some cases, ECC Sweden may share the case with a sister office in another country to attempt to reach a solution through mediation.

    Contact ECC Sweden

    Before contacting ECC Sweden you need to have lodged a claim with the company first.

    To ECC Sweden, you need to submit a description of the problem and documentation showing what has happened. Documentation is necessary if your case is to be shared with any sister office in another country. Remember to keep your originals and only send copies to ECC Sweden.

    Send your case via email to: konsumenteuropa@konsumentverket.se

    The email should include:

    • your contact information and the company's name
    • your ticket or boarding card
    • a copy of your complaint and the claims you have made
    • receipts
    • the company's reply.

    Once you have submitted your case, you will usually receive a response within approximately a couple of weeks.

    ECC Sweden cannot
    • Force a company to act according to the law. The work is based on the company being willing to cooperate with the ECC network to reach a resolution.
    • Mediate in a case if we cannot identify the seller or if the seller refuses to cooperate with the ECC network.
    • Act as legal representation or assist when the consumer has already initiated legal proceedings.
    • Assist in purchases between businesses or purchases between individuals.
    If you have any questions

    ECC Sweden is part of the Swedish Consumer Agency. Do you need help clarifying your rights or want to discuss if and how you can proceed with your case? Then you can contact the information service.

    Contact us

  • In Sweden, you can file a complaint with the authority known as the National Board for Consumer Disputes (ARN) if you and the company cannot reach an agreement.

    ARN will assess your case and then recommend how your dispute should be resolved.

    Most companies follow ARN's recommendations.

    The usual processing time is about 6 months.

    It costs 150 SEK to file a complaint with ARN.

    Submit a complaint on ARN's website.

  • If you believe that a company is violating the rules or has unfair contract terms, you can report it to the Swedish Consumer Agency by filing a complaint.

    The Swedish Consumer Agency does not investigate or resolve individual cases, but complaints are important for their supervisory work. The agency ensures that companies comply with the rules and can take action against those that do not.

    Report to the Swedish Consumer Agency

The content is presented in collaboration with ECC Sweden, which is part of the ECC network and the Swedish Consumer Agency's information service. ECC Sweden is part-financed by the European Union.

The content of this website represents the views of the author only and it is his/her sole responsibility; it cannot be considered to reflect the views of the European Commission and/or the European Innovation Council and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Executive Agency (EISMEA) or any other body of the European Union. The European Commission and the Agency do not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information it contains.

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