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Flight compensation in Denmark: delays, cancellations and how to claim

By passengers on routes within Europe in Eurostat’s 2024 data, Copenhagen Kastrup – a hub of SAS – was by far Denmark’s busiest airport, followed by Billund and Aalborg. EU261 covers every departure from Denmark, whatever the airline, and flights to Denmark from outside the EU, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland when an airline licensed in one of those countries operates them.

By the EU261 Flight Delay editorial team Last reviewed: How we write our guides

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In short: Every flight departing from Denmark is covered by EU261, whatever the airline: €250–€600 per passenger for a delay of 3 hours or more at arrival, a cancellation with less than 14 days’ notice or denied boarding – unless the airline proves extraordinary circumstances. Flights into Denmark from outside the EU are covered only on EU airlines. Complain to the airline first, then to Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority (Trafikstyrelsen), and if needed go to court.

Which flights are covered

Your flightRulesWhich airlines
From Denmark to anywhereEU261Any airline
From another EU/EEA country or Switzerland to DenmarkEU261Any airline
From the UK to DenmarkUK261 (EU261 too on an EU airline)Any airline
From outside Europe to DenmarkEU261EU airlines only

Whatever the cause, from 2 hours’ delay the airline must also provide meals and drinks, and a hotel if you are stuck overnight; after a cancellation or a 5-hour delay you can choose a refund. Care and refunds.

Check your flight from Denmark

Two minutes, free, no sign-up.

What happened?Step 1 of 4

What happened to your flight?
Where did you fly from and to?

With a connection, enter your first departure and your final destination – compensation is based on the total distance.

How late did you arrive at your final destination?

What counts is when the aircraft doors opened at your destination – not the departure delay.

When were you told about the cancellation?
When did you arrive on the replacement flight?
Which airline operated the flight?
When was the flight?

How many passengers were on the booking?

1 passenger

Every passenger gets their own compensation, children too. Infants under 2 without their own seat do not count.

  • Free, no sign-up
  • Fee only if successful (35%)
  • AirHelp: Trustpilot 4.5/5

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How much: example routes from Denmark

Compensation per passenger for a 3-hour-plus delay or a late cancellation on the busiest international routes (Eurostat 2024):

RouteDistanceOutboundReturn
Copenhagen – Oslo Gardermoen517 km€250€250
Copenhagen – Stockholm Arlanda547 km€250€250
Copenhagen – Amsterdam Schiphol633 km€250€250
Copenhagen – Paris Charles de Gaulle1,004 km€250€250
Copenhagen – Helsinki892 km€250€250
Copenhagen – Málaga2,471 km€400€400
Copenhagen – Vienna877 km€250€250
Copenhagen – Reykjavík Keflavík2,144 km€400€400
Copenhagen – Frankfurt680 km€250€250
Copenhagen – Barcelona El Prat1,769 km€400€400

How to claim in Denmark

  1. Claim from the airline in writing – its online form or a letter (complaint letter generator). Keep your booking, boarding pass and receipts.
  2. National enforcement body: Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority (Trafikstyrelsen) – Complain to the airline first and give it six weeks to answer. Trafikstyrelsen then handles complaints about delays, cancellations and denied boarding in Denmark free of charge; processing can take 9–12 months. It deals with flights departing from Denmark, and flights arriving there from outside the EU.
  3. Court: the local court for the departure or arrival airport, or – for cross-border cases – the European Small Claims Procedure (not available in Denmark).
  4. Time limit: 3 years from the date the flight was delayed or cancelled, as a starting point (Danish Limitation Act), according to the European Consumer Centre Denmark.

Prefer not to do it yourself? A claims company does the work for a share of the compensation – see claim companies compared.

Airlines from Denmark

Airports in Denmark

Delay causes, busiest routes and seasonal patterns: flights to Denmark · European delay statistics.

Strikes in Denmark

No strikes affecting flights in Denmark are announced in our strike calendar at the moment.

Strike days at Denmark’s airports since 2024

EUROCONTROL recorded no arrival flow restrictions due to industrial action at Denmark’s airports between January 2024 and 30 September 2026. Strikes by air traffic controllers elsewhere and by airline staff are not included. Check a specific day.

Good to know

  • The European Small Claims Procedure is not available in Denmark, so a cross-border court claim there follows national procedure – the free Trafikstyrelsen complaint is usually the better first step.
  • The Faroe Islands are outside the EU Treaties and Greenland is an overseas country and territory, so departures from the Faroe Islands or Greenland are not covered as EU departures.
  • In EUROCONTROL’s 2025 data air traffic control staffing was the largest single cause of arrival flow-control delay at Copenhagen.
  • Denmark’s 3-year limit runs from the flight date, not the end of the year as in Germany.

Frequently asked questions

How much compensation can I get for a delayed flight in Denmark?

Under EU261, €250 for flights up to 1,500 km, €400 for 1,500–3,500 km (and for every flight within the EU over 1,500 km) and €600 for longer flights (€300 if a long-haul flight arrives 3–4 hours late), per passenger, if you arrive 3 hours or more late and the airline cannot prove extraordinary circumstances. It does not matter where you live – only where you flew from, where to, and with which airline.

Where do I complain in Denmark if the airline refuses to pay?

To Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority (Trafikstyrelsen), the national enforcement body for Denmark (Complain to the airline first and give it six weeks to answer. Trafikstyrelsen then handles complaints about delays, cancellations and denied boarding in Denmark free of charge; processing can take 9–12 months). It handles complaints about flights departing from Denmark and flights arriving there from outside the EU.

How long do I have to claim in Denmark?

3 years from the date the flight was delayed or cancelled, as a starting point (Danish Limitation Act), according to the European Consumer Centre Denmark.

I live in Denmark but my flight left from another country. Where can I claim?

Your rights depend on the flight, not on where you live. For a flight between two EU countries you can sue in the courts for the place of departure or the place of arrival (CJEU C-204/08 Rehder); for cross-border cases the European Small Claims Procedure works by post and online – except in Denmark, which does not apply it. The enforcement body to complain to is the one in the country where the incident happened.

Information only, not legal advice. Enforcement bodies and dispute schemes as listed by the European Commission, checked November 2026.

Sources

  1. National enforcement bodies under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (updated 13 October 2026) – European Commission
  2. Din guide til at klage over flyrejsen – Trafikstyrelsen
  3. Forsinket fly – Forbrugereuropa (ECC Denmark)
  4. Greenland – an Overseas Country and Territory associated with the EU – European Commission
  5. Regulation (EC) No 861/2007 – European Small Claims Procedure (not applicable in Denmark) – EUR-Lex
  6. Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, Article 355 (territorial application; Faroe Islands; overseas countries and territories) – EUR-Lex
  7. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 – full text (Article 3: scope; recital 15: air traffic management decisions) – EUR-Lex
  8. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as it applies in the UK (UK261) – Article 3, scope – legislation.gov.uk
  9. UK flight punctuality statistics 2025 (flights by destination from UK airports) – UK Civil Aviation Authority
  10. Airport arrival ATFM (flow-control) delay data, 2024–2025 – EUROCONTROL Aviation Intelligence Unit
  11. Air passenger transport by reporting airport (avia_par), 2024 – Eurostat
  12. Eurostat – air passenger transport routes between partner airports and main airports (2024) – Eurostat
  13. EUROCONTROL – airport arrival ATFM delays (open performance data) – EUROCONTROL
  14. C-204/08 Rehder v Air Baltic (jurisdiction: place of departure or arrival) – EUR-Lex

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