A year ago, Enes Gültekin and his mother were to fly from Bosnia to Italy. But the flight was canceled and all other departures from the airport were fully booked.
Instead, they had to take the bus to another airport – a journey that was considerably longer than they had imagined.
When Enes Gültekin wanted compensation, Ryanair refused. And even though he was right in the General Complaints Board, he didn’t get any money. Ryanair believes that the reason for the flight being canceled was beyond their control.
– It doesn’t surprise me, says Maria Wiezell, consumer advisor at Sweden’s consumers.
– It is precisely this standard compensation that the airlines have been most annoyed by. They think it is far too generous for the consumer’s benefit, she says.
Lots of entries so far this year
So far this year, more than 1,400 notifications have come in to ARN regarding scheduled flights. The majority of them concern precisely delayed or canceled flights where passengers can receive a standard compensation.
– Unfortunately, it is common for the airlines not to follow ARN’s decision, says Maria Wiezell.
Big “debt” to the travelers
The Financial Times writes that less than half of the compensation that travelers were entitled to in case of delayed flights has been claimed in the last 15 years, which is due, among other things, to complicated procedures on the part of the airlines and low knowledge on the part of the travelers.
The newspaper has calculated that European airlines have a compensation debt of €3.2 billion, which has not been paid, but which is still possible for travelers to claim.
But the aviation industry believes that the regulations are unclear.
– Many of the disputes that arise are due to the fact that the regulations have been broad and are interpreted differently, says Fredrik Kämpfe, branch manager Transportföretagen Flyg.
This week, the EU tightened the rules for air passengers’ rights. Now both the airline industry and Sweden’s consumers believe that ticket prices may rise due to the new rules.
– We only see fees going up, says Fredrik Kämpfe.
SVT has applied to Ryanair for an interview, but the company has not responded.
Source: SVT News | Sat, 20 Jun 2026 06:10:34
