Delayed or cancelled Swiss Air Lines flight? Get compensation up to €600!

Your rights in the event of a delayed or cancelled Swiss flight

In the event of cancellations or delays with Swiss Air Lines, it is important to remember that British regulations safeguard your rights as an air passenger. Depending on specific circumstances, you may be eligible for compensation of up to €600 and a complete refund of the ticket cost for your Saudia Airlines flight that was cancelled.

• Was your Swiss flight delayed? If you arrived at your final destination at least 3 hours late, you are most likely entitled to flight compensation.

• Was your Swiss flight cancelled? If you did not take an alternative flight offered by the airline, you are entitled to a refund. Additionally, if the flight was cancelled fewer than 14 days before departure, you might be entitled to cancelled Swiss flight compensation.

• Regardless of the flight disruption or its cause, airlines must provide passengers with special assistance, known as the "right to care.” This includes: food and beverage vouchers, communication services, and, if needed, accommodations and transportation. You can claim those directly at the airline’s service desk at the airport, if the airline refuses to give you a voucher, just go and buy what you need — they will have to pay you back those expenses (as long as they are reasonable).

Warning: If your flight was delayed or cancelled because of “extraordinary circumstance”, you won’t be entitled to flight compensation as the airline needs to be responsible for the flight disruption to provide compensation to passengers.

Swiss compensation for delayed flight 

According to the Flight Compensation Regulation, compensation for a delayed Swiss flight is awarded if the passenger arrives at their final destination at least 3 hours late and if the delay is the airline’s fault (you have to consider the so-called extraordinary circumstances).

Swiss compensation for cancelled flight 

Did Swiss International Air Lines cancel your flight? You can ask for a full monetary refund and even might be eligible for flight compensation of up to €600!

When can I claim compensation for my cancelled Swiss flight? 

You can claim cancelled flight compensation if Swiss cancelled your flight fewer than 14 days prior to the original departure date and if the alternative flight offered you meets specific criteria that we explain in the table below. Additionally, the cancellation must be the fault of the airline itself. If extraordinary circumstances occur, such as travel restrictions at your destination, the airline is not obliged to pay you compensation.

You can check your eligibility for flight compensation in as little as a minute by using our free, no-obligation Claim Calculator.

When can I claim a Swiss Air Lines refund?

You can claim a refund from the Swiss airline if your flight was cancelled and you did not take any alternative flight offered by the airline. If the airline did not offer you any alternative flight (which sometimes does happen), you are, of course, also entitled to a refund.

Swiss Air Lines is offering me a voucher — should I accept it?

Airlines sometimes offer passengers vouchers instead of a monetary refund. We don’t recommend accepting those. According to EU regulations, the airline is obliged to offer you a full monetary refund. Accepting a voucher has a number of disadvantages, such as:

• If you accept a travel voucher, you have to use the same airline in the future, even if you had a bad experience with it.

• Airline vouchers usually have strict expiry dates. This forces you to make your new travel plans fast.

• If the airline goes bankrupt, you are no longer able to change your voucher for a refund — so you simply lose your money.

Have you already accepted a voucher from the Swiss airline? We might be able to help you to exchange it for a full monetary refund. Use our easy-to-use online system to provide us with all the details regarding your flight and our experts will look into your case. No win, no fee.

When can I claim a refund and compensation for my cancelled Swiss flight 

You can claim both Swiss compensation and a refund if your flight was cancelled less than 14 days prior to departure because of the airline’s own fault and...

• You were not offered any alternative flight by Swiss.

• You were offered an alternative flight but decided not to take it. However, the proposed alternative flight must meet the criteria presented in the table below.

Can I get flight compensation if I cancel my Swiss flight? 

Passengers should be aware that the cancellation of a Swiss Airlines flight does not automatically guarantee compensation or refunds. It is advisable to refer to Swiss Airlines' policies to understand the available options for potential compensation in the event of flight cancellations.

Swiss missed connection flight due to delay or cancellation

In the event of a delay or cancellation of your Swiss Airlines flight, leading to a missed connecting flight (when both flights were booked together under the same reservation), you could potentially qualify for compensation and/or a refund for the entire journey.

Check your Swiss flight status

To stay informed, make sure to regularly check the status of your Swiss Airlines flight on their official website or the website of your departure/arrival airport. By staying prepared and well-informed, you can minimise the chances of encountering unforeseen issues during your travel with Swiss Airlines.

How much compensation can I get if I had a delayed Swiss flight?

Distance of your flight	Compensation
Flights shorter than 1,500 km	Get £220 per passenger
Flight between 1,500 and 3,500 km	Get £350 per passenger
Flights of over 1,500 kilometres within the EU	Get £350 per passenger
Flights of over 3,500 kilometres outside of the EU	Get €600 per passenger

I had a Swiss flight to a non-EU country. Can I still claim compensation and a refund?

Yes, you can. Swiss is flying to multiple countries across the world, from North America to Asia, and each of these flights is covered under the EU regulations.

However, it’s worth noting that the situation would be different when flying with a non-EU/non-UK airline.

Type of flight	Example	Compensation
Flying with a British carrier	Tokyo to London with British Airways	Yes
Flying with a EU carrier	Amsterdam to London with KLM	Yes
Flying with a non-UK/non-EU carrier from the UK	London to Tokyo with Japan Airlines	Yes
Flying with a non-UK/non-EU carrier to the UK	Tokyo to London with Japan Airlines	No

I have incurred unexpected expenses due to my Swiss flight being delayed/cancelled. Can I ask for reimbursement?

Yes, you can. If due to a flight disruption you had to book a night at a hotel, use a taxi, or eat at an airport restaurant, you might be able to get these expenses reimbursed.

If you decide to claim your Swiss compensation with the help of Flight-Delayed.com, you can easily upload all relevant invoices and receipts to our smart, mobile-friendly system. We will carefully review them and fight for your money with the airline. For your convenience, we work on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis.

Extraordinary circumstances — can Swiss deny me compensation?

The so-called extraordinary circumstances are situations where the flight disruption is caused by a third party or force majeure and therefore, is not the airline’s own fault. In these situations, even if you had a significantly delayed or suddenly cancelled flight, you might not be entitled to compensation.

Some of the most common extraordinary circumstances that allow Swiss to deny your claim are:

• Bad weather, for example thick fog, heavy rain, or thunderstorms.

• A strike, most often specifically within the aviation industry.

  However, a strike of the airline's crew is not considered an extraordinary circumstance!

• Political circumstances, such as a terrorist attack or general security risk due to political unrest.

• Natural disasters, including volcanic eruptions and hurricanes.

• A collision between the aircraft and birds or other foreign objects.

• An ill or unruly passenger.

• Flight delays caused by the airport staff, such as extraordinarily long queues to security checks.
  

You should be aware, though, that airlines sometimes try to avoid paying out compensation by claiming extraordinary circumstances occurred, even if that was not the case.

Make sure the airline is held accountable by claiming with Flight-Delayed.com. Our expert will thoroughly examine your case and fight for your rights — if needed, even in court. We operate solely on a 'no win, no fee' basis, for your convenience.

How long do I have to claim Swiss Air Lines compensation and refund?

If you are flying to or from the UK, you have 6 years to submit a claim. The exception is Scotland where you have only 5 years to claim.

If your itinerary does not include the UK, local laws in each country will apply. You can check if you can still claim compensation and refund fast using our free, no-obligation Claim Calculator.

=> Check if you can still claim Swiss Air Lines compensation and refund

How long will it take to get Swiss compensation / refund?

The passengers who claim with the help of Flight-Delayed.com often find money on their account within a few weeks or months.

“I had no longer expected compensation from Swiss for our 5-hour delay. But you made it!! I'm excited!! Many thanks!!”

However, if the airline is unresponsive and/or the case has to be brought to court, the waiting time might get extended.

But when you claim with Flight-Delayed.com, you don’t have to worry about being on the watch all the time. After you submit all the necessary documents via our smart online system, we will take care of all the rest, including — if needed — fighting for your rights in court. We will keep you posted on any major updates regarding your claim and be there to answer any questions you might have.

How to claim Swiss Air Lines compensation and refund?

First, double-check if you are for sure entitled to Swiss flight compensation and/or a Swiss flight refund. You can do it in just a minute by using our free, no-obligation Claim Calculator.

Afterwards, you can either try to claim the Swiss compensation and/or a refund directly from the airline or let us do all the tiresome work for you. We’ll carefully analyse your case using aviation data, gather documentation, and reach out to the right people at the airline. If the airline denies the claim but we believe it’s valid nonetheless, we will go to court and fight for your rights there.

About Swiss International Air Lines

Officially registered as Swiss International Air Lines AG, but commonly known as Swiss Air Lines or just Swiss, the airline is Switzerland’s flag carrier. It was established just in 2002, after the country’s previous flag carrier, Swissair, went bankrupt after more than 70 years on the market.

Along with many other airlines, such as Brussels Airlines or Eurowings, Swiss International Air Lines is currently a part of the Lufthansa Group. At the same time, Swiss itself owns a few subsidiaries, including Edelweiss Air — a leisure, charter airline.

Swiss is also a member of Star Alliance.

Useful links

• More details on delayed flight compensation
• More details on cancelled flight compensation
• Post-Brexit flight compensation rules in the UK
• Rules regarding missed flight compensation
• Rules regarding flight compensation in the case of denied boarding
• Claim Calculator — check if you are eligible for compensation