SAS: the airline that wrote the strike rulebook
SAS is the flag carrier of Denmark, Norway and Sweden — a single airline for three countries, built around hubs in Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo. After a turbulent few years (a 2022 bankruptcy restructuring and new owners led by Air France-KLM), it left Star Alliance and joined SkyTeam in 2024. As an EU/EEA airline, it’s covered by EU 261/2004 both leaving and entering the EU/EEA.
But SAS has a unique claim to fame in passenger-rights law: it’s the airline whose own strike set the rule for all of Europe. When SAS pilots walked out and SAS argued it shouldn’t have to pay, the case went to the EU Court of Justice — and SAS lost. That ruling now protects passengers on every European airline. If your SAS flight was cancelled by an SAS strike, the law that says you’re owed has SAS’s name on it.
When an SAS strike pays — and when it doesn’t
The question, as always, is whose staff went on strike:
- SAS’s own staff — its pilots or cabin crew. In Airhelp v SAS (Case C-28/20), the EU Court of Justice held that a strike by an airline’s own workforce is part of running an airline and is not an extraordinary circumstance. So a cancellation caused by an SAS pilot or cabin-crew strike means you can claim €250–600.
- People SAS doesn’t employ — air-traffic controllers, or the airport’s own ground and security staff. Their strikes are outside SAS’s control and usually are extraordinary, removing the cash (though SAS must still reroute or refund you and provide care).
Use the decoder to see how the reason you were given holds up:
What your SAS claim is worth
EU 261 sets the amount by the great-circle distance of your flight:
| Flight distance | Compensation per passenger |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | €250 |
| 1,500 – 3,500 km | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km (to/from outside the EU) | €600 |
SAS flies short hops around Scandinavia and Europe in the €250–€400 bands, and long-haul to the US and Asia worth €600. A flight that stays inside the EU/EEA is capped at €400, however far. Try a few routes:
Note Copenhagen → Rome (~1,536 km) just crosses into €400, and Stockholm → Barcelona (~2,317 km) is €400 — both intra-EU, so capped there. Only the intercontinental routes reach €600.
Delays, connections and cancellations
- Delays. Reach your destination 3+ hours late for a reason within SAS’s control, and you’re owed €250–600. Measured at arrival.
- Connections. On a single booking through Copenhagen, compensation is based on the final-destination delay and the distance to it.
- Cancellations. A refund or rerouting, care, and — unless 14+ days’ notice or extraordinary circumstances — the per-passenger compensation on top.
Real example. A Copenhagen → Rome flight is cancelled during an SAS pilot strike and rebooked next day. Own-staff strike (the exact C-28/20 situation), under-14-days’ notice → €400 per passenger, plus rerouting and care. Check a cancelled flight →
Real example. A Copenhagen → New York flight lands 5 hours late after a technical fault. Not extraordinary, over 3,500 km to a non-EU country → €600 per passenger. Check a delayed flight →
How to claim from SAS yourself
- Gather your evidence — booking reference, boarding passes, flight number and date, SAS’s stated reason, and any receipts.
- Confirm it qualifies — arrived 3+ hours late (or cancelled with under 14 days’ notice, or denied boarding); the cause wasn’t extraordinary; you’re within the time limit.
- Work out the amount from the distance to your final destination — €250, €400 or €600.
- Submit SAS’s claim form. Use SAS’s EU261 claim form, citing EU 261/2004, the flight and the arrival delay.
- Escalate if refused. Escalate to the enforcement body of the country you flew from — Trafikstyrelsen (Denmark), Transportstyrelsen (Sweden) or Luftfartstilsynet (Norway) — or hand the claim to a specialist.
Real SAS scenarios
- Pilot strike cancellation. Copenhagen → Rome scrapped during an SAS pilot strike → €400 each — the textbook C-28/20 case.
- Long-haul technical delay. Copenhagen → New York 5 hours late after a technical fault → €600 per passenger.
- Inbound from the US. New York → Copenhagen cancelled and rebooked → €600 each, because SAS is an EU/EEA carrier.
- ATC strike — the honest no. A controllers’ strike cancels Stockholm → Barcelona → no compensation, but care and a refund or rerouting.
See real won cases and verdicts →.
SAS at a glance
Founded in 1946 as the joint carrier of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, SAS is led by CEO Anko van der Werff and flies an all-Airbus fleet — A320neo and A321LR short and medium-haul, A330 and A350 long-haul — from its Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo hubs, carrying around 25 million passengers a year. After exiting a 2022–2024 restructuring with Air France-KLM as a major investor (set to take a majority stake in 2026), it switched to SkyTeam. Its place in passenger-rights history, though, is permanent: SAS is the airline whose own strike taught Europe that own-staff strikes are claimable.
Why hand your SAS claim to Refundio
Even with the law literally on your side, SAS strike-era claims can sit in the queue for months, and the own-staff-vs-external distinction trips many passengers up. Refundio buys your claim and pays you upfront, usually within days, then takes SAS on itself — and the Scandinavian enforcement route where needed. No win, no fee.
Check your SAS claim in 2 minutes →
Frequently asked questions
SAS cancelled my flight because of a strike. Can I claim?
If the people who struck work for SAS — its pilots or cabin crew — then yes, and SAS is the airline that settled this. In Airhelp v SAS (C-28/20) the EU Court of Justice ruled an airline’s own-staff strike is not extraordinary, so SAS owes €250–600. Only strikes by people SAS doesn’t employ — air-traffic controllers or airport staff — usually count as extraordinary (you still get care and a refund or rerouting).
How much compensation does SAS pay?
€250 up to 1,500 km, €400 for 1,500–3,500 km, €600 long-haul over 3,500 km to a non-EU country. Flights staying inside the EU/EEA are capped at €400.
Does EU 261 cover SAS flights into Scandinavia, not just departures?
Yes. SAS is an EU/EEA carrier (Denmark and Sweden in the EU; Norway in the EEA), so EU 261 covers it both departing and arriving — New York–Copenhagen included.
I missed my connection in Copenhagen. What am I owed?
On a single booking, compensation is based on the arrival delay at your final destination and the distance to it. A short delay into Copenhagen that leaves you 4 hours late at your final city can be worth €600 per person.
How do I claim compensation from SAS?
Use SAS’s online EU261 form, citing the regulation, your flight and the arrival delay. If refused, escalate to the enforcement body of the departure country — Trafikstyrelsen (Denmark), Transportstyrelsen (Sweden) or Luftfartstilsynet (Norway) — or hand it to Refundio.
How long do I have to claim from SAS?
It depends on the Scandinavian country whose rules apply — generally a few years, longer in some. Older flights, including from its big strike years, are often still claimable.