Pingdom Check

Were you denied boarding?

We sincerely apologize if your journey was disrupted. Our aim is always to ensure our passengers have a smooth and enjoyable journey, but sometimes things unfortunately don't go as planned. 

Below, you'll find information about passenger rights when they are denied boarding according to EU regulation 261/2004. They apply if you are not allowed to board your flight even though you arrived on time and met all the required check‑in and boarding conditions. This does not include situations where boarding is refused for valid reasons, such as health, safety, security concerns, or if your travel documents are incomplete or incorrect.

The right to care

If you are denied boarding you may be entitled to care. This can include meals and refreshments, accommodation, transportation, and access to a means of communication. This does not apply if providing care would further delay your journey.

Care can include:

  • Meals and refreshments, in proportion to the waiting time.
  • Accommodation and transportation, if your flight is delayed overnight and you’re unable to return home or to your temporary accommodation.
  • Means of communication, if you need a place to call or send an email regarding the disruption.

Self organized care

Sometimes our team is unable to issue vouchers due to the volume of affected passengers. When that happens, we ask that passengers arrange care and claim reimbursement at the end of their journey through our claims portal.

Meals and refreshments: In proportion to the waiting time. Please note that we don't reimburse the cost of alcoholic beverages. Click on the card below for more information.

Accommodation: Reasonable cost for overnight accommodation varies by location, click on the card below for more information.

Transportation: Public transport or airport shuttle between the airport and accommodation.

Communication: Cost of placing two phone calls, sending two e-mails or faxes.

All expenses must be directly related to the disruption and supported by detailed receipts in the passenger’s name where applicable. 

Woman on laptop

Claim expenses

Click here to submit a claim for self-arranged care through our claims portal

Black bag placed on top of a hotel bed

Cost for an overnight stay

Click here to view the reasonable overnight accommodation costs by destination

A white coffee cup and a plate of food

Cost for refreshments

Click here to view the reasonable costs for refreshments based on the duration of the delay

EU regulation 261/2004 applies to journeys to the EU, Norway, Switzerland, or Iceland when you're flying with an airline based in one of those countries. It also applies to flights departing from those countries, regardless of the airline. It does not apply to trips that begin and end outside this area. For example, a journey that starts in the USA or Canada and ends in the Faroe Islands or Greenland, even with a transfer in Iceland, is not covered.

If you are denied boarding you may be entitled to care. This can include meals and refreshments, accommodation, transportation, and access to a means of communication. This does not apply if providing care would further delay your journey.

 

Care can include:

  • Meals and refreshments, in proportion to the waiting time.
  • Accommodation and transportation, if your flight is delayed overnight and you’re unable to return home or to your temporary accommodation.
  • Means of communication, if you need a place to call or send an email regarding the disruption.
,,

EU regulation 261/2004 applies to journeys to the EU, Norway, Switzerland, or Iceland when you're flying with an airline based in one of those countries. It also applies to flights departing from those countries, regardless of the airline. It does not apply to trips that begin and end outside this area. For example, a journey that starts in the USA or Canada and ends in the Faroe Islands or Greenland, even with a transfer in Iceland, is not covered.

,

If you're denied boarding without there being reasonable grounds for this denial, you may be entitled to rerouting or reimbursement.

Rerouting

When possible, we reroute all eligible passengers who's journey has been disrupted automatically. We send all notifications and updated itineraries to the email registered in the booking, so it's important to make sure that is correct. You can double check it in Manage booking or the Icelandair app. Sometimes automatic rerouting is not possible due to the number of affected passengers. In that case, passengers can request rerouting to their final destination on the next available Icelandair flight, under comparable transport conditions, if there are seats available.

Reimbursement

You can choose not to travel and have the unused parts of your ticket refunded for all passengers on the same booking. You can cancel or change your booking in Manage booking and request a refund here.

,

EU regulation 261/2004 applies to journeys to the EU, Norway, Switzerland, or Iceland when you're flying with an airline based in one of those countries. It also applies to flights departing from those countries, regardless of the airline. It does not apply to trips that begin and end outside this area. For example, a journey that starts in the USA or Canada and ends in the Faroe Islands or Greenland, even with a transfer in Iceland, is not covered.

,

If you are denied boarding on a flight, you may be entitled to compensation. The amount of compensation depends on the length of the flight and the delay experienced in reaching your final destination. Compensation amounts are as follows:

All flights 1500 km or shorter:

  • EUR 125 if you are offered an alternative flight that gets you to your final destination within 2 hours of the scheduled arrival time of the original flight.
  • EUR 250 if you arrive more than 2 hours after the scheduled arrival time of the original flight.

All intra-Community flights* over 1500 km or all other flights between 1500 and 3500 km:

  • EUR 200 if you are offered an alternative flight that gets you to your final destination within 3 hours of the scheduled arrival time of the original flight.
  • EUR 400 if you arrive more than 3 hours after the scheduled arrival time of the original flight.

All flights not covered by the above categories:

  • EUR 300 if you are offered an alternative flight that gets you to your final destination within 4 hours of the scheduled arrival time of the original flight.
  • EUR 600 if you arrive more than 4 hours after the scheduled arrival time of the original flight.

When are you not entitled to compensation?

Compensation does not apply if:

  • You volunteered to give up your seat in exchange for benefits.
  • There are reasonable grounds to deny boarding, such as reasons of health, safety, or security, or inadequate travel documentation.

 

A list of the relevant authorities responsible for ensuring the legal rights of passengers can be found under Europa.eu.

 

*Intra-Community flights refer to flights within the European Union (EU) and also include countries that are part of the European Economic Area (EEA), such as Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. This means that flights between these countries, as well as flights from these countries to the EU, are covered under the same passenger rights regulations. Additionally, flights from outside the EU and EEA to an EU or EEA member state are also protected if operated by an EU or EEA airline.

,

EU regulation 261/2004 applies to journeys to the EU, Norway, Switzerland, or Iceland when you're flying with an airline based in one of those countries. It also applies to flights departing from those countries, regardless of the airline. It does not apply to trips that begin and end outside this area. For example, a journey that starts in the USA or Canada and ends in the Faroe Islands or Greenland, even with a transfer in Iceland, is not covered.

Other regions

Traveling outside Europe? Passengers rights vary based on point of origin and destination. Find information regarding other regions below.

Raleigh Durham North Carolina United States Landscape

United States

Passengers rights when traveling to or from the United States

Canada - nature - mountains - unsplash

Canada

Passengers' rights when traveling to or from Canada

United Kingdom_Miners Trail, Snowdonia National Park

United Kingdom

Passengers' rights when traveling to or from the United Kingdom