Compensation Legally reviewed
Reviewed by the Kravflyg Editorial Team7min read

What do I do during a flight strike? A checklist for when you are stuck

Flight cancelled because of a strike? Here is the step-by-step checklist: what to do now, which offer not to accept at the desk, and what help you are entitled to while you wait. Reviewed May 2026.

Check your rights

Are you entitled to compensation?

If all 5 conditions below are met, it is very likely that you are entitled to compensation under EU Regulation 261/2004.

  • The flight departed from an airport within the EU, or landed in the EU and was operated by an EU-based airline.
  • The delay at the final destination was 3 hours or more — or the flight was cancelled or you were denied boarding.
  • You had a confirmed booking and checked in on time.
  • The airline did not give notice of the cancellation at least 14 days in advance.
  • The cause was not a genuine extraordinary circumstance (documented extreme weather, air-traffic-control strike and the like).
Start your claim →
Illustration till artikeln: Vad gör jag vid en flygstrejk? Checklista steg för steg

If your flight is cancelled or delayed because of a strike, the next few hours are about two things: being looked after while you wait, and not doing anything that weakens a later claim. This page is a short checklist — made for someone reading it on a phone at a gate, not for someone who wants to read up on the law.

The big question — whether your particular strike gives a right to money — can wait until you are sitting calmly. The right to meals, a hotel and an active choice between rebooking and a refund applies regardless of who is striking. Start there.

Checklist: do this

  1. Ask for the notice in writing. Get it confirmed in the app, by text or by email that the flight is cancelled or delayed — and ideally the reason. Screenshot it. A spoken notice at the desk disappears; a screenshot stays.
  2. Keep your boarding pass and booking confirmation. Throw nothing away. Photograph the departures board showing "cancelled" or a long delay too. Keep texts and emails from the airline.
  3. Actively choose between rebooking and a refund. For a cancelled flight you have the right to choose: be rebooked onto a new departure — as soon as possible, including with another airline if your own cannot rebook you quickly — or get the ticket price back. Decide what you want before you say yes to anything.
  4. Claim meals and a hotel. If you have to wait, you are entitled to meals and drinks; if you need to wait overnight, also a hotel and transport to and from it. Ask for it. If you get nothing — move on to point 6.
  5. Do not accept a voucher instead of money. A credit note is not cash compensation, and it often ties you to the same airline. Do not sign a form that asks you to waive further claims.
  6. Keep all receipts. If you buy meals or a hotel yourself because the airline does not meet its responsibility — keep every receipt. These are expenses you can claim back afterwards.

Six steps to work through right away when a flight strike hits your trip.

Diagram: six steps to work through right away when a flight strike hits your trip

The offer you should not accept

At the desk during a strike, staff often want to resolve the situation quickly. Most of what they offer is fine — but three things are worth pausing for.

A refund when you actually want to travel. If you accept getting the ticket money back, it counts as giving up the journey. The airline’s obligation to look after you on the spot can then end. If you still want to get there: demand rebooking, not a refund. We go through what a cancelled flight gives you in a separate section.

A voucher instead of cash. Credit notes sound generous but are not worth as much as money — you can only use them with the same airline, often with a short validity period. You have the right to a refund in real money.

A form that "closes the case". If you sign that you waive further claims, you can extinguish the right to the €250–600 in compensation you may have — without knowing it. Always read what you sign, and do not sign anything you do not understand.

What you are entitled to while you wait — regardless of the type of strike

One thing applies in every strike, even those that give no right to compensation: the duty of care. The airline must look after you while you wait:

  • meals and drinks in reasonable quantity, in proportion to the wait
  • a hotel if you have to wait overnight, plus transport there and back
  • the ability to get in touch — a couple of calls or messages

This applies even if the strike is an air traffic control strike that gives not a penny in compensation. If the airline does not take responsibility on the spot — buy something reasonable yourself and keep the receipts. More on what counts as "reasonable" is on the page about the right to meals and a hotel during a flight delay.

When you are sitting calmly: are you entitled to compensation?

Only once you are home or have arrived is it time for the money question. It is decided by who was striking. If the airline’s own cabin crew or own pilots were on strike, you are usually entitled to €250–600 (about SEK 2,800–6,800). If it was air traffic control or the airport that was striking, it is usually an extraordinary circumstance, and then no compensation is paid — but the receipts from the duty of care still apply.

The full rule, with the case law behind it, is on our page about the right to compensation when staff strike . If you want a quick assessment of what your particular situation might give, use the flight compensation calculator.

This is not legal advice

This page is based on published and institutional sources — an expert review has not yet been carried out. For advice on your individual case, turn to ARN (Allmänna reklamationsnämnden — the Swedish National Board for Consumer Disputes) or Transportstyrelsen (the Swedish Transport Agency), the supervisory authority for air passenger rights in Sweden.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to accept a refund in a flight strike?

No. For a cancelled flight you choose for yourself between rebooking onto a new departure and a refund of the ticket. If you accept a refund, it means you are giving up the journey — and the airline’s obligation to look after you on the spot can then end. If you still want to get there, demand rebooking instead.

Am I entitled to meals and a hotel even if the strike gives no compensation?

Yes. The duty of care — meals, drinks and, if needed, a hotel and transport — applies in every strike, even an air traffic control strike that gives no right to compensation. If the airline does not meet its responsibility, you can buy something reasonable yourself and claim the expenses afterwards. Keep all receipts. Read more in the right to compensation when staff strike .

Should I accept a voucher the airline offers?

Be careful. A voucher or credit note is not the same as cash compensation and often ties you to the same airline. You have the right to a refund in money if you choose not to travel. Do not sign a form that asks you to waive further claims — it can extinguish the right to the €250–600 in compensation.

Does it matter who is striking?

Yes, for the right to compensation. If the airline’s own cabin crew or pilots strike, you are usually entitled to €250–600. If air traffic control or airport staff strike, it is usually an extraordinary circumstance and then no compensation is paid. But the right to meals and a hotel, and the choice between rebooking and a refund, apply regardless of who is striking.

Sources and further reading

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