1: First contact the airline
In the event of a problem, always first contact the airline operating the flight in question. Lodge a complaint at the earliest opportunity.
Airlines must ensure that passenger rights are respected.
Business traveller: make a complaint about a delayed or cancelled flight
If your flight is delayed or cancelled or you were denied boarding, you may have a right to care and standard compensation. If you were downgraded , you may be reimbursed for part of the ticket price.
CONTACT THE CORRECT AUTHORITY
In Finland, passenger complaints are handled by two authorities. The relevant authority depends on whether you were travelling as a consumer or as a business traveller.
You are considered a consumer if you travel for leisure and pay for your own flights. Please contact the Consumer Advisory Service (External link). Consumer complaints are resolved by the Consumer Disputes Board.
You are considered a business traveller if you travel for work and your employer pays your flights. In this case, please contact Traficom.
First contact the airline directly
In the event of a problem, complain to the airline operating your flight as soon as possible. You can submit your complaint on the airline’s website.
Before making a complaint, learn about your rights in different situations
Air passenger rights apply to all domestic and international flights within and departing from the EU and to international flights arriving in the EU if they are operated by an EU airline. The rules also apply to Norway, Switzerland and Iceland and airlines based in these countries.
How to make a complaint
2: Wait for the airline’s response
The airline must be given a reasonable period of time to reply to your complaint.
The recommendation is 8 weeks.
The airline must give you a sufficient account of the events. If the airline refuses to pay you standard compensation, it must justify its decision. Standard compensation may only be denied in certain situations. Read more about extraordinary circumstances.
3: Choose the correct authority
If you are not satisfied with the response you get to your complaint, you can contact the authority overseeing passenger rights. Make sure you complain to the right authority.
Complaints are lodged with the relevant authority in the country where the incident took place.
4: The incident occurred in Finland
In Finland, there are two authorities handling passenger right complaints. The relevant authority depends on whether you are a consumer or a business traveller.
According to law, you are a consumer if you were travelling in your leisure time and paid for the trip yourself. Contact the Consumer Advisory Service (External link). Consumer complaints are resolved by the Consumer Disputes Board.
If you are a business traveller, turn to Traficom. Business travellers travel for work, and their flights are usually paid by their employers.
5: The incident occurred outside Finland
Address your complaint to the relevant authority in the country where the incident took place.
The relevant authority may also be located in another EU country, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland (contact information: https://transport.ec.europa.eu/transport-themes/passenger-rights/national-enforcement-bodies-neb_en (External link)).
If your flight arrived from outside the EU and it was operated by an EU airline, you should contact the competent supervisory authority of the country of destination.
Complaints to authorities in other countries should be written in English or the language of the country in question.
6: Traficom handles complaints from business travellers
Fill in the complaint form for business travellers below. If you are unable to use the form, please describe in your own words what happened and specify your claims to the airline.
Attach to the complaint your correspondence with the airline, a copy of your ticket, your boarding pass and any other documents you consider relevant. You may also include receipts, if you had to pay for meals or accommodation while waiting for re-routing or a return flight.
Send your complaint to kirjaamo@traficom.fi.
If your complaint contains personal information, you can send it as a secure message. Instructions for sending secure email to Traficom. (External link)
If you cannot send the complaint documents by e-mail, you can send them to Traficom by post: Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom, PO Box 320, 00059 TRAFICOM.
7: Traficom may issue recommendations
Traficom has competence to issue recommendations concerning complaints by business travellers.