By law, travelers must be compensated for canceled flights, but there is no deadline for online travel agencies to pay compensation. Many complaints to the Swedish Consumer Agency therefore concerned travelers who did not receive their money back after their flights were canceled during the pandemic.

▪ The authority has therefore carried out an EU-wide supervisory effort against the three companies that have had the most complaints. The companies in question are Etraveli (which has brands such as Seat24 and Supersavertravel), eDreams (which has the Travellink brand, among others) and Kiwi.

▪ The companies have agreed to refund consumers within seven days of receiving the money from the airline for cancelled flights. Airlines are required by law to refund within seven days.

▪ The companies have also agreed to provide clearer information about their contact details on their websites, and to provide better information about rights in the event of cancelled flights.

▪ If the companies do not keep their promises, the Swedish Consumer Agency can take action. The agency first tries to reach an agreement with the company so that the consumer receives reasonable compensation. If no agreement is reached, the case is referred to the Consumer Ombudsman (KO).
The KO can issue injunctions against companies, for example prohibiting them from marketing in a certain way. If the company does not comply with the injunction, the KO can take it to court.

Source: Swedish Consumer Agency