Problem with package travel

The package travel organiser may increase the price of your trip up to 20 days before departure. But only if this right is clearly stated in the terms and conditions of the contract. If there is no such clause, the price cannot be changed.

Price increases are only allowed due to changes in exchange rates, taxes or fees imposed by third parties (such as airport or port charges), or fuel costs related to the transport included in your package.

If these factors instead lead to lower costs for the organiser, you are entitled to a corresponding price reduction.

If the price increases by more than 8 percent of the total cost of the package, you have the right to cancel the trip and receive a full refund.

Sometimes, a package travel organiser may change parts of the package travel. For example, an excursion you booked at the same time as the trip might be altered or cancelled, or the itinerary may be changed.

If the changes make the trip worse, you may be entitled to a price reduction. The amount should reflect the value of the part of the package that is no longer provided.

If the changes are significant and cause a major disadvantage for you, you have the right to cancel the trip and receive a full refund.

Whether you are entitled to cancel must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. If you no longer wish to travel, you must inform the organiser as soon as possible.

The organiser may have the right to change the time or date of the package travel. However, if the change is significant and causes you a major disadvantage, you may be entitled to cancel the trip and receive a refund. Whether you have this right must be assessed on a case-by-case basis

If you no longer wish to go on the trip because of the change, you need to inform the organiser as soon as possible.

Would you still like to go on the package travel even if, for example, it is shortened by one day? In that case, you can claim compensation in the form of a price reduction for the day you missed.

If you have incurred additional costs due to a change to a package travel, you may be entitled to claim damages from the organiser for those costs. You will need to show that you incurred the costs, for example by providing receipts.

You cannot claim damages if:

• the change was caused by you
• the problem is caused by unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances that the organiser could not have foreseen.

Examples of extraordinary circumstances include:

• natural disasters
• disease outbreaks
• war.

There are many circumstances that may be regarded as faults in a package travel. For example:

• The package travel is a round trip with multiple destinations, and one of the planned stops is cancelled.
• You booked excursions at the destination at the same time as the trip itself, and one of the excursions is cancelled.
• The hotel is of significantly lower standard than what was promised by the organiser.
• The hotel you are staying at has a bedbug infestation.
• The hotel or room lacks certain facilities that the organiser had guaranteed.
• You booked a trip that included food and drink, but upon arrival, neither was available.

You may first request that the organiser corrects the fault. The organiser should do this as soon as possible.

In some cases, you can instead claim a price reduction.

Examples of what you can claim for different faults

• Is your package travel a tour that includes several destinations and one of the stops is cancelled? In that case, you can first ask the organiser to replace the destination with an alternative one. If the organiser cannot provide a suitable alternative, you can claim a price reduction corresponding to that part of the trip. If the change is considered significant, you may be entitled to terminate the contract and receive a refund.
• Did you book excursions as part of the package travel and one of them is cancelled? In that case, the organiser should arrange an equivalent excursion or give you a price reduction corresponding to the cancelled excursion.
• Is the hotel or hotel area under renovation, or are there bed bugs at the hotel? In that case, you can ask the organiser to arrange alternative accommodation or give you a price reduction corresponding to the problem.

When does the organiser not have to put the problem right?

The organiser is not required to put the problem right if there are obstacles outside the organiser’s control that cannot be influenced.

The organiser is also not required to put the problem right if doing so would involve unreasonable costs.

You are still entitled to a price reduction even if the organiser is not required to put the problem right. The exception is when the problem is caused by you as the traveller.

How much of a price reduction can you claim?

The amount of the price reduction must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. There are no fixed amounts. However, the price reduction should be reasonable. You can make a claim to the organiser for an amount that you consider reasonable.

You can only claim a price reduction for the period during which the problem existed. In many cases, this period is calculated from the time you complained to the organiser. If the organiser corrected the problem during the trip, you will generally not be entitled to a refund for the whole trip.

Examples of how a price reduction may be calculated

• The organiser promised that your hotel room would have air conditioning, but it does not. After two days, you move to another hotel with air conditioning. You may then be entitled to a price reduction for the first two days of the trip, but not for the entire trip.
• An excursion included in the package travel is cancelled and the organiser cannot offer a similar alternative. You can then claim a price reduction corresponding to the value of the cancelled excursion.
• Food and drinks were supposed to be included in the price of the trip, but they are not available when you arrive. You complain, but the organiser cannot resolve the problem. You can then claim a price reduction. The amount will depend on how much of the trip price relates to food and drinks and whether you need to leave the hotel area to buy them.

There are two types of compensation you may be entitled to if something goes wrong with your package travel: price reduction and damages.

Price reduction

You are entitled to a price reduction if the fault in the package travel is not caused by you. The reduction is calculated from the time the organiser became aware of the fault.

Damages

You may be entitled to claim compensation from the organiser for additional costs incurred due to the fault in the package travel. You must be able to prove these costs with receipts or similar documentation.

You cannot claim compensation if:

• the fault was caused by you,
• the organiser could not have foreseen or avoided the fault,
• the fault was due to unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances.

If you and the organiser agree that you are entitled to a price reduction or compensation for additional costs, but the organiser still does not pay, you can ask The Enforcement Authority to help by applying for a payment order.

This is a way to get help in receiving the payment you are owed. Contact the Swedish Enforcement Authority for more information.

The Swedish Enforcement Agency's information on payment orders

If your baggage is delayed, lost or damaged during a flight, you should contact the airline. You may also contact the package travel organiser.

Read more on our pages about delayed, lost or damaged baggage:

Delayed or missing baggage after air travel

Damaged baggage after air travel

If your flight within a package travel is cancelled or delayed, you should contact the package travel organiser.

If the flight is delayed, you may be entitled to a price reduction for lost time at the destination.

If the flight is cancelled, the organiser must first attempt to arrange an equivalent means of transport, such as booking a new flight for you. If this is not possible, you may have the right to cancel the entire package travel and receive a full refund.

Compensation under EU air passenger rights

If your trip is covered by EU air passenger rights, you may be entitled to compensation if your flight is cancelled or delayed by more than three hours. The compensation is intended to make up for the time you have lost. You must submit your compensation claim directly to the airline.

Use our flight calculator to calculate the compensation you may be entitled to claim.

The organiser may cancel a package holiday if too few travellers have booked the trip. The minimum number of participants required must be clearly stated in the booking terms and conditions. The organiser must also inform travellers in good time if the trip is to be cancelled.

A cancellation must not occur later than:

• 20 days before the scheduled departure date, if the trip was planned to last more than 6 days
• 7 days before the scheduled departure date, if the trip was planned to last between 2 and 6 days
• 48 hours before the scheduled departure date, if the trip was planned to last less than 2 days

The organiser may also cancel the trip if it cannot be carried out due to extraordinary circumstances. These may include natural disasters, armed conflict, or an outbreak of a serious disease at the destination. In such cases, the organiser must inform travellers of the cancellation as soon as possible.

You are entitled to a refund if a package travel you purchased is cancelled. Contact the organiser and ask for a refund. It is a good idea to do so by email.

You should receive the refund within 14 days from the date the package travel was cancelled.

If the refund is delayed

If you and the organiser have agreed that you should receive a refund, but it is taking too long, you can ask The Enforcement Authority for help by applying for a payment order. It is a way of getting help to recover money that is owed to you.

Contact the Swedish Enforcement Authority for more information.

About payment orders (The Enforcement Authority's website)

If you paid by credit card or invoice

You are protected by the Consumer Credit Act if you paid for the trip by credit card or invoice. In that case, you can claim a refund from the credit provider if the organiser does not repay you.

Contact the credit provider and explain that you want to exercise the right to get your money back from the credit provider.

Getting your money back if you made a credit purchase

If your package travel is cancelled or interrupted because the travel operator declared bankruptcy, you can receive compensation through the travel guarantee with the Swedish Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency (Kammarkollegiet).

Apply for reimbursement under the travel guarantee act (Kammarkollegiet’s website)

Package travel organiser goes bankrupt (In Swedish)

You may request a price reduction if the organiser decides to interrupt your trip. This means you can get part of the amount you paid refunded. Contact the travel organiser and explain why you are requesting a refund.

The price reduction should be reasonable in relation to how much of the trip you missed. If the entire purpose of the trip has been lost, you may be entitled to a full refund.

If your package travel is interrupted, the organiser must arrange equivalent return transport at no cost to you. This applies regardless of the reason for the interruption, provided that return transport was included in your package travel. If your return journey is postponed, the organiser must arrange accommodation for you until you can travel home.

There may be limits to how many nights the organiser is required to provide accommodation:

• If a flight or train journey included in your package travel is cancelled, there is no limit to the number of nights the organiser must provide accommodation.
• If a boat journey included in your package travel is cancelled, the organiser is only required to provide accommodation for three nights.
• If no transport at all is included in your package travel, the organiser is only required to provide accommodation for three nights.

Need accommodation for a longer period? Contact your insurance provider to check whether you can receive compensation for additional nights.

The three-night limit does not apply if you have special needs, for example if you:

• have reduced mobility
• are under 18 and travelling alone
• are pregnant

However, you must have informed the organiser of your special needs no later than 48 hours before the start of the package travel.

It is important that you submit a complaint to the package travel organiser as soon as possible if you are dissatisfied with your package travel.

Ideally, you should raise the issue both on-site at the destination and in writing, for example by email. This helps you demonstrate that you have made a complaint and when it was submitted. Be clear about what you are dissatisfied with and what you are requesting.

When reporting a fault, you may inform the organiser that you expect the issue to be resolved within a reasonable timeframe. If the organiser fails to rectify the fault within that time, you may be entitled to claim compensation for any necessary expenses incurred in resolving the issue yourself.

If you and the company cannot reach an agreement, you can file a complaint to the public authority the National Board for Consumer Disputes (ARN).

ARN will assess your case and make a recommendation on how to resolve the dispute. Most companies follow ARN’s recommendations.

A normal processing time is approximately six months.

What does it cost to file a complaint with ARN?

It costs SEK 150 to file a complaint with ARN. When you submit your complaint, you can request that the company compensates you for the cost if ARN makes a recommendation in your favour.

Requirements for ARN to review your case

• The company has rejected your claims or has not responded within a reasonable time.
• The amount you and the company disagree on exceeds the value limit set by ARN. You cannot include the application fee to ARN.
• You file the complaint within one year from the first time you complained to the company.

File a complaint on ARN’s website

If you believe the trader is breaking the rules, please file a report to the Swedish Consumer Agency.

The Swedish Consumer Agency does not investigate or decide on individual cases, but reports are important for their supervisory work. We ensures that companies follow the rules and can take action against those that do not.

Report to the Swedish Consumer Agency