Edelweiss compensation: EU rules apply in Switzerland too
Edelweiss Air is Switzerland's leisure airline, headquartered in Kloten next to Zurich Airport, its home base. It belongs to the Lufthansa Group and is the sister airline of SWISS, flying from Zurich to Mediterranean islands, the Canaries, the Red Sea and long-haul holiday spots such as Cancún and Vancouver. If your Edelweiss flight arrived three or more hours late, was cancelled at short notice or left without you, you may be owed €250, €400 or €600 per passenger.
Switzerland is not in the EU, but it applies Regulation (EC) 261/2004 under its air transport agreement with the EU. Edelweiss is therefore treated as a European carrier: covered flights include departures from Zurich or any EU airport, and also return flights into Switzerland from outside Europe, such as Hurghada–Zurich or Cancún–Zurich.
Delay
You reached your destination at least three hours after the scheduled time, package holiday flights included.
3 hours plusCancellation
Edelweiss or your tour operator cancelled with less than 14 days' notice.
Under 14 daysOverbooking
You had a confirmed seat and checked in on time but could not fly.
Due at onceNot payable
Exceptional snow in Zurich, Alpine thunderstorms or an air traffic control strike, if the airline can prove it.
Extraordinary circumstancesWant a quick answer? Check your Edelweiss flight.
How much Edelweiss pays: examples from Zurich
Only the distance between departure airport and final destination matters:
| Distance | Edelweiss routes | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | Zurich–Palma de Mallorca, Zurich–Olbia | €250 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | Zurich–Heraklion, Zurich–Gran Canaria, Zurich–Hurghada | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km | Zurich–Cancún, Zurich–Vancouver | €600 |
Each passenger gets the full amount, children with their own seat included: a family of four on a Zurich–Gran Canaria flight landing four hours late can claim €1,600.
Delayed Edelweiss flight: what to do
On holiday routes, delays often build up through tight aircraft rotations on summer weekends. Arrival time is when the aircraft door opens. Meanwhile:
- Keep your travel documents: the package paperwork or a boarding pass showing the WK flight number.
- Ask for the reason at the Edelweiss desk or from your tour rep and note it down.
- Photograph the arrivals board showing the actual landing time.
- Keep receipts for food and transport if no care is offered.
- Sign no waivers and turn down holiday vouchers in place of cash.
Care while you wait
| Flight distance | Meals and drinks after |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | 2 hours |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | 3 hours |
| Over 3,500 km | 4 hours |
| Over 5 hours | You may give up the trip and get a refund |
Missed connection in Zurich
If you fly into Zurich and continue with Edelweiss on the same booking, the delay at your final destination is what counts. With separate tickets each flight stands alone. More on the delayed Edelweiss flight page.
Cancelled Edelweiss flight
Always due after a cancellation; on a package holiday the organiser is responsible too.
Added when you were told less than 14 days before departure.
| Notice | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more | No |
| 7 to 13 days | Yes, unless the alternative left no more than 2 hours early and arrived less than 4 hours late |
| Under 7 days | Yes, unless the alternative left no more than 1 hour early and arrived less than 2 hours late |
Retimed flight. A significant schedule change notified a few days before departure can count as a cancellation. Details on the cancelled Edelweiss flight page.
Edelweiss overbooking
If you were kept off a full flight, compensation is due immediately, along with an alternative flight. It is not due if your documents were invalid or you reached the gate after it closed. Full guide to Edelweiss overbooking and denied boarding.
Strikes and Edelweiss flights
A strike by Edelweiss staff does not cancel your right to compensation, according to the EU Court of Justice (case C-28/20). Air traffic control strikes are different, for example in France or Italy on the routes south: they count as extraordinary circumstances.
Edelweiss turned down your claim?
Faults are part of normal operations, including on long-haul aircraft being phased out.
EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07The Regulation covers package flights too: the operating airline owes the compensation.
Only valid if the weather really stopped your flight at that time.
How to claim from Edelweiss
Write through the online channels on flyedelweiss.com. If refused, go to the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed (in Switzerland, the Federal Office of Civil Aviation) or to court.
Fill in one form and our lawyers handle the rest. No win, no fee: 25% + VAT, with legal costs covered by us even if a case is lost.
If Edelweiss has already rejected you
Send us the reply: if the refusal is unfounded, we start again with a formal demand.
Documents
- Booking or boarding passA tour operator voucher works too.
- ID or passportFor all passengers.
- Airline messagesDelay or cancellation notices.
Time limits
The Regulation sets no deadline: the law of the country where you claim decides (EU Court of Justice, case C-139/11).
How long payment takes
If Edelweiss accepts, payment usually arrives within a few weeks; a formal demand or court case adds a few months. We transfer your share: €173.75 out of €250, €278 out of €400.
Lost luggage with Edelweiss
The Montreal Convention applies: a Property Irregularity Report at the airport, then a claim within 7 days for damage or 21 days from delivery for delay.
Edelweiss contact details
- Head office
- Edelweiss Air AG, Kloten (Zurich), Switzerland
- Complaints
- Online channels on flyedelweiss.com
- Flight status
- Official website or Zurich Airport website