Smartwings compensation: €250 or €400 for delays, cancellations and overbooking
Smartwings is the largest Czech airline. Its base is Václav Havel Airport Prague and most of its network is holiday flying to the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Atlantic islands. We have opened more than 100 Smartwings claims covering over 200 passengers, and a surprising share involve Portugal, such as Sal to Porto or Dakar to Lisbon. If you reached your destination at least 3 hours late, your flight was cancelled at short notice or you were bumped, you could be owed €250 or €400 per person.
Smartwings a.s. is based in Prague and flies under a Czech licence, which makes it a European carrier. Regulation (EC) 261/2004 therefore covers its flights leaving the EU and its flights arriving in the EU from outside, for example from Cape Verde or Tunisia. Since 1 October 2026 the group has been owned by Turkey's Pegasus Airlines, but Smartwings has kept its name and operations, so claims still go to Smartwings.
Delayed flight
The aircraft doors opened at your final destination 3 hours or more after the scheduled time.
3+ hours on arrivalCancelled flight
You were told less than 14 days before departure and offered nothing with similar times.
Under 14 days' noticeOverbooking
You held a confirmed booking, turned up on time and still could not fly.
Payable straight awayWhen it is not owed
When Smartwings proves an event beyond its control, such as a severe storm, actually hit your flight.
Genuinely extraordinary eventEnter your airports and travel date and you will know within 2 minutes. Check your Smartwings flight.
How much Smartwings pays: amounts on real routes
Flight only or package holiday, the figure is the same: only the distance to your final destination matters.
| Distance | Smartwings routes from our claims | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | Prague–Paris | €250 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | Sal–Porto, Porto–Boa Vista, Dakar–Lisbon, Porto–Djerba, Prague–Valencia | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km | Long-haul flights to non-EU countries, few in the Smartwings network | €600 |
The money is paid per passenger, and children with their own seat count the same as adults: two parents and two children on a Porto–Boa Vista flight cancelled at the last minute can claim €1,600.
Smartwings flight delayed: what to do at the airport
Three in four of the Smartwings claims we handle are about delays. On holiday routes one aircraft flies several rotations a day, so a hold-up in the morning can roll on into the evening. While you wait:
- Keep your boarding pass or tour operator voucher showing the QS flight number.
- Save texts from your travel agent: new times often arrive through the tour operator rather than Smartwings.
- Note when the doors open on arrival, because that is the time that counts.
- Ask for meal vouchers and keep receipts for anything you buy.
- Turn down discounts on a future trip offered instead of cash.
Meals and hotels: the care Smartwings owes you
Even when the delay has an extraordinary cause, Smartwings must give you food and drink and, if you leave the next day, a hotel room plus transport to it.
| Flight distance | Care after |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km (e.g. Prague–Paris) | 2 hours |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km (e.g. Sal–Porto) | 3 hours |
| Over 3,500 km | 4 hours |
| Delay over 5 hours | You can abandon the trip and get the fare back |
Missed connection with Smartwings
On a single booking with a change of plane, for instance in Prague, a 3-hour delay at the final destination is assessed over the whole journey. With separate tickets each flight stands alone. More on our page about Smartwings delayed flight compensation.
Smartwings flight cancelled: refund, new flight and compensation
Around one in five Smartwings claims starts with a cancellation. Holidaymakers often hear only about a new date from their tour operator, yet compensation is still owed by the airline.
Always available: you choose between your money back and another flight.
Added on top when you were told about the cancellation less than 14 days before.
| Notice given | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more | No, but you keep the refund or new flight |
| 7 to 13 days | Yes, unless the new flight leaves no more than 2 hours early and lands less than 4 hours late |
| Less than 7 days | Yes, unless the new flight leaves no more than 1 hour early and lands less than 2 hours late |
Retimed flights. Charter departures are sometimes brought forward by many hours. For the EU Court of Justice, a big change notified late can count as a cancellation. Read our page on Smartwings cancelled flight compensation.
Smartwings overbooking: left behind at the gate
Denied boarding is rare in our Smartwings files, about 3 in 100. If you had a confirmed seat and checked in on time, compensation is due immediately along with another flight. It does not apply if you were stopped for an expired passport or missing visa. See our guide to Smartwings overbooking and denied boarding.
Strikes and Smartwings flights
When Smartwings pilots or cabin crew strike, the disruption remains the airline's business risk and compensation is normally due (EU Court of Justice, case C-28/20). An air traffic control strike, for example in France on routes from Prague to Iberia, counts as extraordinary, though meals, hotels and refunds are still owed.
Smartwings rejected your claim? What actually holds
Repairs are part of running a fleet, even when the spare part has to come from Prague. Manufacturing defects flagged by the maker are the exception.
EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07A tight schedule is not extraordinary. Smartwings must show what happened at the start of the chain.
Airline staff on strike: it pays. Air traffic controllers or airport workers on strike: usually not.
EU Court of Justice, case C-28/20Czech Airlines flights and Smartwings subsidiaries
Since October 2024 Smartwings has run the flight operations of Czech Airlines (ČSA). The group also includes Smartwings Poland, Smartwings Slovakia and Smartwings Hungary, used mainly for charters. All are European airlines, so your rights are identical. In our form, enter the flight as it appears on your booking.
Smartwings compensation on flights from Cape Verde, Senegal and Tunisia
As a European carrier, Smartwings owes compensation in both directions on routes to and from non-EU countries, including the ones we see most:
- Sal and Boa Vista (Cape Verde) to and from Porto
- Dakar (Senegal) to and from Lisbon
- Djerba (Tunisia) to and from Porto
How to claim from Smartwings: on your own or with us
You can write to Smartwings through the contact section of smartwings.com with your flight number, date and booking reference. Even if the flight was part of a package, the claim goes to the airline, not the tour operator.
It is free, but correspondence can drag on. If you get a no, your options are the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed (the CAA in the UK) or the courts, at your own time and cost.
Two minutes and an online signature. We handle the claim, the formal demand and any court case with our own lawyers. You only pay if you are compensated: 25% + VAT. We cover legal costs, even if the case is lost.
If Smartwings has already refused
Forward us the answer. We compare the stated cause with the flight data and, if it is unfounded, start again with a formal demand.
Documents to have ready
- Boarding pass or voucherTour operator travel documents are fine.
- IDFor every passenger, children included.
- Notices receivedTexts or emails from the agent or Smartwings, receipts for expenses.
Time limits
The Regulation sets no deadline: the law of the country where you bring the claim decides (EU Court of Justice, case C-139/11). Last year's holiday flight may well still qualify. Enter the date and we will check.
How long Smartwings compensation takes
If Smartwings accepts, payment usually arrives within a few weeks. If it refuses or stays silent, a formal demand and sometimes a court case are needed, which adds a few months. We keep you posted by email and transfer your share by bank transfer.
Lost or damaged luggage on a Smartwings flight
Baggage falls under the Montreal Convention. Fill in a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) before leaving the airport, then write to Smartwings within 7 days for damage or within 21 days of delivery for a delayed bag.
Smartwings contact details and flight status
- Head office
- Smartwings, a.s., Václav Havel Airport, Prague, Czech Republic
- Claims
- Contact and help section of the official smartwings.com website
- Flight status
- smartwings.com or updates from your tour operator
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