Many passengers have been left frustrated by the ongoing Finnair refund delay, with some still waiting months after their flights were canceled. Under European Union rules, airlines are required to refund ticket costs within seven days of cancellation. Finnair, however, admits that its average refund time is now between four to six weeks; well past the legal requirement.
Several travelers whose flights were canceled back in May still have not received a refund. In some cases, compensation may not be processed until the fall.
The airline said in a written reply to Helsingin Sanomat that it is currently reviewing applications submitted in late spring. No spokesperson was available for live comment due to summer holidays.
According to Rasmus Repo, a senior adviser at the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (KKV), there’s a serious concern when refund processes stretch out this long.
“There may not be a specific deadline for every kind of compensation,” Repo explained, “but when people are waiting months, that’s a problem.”
The KKV has already received hundreds of contacts this year from Finnair customers. The complaints mainly concern delays in refunding money or missing compensation for extra expenses.
Finnair said the backlog stems from a sharp rise in refund requests. Earlier this year, widespread industrial action affected more than 300,000 customers. That left the airline with nearly four times the normal number of refund cases to process.
Refund speed depends on the type of claim. Basic refunds for canceled tickets without any extra costs can sometimes be handled online using Finnair’s My Booking tool. These simpler cases may be automated, but the airline hasn’t said how quickly they are completed.
Claims that involve meals, hotels, or new travel arrangements must be submitted manually. These typically take around 12 weeks to process, especially when receipts are involved.
Passengers may also be entitled to additional compensation under EU law, ranging from 250 to 600 euros. These payments depend on how far the flight was and how much time was lost. Some of these cases can be handled through automation, but many require a manual review.
Despite the growing number of unresolved cases, Finnair has not provided any timeline for when the backlog will be cleared.
The airline said it has expanded automation tools and added more internal resources, but did not say whether it had hired more staff.
Finnair expects things to normalize once the strike-related disruptions are fully behind them. Until then, many customers remain stuck — waiting far longer than the law allows for their money to be returned.
