SAS's pandemic emails made passengers cancel their own flights — and cost it 1M kroner

Between March and May 2020, at the height of the pandemic, SAS sent emails to 18,201 customers saying the airline had to 'adjust and change' flight plans due to 'the current situation'. The messages acknowledged 'the impact this decision has', offered rebooking, and said SAS looked forward to welcoming the passenger on board again soon. Read together, the wording and structure told recipients one thing: their specific flight had already been cancelled. In fact it had not.

The distinction mattered in money. Believing SAS had cancelled their flights, 901 consumers cancelled their own trips and asked for refunds. Because the consumer had initiated the cancellation, SAS did not owe the full ticket price — holders of non-refundable tickets got back only taxes and fees. After consumer complaints, the Ombudsman reported SAS to the police in February 2022.

On 11 November 2025 the Copenhagen City Court fined SAS 1 million kroner for misleading marketing under sections 5 and 6 of the Marketing Practices Act. The fine was calculated under the pre-2022 penalty criteria; the stricter model introduced in January 2022 did not apply. SAS said during the proceedings that it had since refunded some of the affected consumers, and had 14 days to appeal to the High Court.