Long queues at security in Copenhagen Airport have left passengers missing their flights, and Forbrugerrådet Tænk says Danish rules give them no clear route to compensation when the airport is at fault.
Several hundred passengers have waited in long lines at the airport’s security checks, and some have missed their departures. That is according to DR, which reported on the queues on October 23, 2026. Esben Grønborg Geist, deputy director of the Danish Consumer Council Forbrugerrådet Tænk, told DR that passengers in this situation are left largely on their own.
Per Geist, affected passengers cannot bring the matter to Forbrugerklagenævnet, the Consumer Complaints Board. He said they also cannot turn to Trafikstyrelsen, the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority. Trafikstyrelsen supervises the EU air passenger regulation, and it only assesses whether the airline met its own obligations.
Trafikstyrelsen ordered the extra checks
Copenhagen Airport has been required by Trafikstyrelsen to carry out increased security screening, DR reports. The reason has not been made public. Trafikstyrelsen stated that external circumstances are not the basis for the stricter controls, and separately said the measures have no link to the general security situation.
Lise Agerley Kürstein, communications director at Copenhagen Airport, described the tighter screening as a necessity. As reported by DR, she said security procedures have been temporarily changed because certain conditions were identified that require changes for a period. CPH Post adds that the airport has put on extra staff but warned that delays will continue.
Waiting times reached at least 45 minutes in both terminals on Thursday evening, according to figures from the airport cited by Politiken. The same outlet reports queues of at least 30 minutes on Friday morning, along with accounts from passengers who missed flights. The airport has advised travelers to arrive at least two hours before European departures and three hours before flights outside Europe.
Compensation claims would have to go through the courts
Geist told DR that Danish legislation has not taken into account that a missed flight can sometimes be the airport’s fault. In his account, passengers who want compensation are forced to take the case to the courts and have it tested there. He called that route complicated for an ordinary traveler.
Forbrugerrådet Tænk is also urging the airport, the airlines and the authorities to establish better and faster communication with passengers, so travelers have a chance of reaching their flights. Geist said the rules themselves need an update. He added that it may be time to examine whether they should be changed so compensation is actually possible.
How long the situation will last is not settled. The airport’s communications director said the temporary measures could continue beyond the weekend and possibly into November, according to Ekstra Bladet.
What the compensation gap means for internationals flying from Kastrup
Internationals in Denmark often rely on Copenhagen Airport for work travel and trips home. The complaint bodies named in DR’s reporting are the ones that normally handle air travel disputes in Denmark. Forbrugerklagenævnet handles consumer complaints, while Trafikstyrelsen supervises the EU passenger regulation and looks only at the airline’s conduct.
By Forbrugerrådet Tænk’s account, neither body covers a missed flight caused by the airport itself, which leaves the courts as the remaining option. The airport’s own guidance, reported by Politiken, is to arrive two hours before European flights and three hours before flights outside Europe. What is not yet known is why Trafikstyrelsen imposed the extra checks, or whether any rule change will follow Forbrugerrådet Tænk’s call.
