Strikes at airports: These are the rights and entitlements that passengers have

Berlin. A two-day event will take place at three airports on Thursday and Friday, April 20 and 21 warning strike: At the airports in Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Cologne/Bonn, next to nothing should work. In Hamburg alone, more than 150 departures and several thousand passengers are affected on both days.

Many people who have planned a flight now ask themselves the question: What’s next? Anyone who has booked a domestic flight can possibly switch to other means of transport. But even here the question arises: Who will bear the additional costs that arise? And can affected passengers have the ticket price refunded? Below we have those rights and claims summarized for consumers in the event of a strike.

Strike at the airport: when passengers are entitled to compensation

The good news: “In the event of flight cancellations, overbooking or long delays, passengers are entitled to a Damage payment of up to 600 euros,” reports the specialist portal “Flightright”. In 2018, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) also ruled that compensation must also be paid for canceled or delayed flights in the event of strikes.

The crux of the matter: The right to compensation only exists if the airline concerned is responsible for the cause of the strike. This is the case, for example, when airline staff go on strike. Strikes by workers ground handling services or aviation security are not the responsibility of the Airlines. They have no influence on this and are therefore not obliged to pay compensation – in such cases one speaks of an “extra-company strike”. The most important facts at a glance:

Strike at the airport: right to compensation – these conditions apply

Airport: Flight canceled due to strike – what affected passengers can do

Nevertheless, in the case of such non-company strikes, it can make sense to get in touch with the airline or the tour operator. On the one hand, because it is delayed or flight cancellations as a result of strikes always depends on the individual case and the demand for a compensation payment is made quickly. On the other hand, some tour operators or airlines are accommodating and offer affected customers a choice of a replacement flight or a refund – they are reports of this “financial tip” according to but not obliged.

According to information from Consumer Center is for package tours – i.e. when vacation and flight were booked together – the tour operator the first point of contact. If the flight is booked separately, the route goes directly through the airline. Before doing so, you should collect important documents. Flightright’s passenger rights experts recommend finding out the reason for the delay or the cancellation to be given in writing. You should also inquire with the airline about replacement transport.

Airport strike: review entitlement to compensation – up to 600 euros possible

Also important: Receipts of utility services such as hotel accommodation or rental car bookings should be submitted passengers also cancel. If consumers are entitled to compensation – for example because airline staff are on strike – the amount of financial compensation depends on the distance. Basically, the longer the flight route, the higher the compensation. There are a total of three levels that affected passengers can use as a basis for compensation:

Irrespective of the compensation, the airline or tour operator must inform affected customers as quickly as possible about the flight cancellation – for example in the event of a strike – and find a reasonable alternative. Affected passengers do not have to react at first. For domestic flights, the airlines often offer a train ticket as a replacement. Those affected should not simply rebook on their own or switch to the train – because in case of doubt you will be left with additional costs. At the moment, this should not be possible anyway due to the rail strike that is taking place at the same time.

Strike at the airport: What rights do consumers have? These online tools will help

Those affected should only take action if the airline does not react. The same applies here: evidence for Bahnticket and Co. keep well. It is easy to check what claims you have as a passenger or whether you are entitled to compensation at all. Various online portals such as “Flightright”, the consumer advice center or “Finanztip” offer apps or Online-Tools so-called passenger calculator. Affected passengers enter their data and receive an initial assessment via a short questionnaire.

More articles from this category can be found here: Life