Berlin.
Nothing works at BER Airport on Wednesday – all passenger flights are said to be canceled due to a warning strike. What does this mean for those affected?
Because of a warning strike at BER, no passenger planes will take off from the capital’s airport on Wednesday (January 25). According to Berlin Brandenburg Airport, around 300 take-offs and landings are canceled – almost 35,000 passengers are affected.
What rights do you have in such a case? Travel lawyer Paul Degott explains:
… how you can still reach your goal.
The airport company is asking affected passengers to contact their airline for information on rebooking and alternative travel options. Paul Degott also recommends this. “It’s cheaper if you let the airline take care of a timely replacement transport,” he says.
With the help of the airline, it might be possible to take the train to another airport and fly from there. For flights within Germany, the airlines often offer their customers train tickets to get to their destination.
Alternatively, travelers also have the right to have the money refunded in the event of a flight cancellation. But then they have to take care of themselves how to reach their goal. In the end, you often end up paying more and you also have the organizational effort.
… whether you are entitled to compensation.
“The decisive factor is who is on strike,” says Degott. According to Union Verdi the ground handling services, the airport company and aviation security are called on to go on warning strike. The question, says Degott, is whether the services can be attributed to the airline’s flight operations. “If that were the case, compensation claims would be considered.”
The EU Air Passenger Rights Regulation Celebration. They are between 250 and 600 euros – depending on the distance to the destination and the time when the passengers were informed about the flight cancellation.
And what about in this case? With the ground staff, who are responsible for checking in passengers, among other things, claims can definitely be derived, says Degott.
“The airlines will stonewall and say that they have nothing to do with them – but that’s not true, because they need them for handling.” Even if the ground staff come from another service provider, they act on behalf of the airline and can definitely be considered staff of the airline, is his assessment.
Warning strikes by security staff and the airport company, who are also supposed to stop working at BER, are not likely to be attributed to the airline’s area of risk.
Conclusion: There may be claims for compensation payments, but the case here is not absolutely clear.
… what if the package holiday starts late.
“In the case of a package tour, the organizer is responsible,” says Degott. For example, anyone who flies on vacation one day later due to the warning strike can reduce the travel price proportionately. That means you pay less for one day.
Helpful links for flight problems
- If you want to find out more about possible compensation for flight cancellations and delays, Stiftung Warentest offers a comprehensive overview online at www.test.de/Fluggastrechte.
- The website also provides information about your rights in the event of (warning) strikes at airlines or at airports consumer centers.
- When checking claims, the free flight trouble-App of the consumer center NRW help. The European Consumer Center offers a browser-based self help-Tool in case of flight problems.
(dpa)
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