Lufthansa strike: Passengers are entitled to these rights

Numerous delays and flight cancellations: The current strike situation at German airports is getting worse. The Lufthansa subsidiary Discover Airlines is still on strike until this evening, and now another strike has been announced. Verdi has called on Lufthansa ground staff to stop work for 24 hours next Wednesday.

The strike is scheduled to begin at 4.00 a.m. at Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin and Düsseldorf airports. Lufthansa is currently expecting around 100.000 passengers to be affected. In order to avoid uncertainty among vacationers, air passenger rights expert Nina Staub from AirHelp explains to air travelers about their rights: “Many travelers from Germany will not be able to take their flights at the five affected airports on Wednesday as planned. In the event of delays of more than three hours or cancellations, you are entitled to compensation of up to 600 euros. We at AirHelp made sure of this three years ago. In a legal dispute, we were able to convince the judges of the European Court of Justice that airlines are liable for announced and unannounced strikes by their staff and must compensate their customers accordingly in the event of problems.”

Staub adds: “In addition, passengers with a delay of three hours or more are entitled to alternative transport. In this case, the rebooking to another flight must be implemented by Lufthansa itself. If the airline does not take action on its own initiative, affected passengers should set a deadline of three hours after the planned departure time. If the request is still not met, travelers can find their own alternatives and bill the airline for the costs. If there is a delay of more than five hours or if the flight is transported at a later date, the airline is also obliged to refund the full ticket price. If there are delays of more than two hours and a flight distance of more than 1.500 kilometers, Lufthansa must provide meals and drinks to passengers at the airport. In addition, two telephone calls or the sending of two emails must be possible. If necessary, the airline must even provide accommodation and facilitate transport there.”

Passengers have these rights according to EC 261

Flight cancellations and delays can entitle you to compensation payments of up to 600 euros per passenger. The amount of the compensation payment is calculated based on the length of the flight route. The legal right to compensation depends on the actual length of delay at the destination and the reason for the canceled or delayed flight. Affected passengers can enforce their claim for compensation retroactively, up to three years after their flight date.

Extraordinary circumstances such as storms or medical emergencies can result in the operating airline being released from the obligation to compensate. Both announced and unannounced strikes are not included.