The Verdi service union has called on the ground staff of Lufthansa to go on a warning strike. Delays, flight cancellations and chaos at German airports are threatening from early Wednesday morning. If you want to fly on vacation in the coming days, you should bring strong nerves – and know your own rights. An overview.
Whether or not there is compensation in the event of a strike depends on who exactly took the industrial action. Because: If the employees of the airline itself do not strike, but instead, for example, the employees of a service provider at the airport, the airline can invoke “extraordinary circumstances” and refuse compensation under the European Air Passenger Rights Regulation.
If, on the other hand, your own employees go on strike, for example because they want to get a higher salary or better working hours, this is not an “extraordinary circumstance” – the right to compensation remains. From a delay of three hours, travelers can claim compensation of up to 600 euros.
According to the managing director of the arbitration board for public transport (SÖP), Sabine Cofalla, it is unclear whether there will be any compensation in the current strike. The decisive factor is whether in the individual case the responsible ground staff are employed by Lufthansa itself or not. “We would have to examine each individual case as to exactly what kind of staff was deployed,” says Cofalla. She advises travelers to document all details on the day of travel – for example, saving communication with the airline and photographing display boards at the airport.
If the delay is three hours or more, passengers are entitled to alternative transport to their destination. For example, the airlines have to rebook holidaymakers on another flight. For domestic German flights, a delayed or canceled flight can also be replaced with a train ticket.
If the flight is delayed more than five hours due to the strike, the full ticket price will be refunded. If travelers also have to wait a long time for an alternative travel option, the airlines must also provide accommodation and the corresponding transport. If the delay is two hours or more and the travel distance is at least 1500 kilometers, food and drink must also be made available to passengers at the airport.
The airlines must also give travelers the opportunity to contact family, colleagues or acquaintances: vacationers must be able to make at least two phone calls, alternatively two emails to be sent.
Anyone affected by the consequences of the strike next Wednesday or on one of the following days should have the delay and the reason for the delay confirmed in writing by the airline. If the airline does not act on its own initiative, travelers should insist on the replacement services and keep the receipts if costs are incurred.
Travelers should also actively inquire with the airline about possible replacement transportation. For this, passengers should give the airline a period of three hours after the originally planned departure time.
In the case of canceled domestic flights, it can be worth switching to the train for the journey. Travelers can also book their train ticket themselves, but should make sure that the train ticket price is not higher than the original price of the flight – otherwise they could possibly be left with the difference. In any case, the same applies here: Receipts should be kept and presented to the airline for reimbursement as soon as possible.