Enlarge image
Flight canceled – what now?
On Friday, travelers could be back there like here during the strike in November 2019
Photo: Matthias Balk / dpa
Many travelers need a plan B for the weekend: the pilots' union VC has called for a strike at Germany's largest airline.
800 Lufthansa flights are canceled on Friday, including almost all to and from Munich and Frankfurt, 130,000 travelers are affected.
According to Lufthansa, there may still be individual cancellations or delays on Saturday and even Sunday.
What can affected passengers do now?
What travel alternatives are there?
Here are answers to the most important questions:
Am I affected at all?
The first point of contact for air travelers is always the airline, for package tours it is the tour operator.
As announced by Lufthansa, the company will adjust the flight schedule for Friday during the day and publish the cancellations.
All guests who have provided contact details in the booking will be informed via SMS or email, it said.
The airline has compiled further information on the strike and its effects on its website.
There it also says: “Due to the large number of cancellations, it can sometimes take longer before Lufthansa can offer you an adequate rebooking solution.
If you have not received a notification from Lufthansa within 18 hours of the cancellation message, please check the current status of your booking online at www.lufthansa.com.« Lufthansa also asks passengers to check the status of their flight online at regular intervals.
The respective airports also offer detailed information on the current departure and arrival times on their websites.
Munich Airport, for example, writes: "All travelers who have planned a flight with Lufthansa from Munich during the strike period are asked to find out about the current flight status from their airline or tour operator in good time." -flights cancelled.
Here is the website.
Tip:
With information from the Internet, it makes sense to print it out so that you have a receipt later.
Cancel, rebook or travel by train - what is the best option?
In principle, customers can cancel a flight
canceled
due to a strike, and they will then get their
money back
.
The airline has seven days to do this.
If you still want to fly, you are
entitled to a later flight
.
However, this can take until the strike is over - and longer, since a backlog can arise.
If a replacement flight is not possible until the following day or later, the airline must provide
overnight accommodation and transfers to the hotel
.
In the case of a package tour, the tour operator must arrange for alternative transport.
According to consumer advocates, package travelers can reduce the travel price if
the delay is more than five hours
.
In general, airlines must do everything they can reasonably be expected to do to get their passengers to their destinations free of charge by alternative routes on comparable terms, despite cancellations due to strikes.
Depending on the circumstances and distance, alternative transportation may also be provided by providing train rides or rental cars.
In the current strike, Lufthansa explained that customers would be rebooked on alternative flights “if possible”.
According to the company, passengers can also
use Deutsche Bahn
on
domestic German routes
.
To do this, they can convert their ticket online into a train ticket; according to the airline, it is not necessary to travel to the airport.
What rights do I have in the event of a delay?
For flights up to 1,500 kilometers in length, passengers are entitled to care services after a delay of two hours or more – i.e. telephone calls, drinks, meals and, if necessary, an overnight stay in a hotel.
For a distance of 1500 to 3500 kilometers there is support after three hours, from 3500 kilometers after four hours.
If an airline cannot be reached or refuses to cooperate, those affected can take care of it themselves and later claim their expenses back.
When is compensation due?
In the event of cancellation, overbooking or a delay of three hours or more, passengers are entitled to compensation of up to 600 euros according to the EU regulation - but only if no "extraordinary" circumstances are to blame.
In the past, strikes were usually classified legally as a case of force majeure, in which the companies did not have to pay any compensation to the passengers affected.
In the meantime, however, the legal situation has become more differentiated: In March last year, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on a pilots' strike at the airline SAS that this was not a so-called extraordinary circumstance that released a company from paying compensation under the European Air Passenger Rights Regulation.
Experts emphasize that the specific case must always be examined.
A company can therefore relieve itself through timely information or special circumstances.
jus/AFP
