As of: February 6, 2024, 1:58 p.m
By: Vivian Werg
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Only a few Lufthansa flights are scheduled to leave on Wednesday.
If a strike results in cancellations or delays, passengers can make claims.
What counts.
Munich - On Wednesday (February 7th) at four o'clock in the morning, all ground staff from maintenance to passenger and aircraft handling in Frankfurt am Main, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin and Düsseldorf are due to stop their work.
This will paralyze operations at the airports at Lufthansa's most important locations.
More than 100,000 passengers have to change their plans.
According to Lufthansa, only 10 to 20 percent of flights should be able to take place.
“We assume that the Lufthansa Group airlines, such as Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings and Swiss, but also Lufthansa CityLine, will be able to fly as regularly as possible,” a press spokesman for the company told
IPPEN.MEDIA
.
The strike is expected to last until Thursday morning.
Flight cancellations and delays: You have these rights if there is a strike at airports
As a result of the strike, air travelers have to prepare for numerous flight cancellations and significant delays.
“If a flight is canceled due to a strike, those affected can contact their airline, which in this case must provide replacement transport,” explains Iwona Husemann, lawyer and travel law expert at the NRW consumer advice center, in a press release.
27-hour strike at Lufthansa – air travelers have to expect flight cancellations and delays (symbolic image) © Bodo Marks/dpa
According to the legal expert, you have these rights in the event of a flight cancellation:
Those affected have the choice between a full refund of the flight price within seven days or a replacement flight.
A refund in the form of a voucher is only possible with the written consent of the passenger.
The replacement flight must take place at the earliest possible date;
provided places are available.
In addition, a claim for 200 to 600 euros can be made.
The exact amount depends, among other things, on the travel destination.
Depending on when the desired replacement flight takes place, the airline is also obliged to offer meals and drinks.
If the replacement flight does not take place until the next day, the airline must arrange for hotel accommodation and airport transfer.
If a flight is supposed to take place in principle but the departure is delayed by a strike, the following applies to air travelers.
You have these rights in the event of a flight delay:
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If there is a delay of five hours or more, those affected who bought their ticket themselves can forego the flight and have the ticket price refunded.
Here, too, you may be entitled to compensation of between 200 and 600 euros.
Package travelers can claim refunds for delays of five hours or more.
The daily travel price can be reduced from the fifth hour by five percent per hour up to a maximum of 20 percent.
If travelers arrive at their destination more than three hours later than planned due to a delayed departure, they can claim compensation.
Airport strike: When there is no right to payment
In general, if flights are canceled or delayed, air travelers are entitled to compensation.
However, if the airline can prove that the flight cancellation or delay was due to extraordinary circumstances, the airline can refuse payment, according to the consumer advice center.
Tip:
Using the Flugärger app from the NRW consumer advice center, claims for delays or cancellations as well as problems with luggage can be checked free of charge and made to the airlines.
Exceptional circumstances include bad weather conditions, strikes by third parties (e.g. air traffic controllers), terror warnings or natural disasters.
Operational disruptions at the airport caused by unauthorized persons (e.g. people on the tarmac) can also be counted as exceptional circumstances.
The principle is that these circumstances cannot be influenced by the airline.
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) then judges the cases based on whether the strike was controllable and foreseeable.
Lufthansa strike: This is what air travelers need to be aware of
Air travelers affected by the warning strike on Wednesday will be informed via email or via the Lufthansa app.
Air travelers are also asked to only come to the airport if their flights have not been canceled.
Since the rebooking counters will not be staffed next Wednesday due to the strike, canceled flights can be rebooked free of charge either via the website, in the customer app or via the service center.
If desired, flight bookings within Germany can also be converted into a train voucher.
(vw)