Lufthansa strike on Wednesday: Travelers have these rights in the event of flight cancellations

Created: 07/26/2022, 16:13

By: Franziska Kaindl

Lufthansa ground staff will go on strike at nine German airports on Wednesday.

Hundreds of flights are expected to be canceled as a result. 

While there is still great chaos at some airports in Germany, vacationers are already receiving the next piece of bad news: on Wednesday, July 27, the Ver.di trade union is calling on around 20,000 Lufthansa ground staff to go on a one-day warning strike due to faltering collective bargaining.

This includes technicians and logisticians, without whom flight operations are not possible.

There are said to be strikes at a total of nine airports: Berlin BER, Bremen, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hanover, Hamburg, Cologne/Bonn and Munich and Stuttgart.

Flight canceled due to Lufthansa strike: How do I still get to my destination?

If the Lufthansa ground staff stops work from Wednesday, 3:45 a.m. to Thursday, 6 a.m., hundreds of flights are likely to be canceled or depart with a long delay.

In Frankfurt alone, Lufthansa has already canceled 678 flights on Tuesday and Wednesday, affecting 92,000 passengers.

Due to a warning strike by ground staff, Lufthansa is threatened with flight cancellations on Wednesday.

© Droese/Imago

Affected passengers are entitled to alternative transport after a delay of three hours, as explained by AirHelp passenger rights expert Julián Navas.

"The rebooking to another flight must be implemented by the operating airline itself.

Flights within Germany can optionally be transferred to a train ticket.” Lufthansa also refers to this on its website.

According to this, in the event of a cancellation, the airline will book passengers on another flight free of charge and usually automatically, and they will be informed of this via their mobile phone number or by e-mail.

If the alternative flight does not depart until the next day, in certain cases the customer is entitled to a voucher for an overnight stay in a hotel.

If it is a domestic German flight, Lufthansa will rebook the passengers on a connection with Deutsche Bahn.

Vacationers also have the option of booking their train tickets themselves, but must ensure that the ticket price is not higher than that of the booked flight.

Otherwise, they may be stuck with the difference.

To receive a refund, you should keep receipts and submit them to the airlines in a timely manner.

Lufthansa strike: who will pay for food during long waiting times at the airport?

If flights are sometimes delayed by hours, the airline must provide passengers with meals and drinks at the airport, as Navas informs.

This applies to a delay of more than two hours and a flight distance of more than 1,500 kilometers.

In addition, the airlines must provide travelers with accommodation if necessary and pay for the transport there.

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Can I just cancel my flight ticket?

According to the travel reporter, if your flight is canceled due to a strike, you can cancel it free of charge – both online and by telephone.

The airline must then reimburse the price within seven days, as informed by the consumer advice center.

The airline may only issue a travel voucher with the written consent of the passenger.

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Flight cancellation due to Lufthansa strike: Am I entitled to compensation?

Flight cancellations and delays can entitle the holder to compensation payments of up to 600 euros per passenger in addition to a refund of the ticket price.

In the current case, however, passengers could have bad cards: “Since it is a strike by airport staff, the passengers affected are generally not entitled to compensation under the European Air Passenger Rights Regulation EG 261. The exception: If the check-in staff also strikes , which is provided by the airline, consumers can claim compensation for delays of three hours or more," says Navas.

The reason: A strike by airport staff is an "uncontrollable external event" for airlines, as the ADAC informs - unlike, for example, flight attendants,