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About 800 Lufthansa flights were canceled last Friday. Now the pilots wanted to strike again, but after a last-minute collective agreement, the Vereinigung Cockpit union canceled the strike scheduled for Wednesday at Lufthansa.
Thousands of passengers would be hit by a strike: as on Friday, all departures from Germany of the main airline Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo are expected to be hit again, as announced by the Cockpit (VC) union.
What should passengers have expected in the event of a strike?
On Friday, Lufthansa canceled almost the entire program: about 800 flights were canceled in the hubs of Munich and Frankfurt, about 130,000 passengers were affected. Something similar would have threatened Wednesday and Thursday.
All passengers with contact details in the booking will be notified by SMS or email in the event of a strike. However, travelers should also independently check the current status of their online booking at Lufthansa website check it out.
At the following airports, travelers should have been prepared to cancel flights:
- Frankfurt am Main
- Berlin BER
- Bremen
- Hamburg
- Hanover
- Stuttgart
- Dusseldorf
- Cologne / Bonn
- Munich
Eurowings not (yet) impressed
Cityline, Eurowings and Eurowings Discover were not affected by the strike request and should have taken place anyway. But even here the pilots are threatened with work stoppages in the near future. In a vote at the Lufthansa branch, 97.9 percent voted for a possible employment dispute.
However, there is still a negotiation date for the disputed general fare this week, so a specific strike date was not initially provided for Eurowings.
Air traffic suspended: how can I get an alternative?
but what rights do travelers have in the event of a strike? Even in the event of flight cancellations and delays, the airline must ensure that passengers arrive at their destination. “Passengers affected by cancellations will be rebooked on alternative flights if possible,” said Lufthansa.
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For domestic flights, travelers can also be rebooked on buses or trains. Deutsche Bahn trains operated by Lufthansa Express Rail are not affected by the strike.
Warning: don’t just buy a new train ticket yourself. Because if the train ride is more expensive than the flight, then the passengers may be left with the difference. Better: convert your plane ticket into a train ticket for free with the airline before you travel. This works online under “Voucher for the train”.
Airlines often try to intercept cancellations via subsidiaries: passengers can then be taken to other airports for a replacement flight.
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I didn’t have an alternative – now what?
After a new booking, Lufthansa can only notify passengers if they have provided their contact details. Those who have not received an alternative flight must apply online via “my reservationsLufthansa asks travelers to call the call center only if they can’t find an alternative online.
There will likely be little help available at the airports themselves on Friday. Lufthansa said: “Please avoid driving to the airport. Due to the strike, only few or no service counters are open there. So there is a high probability that you will not be offered an alternative there either. immediate”.
Canceled flight: can I cancel for free?
If a flight is canceled due to a strike, passengers can cancel the flight free of charge and get a full refund of the ticket price. This can be done online or via the telephone hotline. Good to know: a flight is considered canceled even if it is advanced by more than one hour.
Stuck at the airport: who pays room and board?
If a flight is canceled or delayed, the airline must take care of waiting passengers. You get free meals and drinks at the airport, and restaurant coupons are often handed out. In addition, it must allow the sending of two phone calls or two e-mails, for example by providing free WLAN access.
If the alternative flight does not take place until the next day, the airline must arrange accommodation in a mid-range hotel and transport to the accommodation.
Here are more tips on how to have fun at the airport.
The airline or tour operator must take care of stranded passengers.
Am I entitled to compensation in the event of a strike?
“Due to the Lufthansa warning strike, many travelers will not reach their destination as planned. This is particularly troublesome during busier travel periods such as summer holidays,” says Julián Navas, passenger rights expert at Airhelp. However, in the event of delays of more than three hours or cancellations, the passengers concerned would be entitled to compensation of up to 600 euros.
A ruling by the European Court of Justice (CJEU) in 2021 strengthened the rights of air passengers across the EU. An airline cannot claim that such a strike is an “extraordinary circumstance”, especially if it complies with applicable law. If the trade union dispute is limited to enforcing, for example, wage increases or better working hours, this is “part of the normal operation of this company”, according to the Court of Justice (judgment of 23 March 2021, case C-28 / 20).
However, this only applies if the staff are employed by the airline, Navas said. Strikes by airport personnel, air traffic control or other aviation-related services are considered extraordinary circumstances, as these strikes are beyond the control of the airline.
Context: EC Regulation 261
Passenger rights are governed by EC regulation 261. Accordingly, travelers may be entitled to compensation of between 250 and 600 euros in the event of flight cancellation and flight delay, depending on the length of the flight route.
The legitimate claim for compensation depends on the actual length of the delay at the destination and the reason for the canceled or delayed flight. Affected passengers can enforce their compensation claim retroactively, up to three years after the scheduled flight.
Extraordinary circumstances such as storms or medical emergencies may result in the airline being released from the obligation to pay compensation.
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