Airline Strike Compensation
When an airline’s staff or crew goes on strike, it often results in heavy flight disruptions. This greatly inconveniences air passengers, as there is a lot of confusion as flights get canceled. If you have experienced delays due to airline strikes and were traveling to or from the EU, you may be entitled up to $650 in airline strike compensation.
Did your flight get canceled or delayed in the last 3 years because of an airline strike?
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Am I Eligible for Airline Strike Compensation?
When Am I Eligible for Flight Strike Compensation?
You could be eligible for strike compensation if:
You had a flight disrupted by an airline staff strike.
Your flight was either delayed by 3 hours or more, or was cancelled less than 14 days before it was due to depart.
Your flight took off in the EU, or landed at an EU airport.
You had a confirmed flight reservation.
The disruption occurred within the last 3 years.
If you took a replacement flight, your new arrival time was significantly different from your original flight.
Your Compensation Rights During Airline Staff Strikes
Airline staff strikes involve the employees of the airline carrier, including pilots, cabin crew, airline engineers, and other employees working directly under the airline. If an airline strike disrupts your flight, you may be entitled to compensation for the inconvenience.
That's because under a piece of EU law called EC 261, airlines are required to compensate passengers for flight disruptions that they are responsible for. That includes flight disruptions due to airline staff strikes. So if your flight was cancelled due to a strike, you may be eligible for compensation under the EC 261 regulations.
The law regarding this particular situation was clarified only recently. The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg ruled that disruption caused by airline employee strikes qualifies for compensation as the airline is considered responsible for the behavior of its staff.
The decision backs up what we at AirHelp have been arguing for years: that disruption caused by the airline’s staff should be compensated, as the flight company must be held accountable for their employees’ actions.
We believe that air passenger rights should always come first—if an airline strike causes your flight to be delayed, canceled, or even results in denied boarding, you can claim compensation.
When Am I Not Eligible for Strike Compensation?
You are not eligible for strike compensation if: It’s any strike that the airline has no control over. For example:
Strikes by airport security staff
Strikes by baggage handlers
Strikes by air traffic management staff
Strikes caused by political unrest
While airline staff strikes are within the control of the airline, all other strikes are considered extraordinary circumstances. Extraordinary circumstances are any events or situations that are completely beyond the airline’s control and cannot be avoided, even if reasonable measures have been taken to protect against them. In such cases, the airline is not at fault.
Check Your Eligibility for Airline Strike Compensation with AirHelp!
Does your flight qualify for flight strike compensation? There are a lot of laws and exclusions, so for a quick and easy answer, all you have to do is fill out our eligibility checker with your details. We’ll tell you if your flight qualifies and how much you're entitled to. You can also use us to handle the claim for you.
Moreover, our compensation calculator allows you to check the amount of compensation you may be entitled to in just a few seconds. Fast and efficient, it’s 100% free!
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Find out your expected compensation
$270
up to 1,500 km
$430
1,500 - 3,500 km
$650
from 3,500 km
How Much Strike Compensation Am I Entitled To?
The amount of compensation that you are entitled to depends on your circumstances. If your flight qualifies for compensation due to a disruption caused by an airline, you may be entitled to up to $650, depending on your unique case.
Airline Strike Flight Cancellation Compensation
Sometimes, airline staff strikes can lead to the cancellation of your flight altogether. If you’ve had a flight canceled due to a strike, compensation could be owed! You qualify for compensation if the airline notified you less than 14 days before your flight was due to depart, and they weren’t able to offer you an alternative flight which arrived at a similar time.
| Less than 2 hours | 2 - 3 hours | 3 – 4 hours | More than 4 hours | Never arrived | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| €125 | €250 | €250 | €250 | €250 | All flights 1,500 km or less |
| €200 | €200 | €400 | €400 | €400 | Internal EU flights over 1,500 km |
| €200 | €200 | €400 | €400 | €400 | Non-internal EU flights between 1,500 km and 3,500 km |
| €300 | €300 | €300 | €600 | €600 | Non-internal EU flights over 3,500 km |
You can learn more about flight cancellations and your rights here.
Airline Strike Flight Delay Compensation
An airline strike can sometimes cause lengthy delays and affect your arrival at your final destination. You are eligible for compensation if your flight is delayed by 3 hours or more.
How much could you be owed when your flight is delayed?
| Less than 3 hours | 3 – 4 hours | More than 4 hours | Never arrived | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| € – | €250 | €250 | €250 | All flights 1,500 km or less |
| € – | €400 | €400 | €400 | Internal EU flights over 1,500 km |
| € – | €400 | €400 | €400 | Non-internal EU flights between 1,500 km and 3,500 km |
| € – | €300 | €600 | €600 | Non-internal EU flights over 3,500 km |
You can learn more about flight delay compensation here.
Denied Boarding Compensation
During an airline strike, there may be instances where you are denied boarding due to an aircraft being overbooked. If you are denied boarding against your will, you may be entitled to compensation. You can learn more about denied boarding compensation here.
Airline Strike Compensation: Know Your Rights
What am I entitled to?
Right to care
When you experience flight disruption due to an airline strike, you have the “right to care”. Depending on the length of the delay, the airline carrier must provide you with several essentials, including:
Meals and refreshments during the delay
Access to communications, including 2 telephone calls, fax messages, and emails
Overnight accommodation, including transportation to and from the airport to your hotel, if necessary.
Expenses covered by airlines during a flight delay
Food and drink vouchers
Transfer if required
Hotel stay if required
Access to communication
Can I rebook my flight?
If your flight has been canceled or delayed for more than 5 hours, you have the right to withdraw from your flight and receive a complete refund for your flight. You also have the choice of taking the alternative flight given by the airline to get you to your destination. You can learn more about rebooking and refunds here.
What about past strikes?
The ruling that airline strikes are not extraordinary circumstances is retrospective. This means that flights affected by past strikes, as far back as 3 years ago, now qualify for compensation.
What to Do If Your Flight Is Canceled Due to an Airline Strike?
If an airline strike disrupts your flight, here are a few steps to follow to minimize inconvenience and maximize your chances of receiving compensation:
Contact the airline: Request rebooking for another flight—this is your right. If the airline’s proposed solutions don’t meet your needs, you can choose not to fly and request a refund for your ticket.
Keep your documents: Your boarding pass, communications from the airline (emails, SMS, etc.), and other documents will be useful when filing a compensation claim.
Check your eligibility: If the strike is caused by airline staff, you might be eligible for compensation. Use our tool to check if you’re entitled to up to $650 in compensation.
In cases where the strike involves airport staff or another party, however, it’s considered beyond the airline’s control and is not eligible for compensation.
Why AirHelp?
AirHelp…
Is the world’s largest flight compensation company.
Works with lawyers in 35+ countries.
Uses state-of-the-art technology to pursue each claim.
Takes the stress out of the claim process.
Operates on a no win, no fee basis.
Fights for passenger rights.
Flight disruption due to airline strikes does happen, and it is your right to receive compensation if you are affected. AirHelp makes the process of claiming easy and stress-free. We handle all of the heavy lifting for you!
AirHelp is the largest flight compensation company worldwide, with a network of lawyers in over 35 countries, providing support to customers in 19 languages. We have innovative technology to assess and pursue each claim, which allows us to work on your claim quickly and efficiently.
Plus, we operate on a no-win, no-fee basis, eliminating the risk for you. So if you need help to get your flight compensation due to a strike, fill out our form today.
We’re always here to help.
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