Strike at the airport? These are your rights

Whose strike is it?

If the airline's own staff strike, such as pilots or cabin crew, the Court of Justice says that is not force majeure: employment conditions are the airline's own responsibility. Your right to compensation simply stands.

If air traffic control, security or the airport's ground staff strike, that lies beyond the airline's control and compensation usually lapses.

What always keeps applying

Even in a strike that counts as force majeure, your basic rights survive. The airline must rebook or refund you, and while you wait you are entitled to care:

• A refund within 7 days or an alternative flight
• Food, drinks and communication from 2 hours of waiting
• Hotel and transport if you must stay overnight

Announced strike: stay alert

Airlines often cancel flights preventively when strikes are announced. If they cancel within 14 days of departure, that early cancellation itself can be claimable, especially if the strike never happened or did not affect your flight.

Rebook yourself or accept a voucher under pressure and you give up rights. Let the airline take the initiative and record everything.

How we handle strike claims

We establish who exactly was striking, what the airline knew and when, and whether your specific flight even had to be affected. Those facts make the difference between a justified rejection and a claim worth hundreds of euros.