The worldwide technical problems are causing chaos at airports. Numerous airports are affected by the disruptions. In Germany too, the IT outages are causing chaos and frustration for travelers who wanted to start their vacation today. What rights do you now have – the most important questions and answers.
What support is being provided to travellers currently stranded at airports?
It’s annoying if the start of your vacation is delayed by flight problems. The good news is that the airline has a duty to provide support. It must pay for food at the airport, for example in the form of vouchers for catering at the airport. This applies to flights of up to 1,500 kilometers with a waiting time of at least two hours. For a distance of 1,500 to 3,500 kilometers, support is available after three hours, and for distances of 3,500 kilometers or more, after four hours. If the flight is delayed until the next day, hotel accommodation must also be paid for.
:IT problems continue – Crowdstrike apologizes
There are problems with air traffic all over the world, and in Germany it is precisely during the holiday season. Banks, media and hospitals are also affected. The reason is an error at a Texas IT security company.
When do you have the right to a replacement flight or a refund?
If a flight is cancelledthe airline must organize a replacement. For domestic flights, rebooking is also permitted for bus and train. Buying a train ticket without consulting the airline is not advisable: There is no guarantee that all costs will be reimbursed. Alternatively, travelers can return the ticket and request their money back. This also applies to more than five hours TardinessBut be careful: If you ask for your money back, you are responsible for how you continue. This can be expensive, especially during holiday periods, if there are any free seats left at the holiday destination at short notice.
Passenger rights apply across the EU, i.e. to all passengers who board a flight at airports within the European Union. You can also rely on them if you fly with an EU airline from a third country to the EU.
What happens if you have booked a package holiday?
In the case of package holidays, the tour operator is obliged to arrange alternative transport. They are also the first point of contact for holidaymakers for all other requests. If you are unable to fly on holiday until a day later due to a flight cancellation, you can request a proportional reduction in the price of the holiday from the tour operator. This means you pay for one day less.
Do passengers receive compensation?
In this specific case, things are looking bad. If technical problems at the airport are the cause of the delay or cancellation of the flight, this is an extraordinary circumstance – the airlines are therefore exempt from the obligation to pay compensation, according to Paul Degott, a lawyer specializing in travel law.
In general, the question of compensation depends on whether the airline is responsible for the problems or not – if the IT problems were within the airline’s systems, for example, there might be a better chance of compensation payments. This would then have to be clarified on a case-by-case basis.
The EU Air Passenger Rights Regulation provides for compensation of between 250 and 600 euros per passenger for delays of three hours or more and short-term flight cancellations under certain conditions – the amount depends, among other things, on the length of the flight route.
Passengers can check and assert claims using the flight complaints app from the NRW consumer advice center, for example; a sample letter is also available on the website of the European Consumer Center Germany. In the event of a dispute, you can contact the arbitration board for public transport free of charge or commission a service provider such as Flightright, Fairplane, EUclaim or EUflight for a commission.
What rights do air travelers have if the feeder flight is cancelled and the connecting flight is missed?
If a flight is cancelled, the airline must, according to the EU regulation on air passenger rights, transport the passenger to their destination on a replacement flight, i.e. offer a new connection for the entire route. However, the flights must be part of a jointly booked flight plan.
What is the legal situation if the start of a cruise is missed due to a delayed departure?
If the flight and cruise are booked as a package, the tour operator is obliged to get the guest onto the ship, so they must arrange alternative flights or ensure that the guest can board at another port. Those who have organized their journey individually are entitled to all the services provided by the Air Passenger Rights Regulation, such as rebooking on a new flight. However, you then have to take care of everything else yourself – and pay for it.
Which airports in Germany are particularly affected?
It was particularly hard for the Berliner BER airport in Schönefeld was hit. In the morning, no planes could take off or land and flight operations had to be suspended. In the meantime, however, operations are slowly starting up again. “The airport’s systems have been brought back up and running and we are gradually returning to normal operations,” a spokeswoman said. “There are still waiting times.” Individual flights have been canceled by the airlines.
At the airport in Köln There are also major problems – “especially with the airline check-in process,” the airport said. It is currently not possible to predict how long the disruption will last. The airport will provide information about further developments. “Thank you for your patience,” the airport wrote to its guests.
Travelers with disabilities must also be present at the airport Düsseldorf “We can confirm that due to an IT malfunction, there are currently disruptions to Eurowings’ check-in and boarding processes. Therefore, the airline’s departures are currently being checked in manually,” an airport spokesman told the dpa news agency.
In Hamburg According to the airport, four airlines are affected: Eurowings, Ryanair, Vueling and Turkish Airlines. The companies initially issued the tickets manually. The airport systems are all running, said the spokeswoman. There are also no major problems at the airport, and there are no long queues even at the security checkpoint.
Which airports in other European countries are particularly affected?
Currently, some European airports are reporting problems with passenger processing. Zürich Landings are no longer possible, the airport announced. Flights to Zurich that are already in the air are still allowed to land. Several airlines have been delayed and many flights have been cancelled altogether. Check-in sometimes has to be done manually. The airport recommends that passengers contact their airline to find out about the status of their flight.
The airports in Great Britain have warned of delays due to the worldwide computer problems. Selected systems at Heathrow are affected, the airport said. “Flight operations are ongoing and we are implementing contingency plans to minimize the impact on travel.” Manchester Airport wrote on Platform X that the IT problems would affect some airlines. Some processes such as check-in and boarding would have to be carried out manually and would take longer. The majority of flights were not affected. London’s Gatwick Airport warned that delays could occur.
At the airport of Palma de Mallorca There were major delays. Long queues formed in front of the check-in counters because the computers used for processing had broken down. Flight operations themselves were obviously less affected. The tour operator Tui temporarily stopped check-in, as confirmed by a dpa employee on site. Check-in was then resumed manually. German travelers were less affected because Tui flights mainly went to Great Britain. Other airlines only experienced minor problems. The Spanish airport operator Aena had previously announced that there would be delays across the country due to the computer problems.
Also at the airport Danish capital Copenhagen There have been disruptions, but unlike other airports, there have not been any disruptions to actual operations. It is only a matter of check-in for some airlines, an airport spokeswoman told Danish broadcaster TV2. The company Swedavia, which operates the ten largest airports in Sweden operates.