Due to staff shortages, Lufthansa and Eurowings will have to cancel hundreds of flights next month. On this occasion, the Agency for Passenger and Passenger Rights (apf) is clarifying the flight rights of the passengers concerned.

The European Air Passenger Rights Regulation protects passengers in the event of flight irregularities (such as delays or cancellations), and they may also be entitled to a so-called compensation payment. For example, passengers are entitled to compensation if they were not informed of the flight cancellation at least two weeks before the departure date. The amount depends on the flight distance booked and is between 250 euros and 600 euros.

In cases of flight cancellation (or flight cancellation), passengers have the choice between:

• the reimbursement of the ticket price
• the return flight to the first place of departure at the earliest possible time
• alternative transport to the final destination under comparable conditions at the earliest possible time
• alternative carriage to the final destination under comparable conditions at a later time at the passenger's option, subject to space availability

“We strongly recommend affected passengers who are not proactively offered alternative transportation to contact the airline as a first step before making their own bookings. We also urgently recommend that you keep invoices and receipts and keep costs as low as possible if you end up having to organize and pay for alternative transport yourself,” says Maria-Theresia Röhsler.

If a flight is canceled early enough (at least two weeks before the scheduled departure time) and the airline provides verifiable information about this, according to the Air Passenger Rights Ordinance there is no right to compensation, but the passenger has the choice between a refund of the ticket costs and alternative transport to the final destination.

Within the framework of out-of-court arbitration procedures, apf helps passengers to assert their rights free of charge and without commission. The first step is for passengers to address their claim in writing to the airline concerned. apf has provided sample letters for this purpose, which can be found at www.passenger.at are available. If the company does not respond adequately or not at all within six weeks of submission, it can contact apf online via www.passenger.at a request for arbitration to be submitted.