(Prague, 27 July 2022) Today’s strike by thousands of Lufthansa airport staff will affect 130,000 passengers flying to or from Frankfurt and Munich via other major German airports. Cancellations or significant flight delays are also expected on Thursday and Friday. Important information on passenger rights is available from the European Consumer Centre, which helps resolve disputes with carriers from other EU countries and has a free mobile app on consumer rights when travelling in the EU.

“If a flight is cancelled in the event of a strike, the carrier must provide re-routing to an alternative flight as soon as possible. It should also offer free refreshments and, if necessary, accommodation for as long as necessary while waiting for an alternative or delayed connection,” says Ondřej Tichota, Deputy Director of the European Consumer Centre of the Czech Republic.

Passengers who have purchased a ticket for a flight this week should contact the carriers operating their flights to find out about possible alternative connections.

“People can also cancel the contract and ask for a refund. In this case, the carrier has no obligation to provide further care,” says Ondřej Tichota, noting that the right of passengers is established by the European Regulation 261/2004.

Lufthansa’s ground staff are on strike over a dispute with the airline’s management over pay conditions, demanding a pay rise of about 10 percent.

For more information on EU travel rights, visit www.evropskyspotrebitel.cz. You can also download the free mobile app “ECC-Net: Travel”, where consumers can also find their rights in other areas of travel, not only in air, but also in rail, bus and boat transport, accommodation, car rental and when buying goods in other EU countries. “The app is free to download in mobile app stores and also contains specific phrases in all official EU languages to exercise your rights right on the spot,” adds Ondřej Tichota.