Due to a warning strike by Lufthansa ground staff, there will be massive restrictions on air traffic on the leading German airline on Wednesday.

According to the company, almost all of its flights to and from the hubs in Frankfurt and Munich have to be canceled, more than 130,000 passengers are affected.

What rights do those affected have in this situation:

According to the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations (vzbv), airlines are generally obliged to offer alternative transportation for flights canceled due to a strike.

Alternatively, affected customers can also forgo the flight and have the price of the ticket they have already paid reimbursed.

The airline has seven days to do this.

Travelers who wish to have alternative transport should therefore actively urge the company to do so.

At the same time, the consumer advocates point out that this option may also mean taking off much later than planned.

It is quite possible that a replacement flight can only be organized one or more days later.

Incidentally, the situation is different for flights as part of a package tour.

Then the tour operator is responsible as the contact person for travelers, not the airline that is on strike.

In this case, those affected should contact their organizer directly and push for alternative solutions - such as a solution with another company.

In this case, package travelers can also reduce the travel price if the delay is five hours.

maintenance services in the meantime

In general, airlines have to do everything they can reasonably be expected to do to get their passengers to their destinations free of charge by alternative routes on comparable terms, despite cancellations during strikes.

Whether and when an airline can organize strike action in the event of large-scale failures is another question.

Depending on the circumstances and distance, alternative transportation may also be provided by providing train rides or rental cars.

Lufthansa recently stated, for example, that it had immediately informed all affected passengers about the cancellation of their flight and, if possible, rebooked them on alternative connections.

But these are “very limited”.

If an airline can only organize the desired replacement transport with a greater or lesser delay, travelers also have the right to assistance services.

These are staggered by time period and range from meals to any hotel accommodation.

If an airline cannot be reached or refuses to cooperate, those affected can take care of it themselves and later claim their expenses back.

The compensation thing

Irrespective of the question of substitute transport or cancellation of the ticket purchase, there is still the issue of lump-sum compensation.

In the past, strikes were usually classified legally as a case of force majeure in which the companies did not have to pay any compensation to the passengers affected.

In the meantime, however, the legal situation has differentiated.

In March last year, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on a pilots' strike at the airline SAS that this was not a so-called extraordinary circumstance that released a company from paying compensation under the European Air Passenger Rights Regulation.

However, the consumer advice center and other experts emphasize that the specific case must always be examined.

A company can therefore relieve itself through timely information or special circumstances.

With regard to the current strike situation at Lufthansa on Wednesday, the managing director of the arbitration board for public transport (SÖP), Sabine Cofalla, also pointed out ambiguities.

The decisive factor is whether or not the striking ground staff is employed by Lufthansa itself, she emphasized.

This must be clarified on every flight.

She advised travelers to document all details on the day of travel.