Flight cancelled or delayed by a strike? What your compensation depends on

Whose strike is it? That is what decides it

If the airline's own staff strike — pilots, cabin or ground crew employed by the carrier — the EU Court of Justice (e.g. the SAS case, C-28/20) has held this is NOT an extraordinary circumstance: labour conditions are part of the airline's normal business. Your right to compensation stands, even for a trade-union strike.

If air-traffic control, airport security or third-party ground staff strike, that is outside the airline's control and compensation usually falls away — but your care and re-routing rights still apply (see below).

An airline-staff strike (e.g. KLM pilots or cabin crew)

When it is the airline's own people who walk out, compensation is often simply due. A strike by the carrier's pilots or cabin crew falls within its own responsibility; cancelling the flights because of it does not turn it into force majeure. If you arrived 3 hours or more late, or your flight was cancelled at short notice, €250 to €600 per passenger is at stake.

Watch the distinction: if it is not the airline itself but, say, airport security or an external handler that strikes, the airline can invoke extraordinary circumstances. We work out exactly who struck and whether your flight really had to be cancelled.

An airport strike (security, baggage or ground handling)

An airport strike often hits every carrier at once: if security, baggage handling or the airport's ground staff walk out, that is usually an extraordinary circumstance for the airlines — compensation is then hard, but you keep your rights to care, re-routing or a refund.

Even so, it is rarely black and white. If the striking ground staff act for YOUR airline (its own handling operation), compensation may still be due. And if an airline pre-emptively cancels more flights than necessary, that excess is often claimable.

What always continues to apply

Even during a strike that counts as force majeure, your basic rights hold. The airline must re-book or refund you, and while you wait you are entitled to care:

• A refund within 7 days OR an alternative flight to your destination
• Food, drink and communication from 2 hours' wait onwards
• A hotel and transport if you have to stay overnight

An announced strike: stay alert

Airlines often pre-emptively cancel flights around an announced strike. If they cancel within 14 days of departure, that early cancellation can itself be claimable — especially if the strike did not go ahead in the end, or your flight did not have to be affected.

If you re-book yourself or accept a voucher under pressure, you give up rights. Let the airline take the initiative and record everything: screenshots, emails and the reason given.

How we handle strike claims

We work out exactly who struck, what the airline knew and when, and whether your specific flight really had to be affected. Those facts are the difference between a justified rejection and a claim worth hundreds of euros. Run the free check with your flight number and date — even if the airline has already rejected you citing 'strike action'.