Krüsemann C-195/17
Your flight was hit by a strike
Strikes are the one area where the answer genuinely flips depending on who walked out. The distinction is internal versus external.
The short answer
It depends who struck. The airline's own staff on a wildcat strike: usually payable. Air traffic control or airport staff: usually not.
The one thing to know: A strike by the airline's own staff flows from its own decisions and is generally within its control. A strike by third parties — ATC, airport, ground handlers — is external and usually extraordinary.
How it actually works
- Own-staff strikes
- In Krüsemann, a wildcat strike by an airline's own crew after a restructuring announcement was held to be part of normal business — compensation was due. The Regulation mentions strikes, but the Court treats them as a possible source of extraordinary circumstances, not an automatic shield.
- Third-party strikes
- An air traffic control strike, or a strike by airport or ground-handling staff, is outside the airline's control and generally does count as extraordinary.
- Ask who struck
- The refusal letter will say "strike." Ask specifically whose. That single question often changes the answer.
Contested causes are worth a second opinion before dropping it. A check is free and commits you to nothing.
What to do now
- Photograph the evidence — the departure board, the app before it updates, the arrival time when the door opens. The full checklist →
- Write to the airline, quoting the article and the flight. Use the template →
- Give them 28 days, then escalate free to the national enforcement body.
- Check your time limit — it ranges from one year to six by country. See yours →
Questions
Your flight was hit by a strike: am I owed compensation?
It depends who struck. The airline's own staff on a wildcat strike: usually payable. Air traffic control or airport staff: usually not.
How do I claim it?
Write to the airline first, quoting the article and flight, and allow 28 days. It is free and you keep the whole amount. Escalate to the national enforcement body if refused.