Strike at AUA: What passengers can do now

The KV dispute at the DO NOT and the on-board staff has continued to worsen. The decision was made to strike for the 36-hour period from midnight on Maundy Thursday to midday on Good Friday.

Also read: Strike at AUA would affect 52,000 passengers

The most important facts at a glance:

Cancellation. In the case of flight cancellations, as happened with the DO NOT due to the possible strike on Thursday and Friday, these are cancellations. According to the Agency for Passenger and Passenger Rights (apf), passengers then have the choice between a refund of the ticket price, a return flight to the first departure point at the earliest possible time or alternative transport to the destination under comparable conditions at the earliest possible time. Monetary compensation is also possible.
Alternative transportation. An alternative transport to the destination under comparable conditions at a later date would also be possible at the passenger’s request, subject to availability of seats. On its homepage, apf recommends that affected passengers who are not proactively offered alternative transport should contact the company as a first step before making their own bookings. This way the airline will certainly have the contact details and can provide better information.

Who pays for that? If you actually have to organize and pay for alternative transport yourself, apf recommends that you keep invoices and receipts and keep costs as low as possible. This also applies if an overnight stay becomes necessary.
Contact the AUA directly. Now the possible strike for passengers and the DO NOT known days in advance. When asked in the Ö1 “Mittagsjournal” on Saturday whether one could assume that Austrian could now handle all of this, Robert Kogler from apf said: “It’s a bit difficult for us to judge.” You should stick to them DO NOT turn around. If you don’t hear anything for six weeks or are not satisfied with what you hear, then you should contact the apf.

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Compensation. Regardless of which of the above options you choose as a passenger affected by cancellations, you may also be entitled to compensation, says Kogler. This amounts to 250 to 600 euros per flight and per person. In principle, the airline is responsible for taking care of passengers if there are cancellations.

More on the subject: Hardened fronts in the AUA wage conflict