Austrian Airlines

Austrian Airlines is one of the busiest carriers in Central Europe. The Austrian airline runs more than 200 flights a day, not just across Europe but to the Americas, Asia and Africa.

If you’ve flown with them recently, you may have run into a delay or even a cancellation. When that happens, under EU Regulation 261/2004 you’re likely entitled to financial compensation.

EU Regulation 261/2004 and why it matters

The European Union passed Regulation 261/2004 to protect air passengers. Under the regulation, passengers can claim financial compensation not just for delayed or cancelled flights, but also for denied boarding (overbooking).

Which Austrian Airlines flights qualify?

Under EU Regulation 261/2004, passengers are entitled to compensation in three situations: cancellations, delays, and denied boarding (overbooking).

Austrian Airlines cancelled flight

To claim for a cancelled flight, Austrian Airlines must have told you about the cancellation less than 14 days in advance — see cancelled flight. The cancellation also has to be on Austrian Airlines, so it can’t be the result of one of the extraordinary circumstances (severe weather, for example).

Austrian Airlines delayed flight

For delayed flights, the same logic applies — the delay has to be down to Austrian Airlines. If the delay came from an airport-staff strike or another extraordinary circumstance, no compensation is payable. To meet the EU rules, the delay also has to be at least 3 hours. The delay is measured at arrival at the final destination, so it doesn’t matter how late the aircraft took off.

Austrian Airlines denied boarding

Overbooking happens when Austrian Airlines staff tell you that you can’t board because the plane is full. To claim the financial payout, you can’t have voluntarily given up your seat.

When the entitlement doesn’t apply

As mentioned above, there are situations where Austrian Airlines doesn’t have to pay out, even when the flight was cancelled or delayed by more than 3 hours. The EU rules group these together as extraordinary circumstances. They include, among others:

• Strikes by airport staff or air traffic control
• Severe weather conditions
• Security risks
• Exceptional events at the airport (a reported bomb threat and the like)

How much can I expect for a disrupted Austrian Airlines flight?

The compensation amount doesn’t change based on whether your flight was delayed, cancelled, or you were denied boarding. What sets the payout is the flight distance and the final delay at arrival.

For flights over 3,500 km there are two catches: the flight has to operate between the EU and a destination outside the EU, and if the delay is between 3 and 4 hours, Austrian Airlines can halve the compensation to €300. The full €600 only applies when the delay is over 4 hours.

How to claim compensation from Austrian Airlines

As with any airline, you can pursue the claim yourself through the Austrian Airlines website. The catch: you’ll be waiting days or weeks for a reply. And airlines don’t tend to pay out of their own initiative — they reject most claims that land on their desks.

The other option: hand it to professionals who deal with airline claims every day. Hand it to Refundio — we know how to talk to airline reps, even when they don’t want to pay. In some cases we’ll even pay you upfront, so you don’t have to wait out a potential court case.

What if Austrian Airlines refuses to pay?

If the airline rejects your claim, we’ll still try to help. Our lawyers will assess your flight — and the reasons the airline gave for refusing — at no cost. In most cases we manage to get compensation for clients even after the airline has said no.

Austrian Airlines as part of the Lufthansa Group

Did you know Austrian Airlines is owned by the Lufthansa Group? The Lufthansa Group has more than 300 subsidiaries, including Austrian Airlines, Eurowings, Lufthansa, Brussels Airlines and Swiss International Air Lines.