Eurowings: low fares, the Lufthansa Group — and its own strikes
Eurowings is the low-cost arm of the Lufthansa Group, flying short and medium-haul leisure routes from German bases like Düsseldorf, Cologne, Hamburg and Stuttgart. It’s a German EU airline, so EU 261/2004 covers it both leaving and entering the EU — and because it’s short-haul, the typical claim is €250.
But sitting inside the Lufthansa Group brings one thing besides the brand: strikes. Eurowings has repeatedly had its own pilots walk out — and that’s exactly the kind of disruption EU law says you can claim for. Many passengers assume any strike means no payout. For a Eurowings strike, that’s usually backwards.
When a Eurowings strike pays — and when it doesn’t
The deciding question is whose staff went on strike:
- Eurowings’ own staff — its pilots (the Vereinigung Cockpit union) or cabin crew. EU law treats a strike by an airline’s own workforce as part of running an airline — not an extraordinary circumstance. So a cancellation caused by a Eurowings pilot or cabin-crew strike means you can claim €250–600.
- People Eurowings doesn’t employ — air-traffic controllers, or the airport’s own staff. Their strikes are outside Eurowings’ control and usually are extraordinary, removing the cash (though Eurowings must still reroute or refund you and provide care).
Use the decoder to see how the reason you were given holds up:
What your Eurowings claim is worth
EU 261 fixes the amount by the great-circle distance of your flight:
| Flight distance | Compensation per passenger |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | €250 |
| 1,500 – 3,500 km | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km (to/from outside the EU) | €600 |
Here’s the Eurowings reality: almost the whole network is short hops in the €250 band, with the longer leisure runs to Crete and the Canary Islands reaching €400. Eurowings never hits €600 — its map stays inside the EU, where compensation is capped at €400 however far. Try a few routes:
Look at Hamburg → Gran Canaria: about 3,528 km, well past 3,500 — yet it’s €400, not €600, because the Canary Islands are part of Spain and the EU. And the popular Palma run (~1,342 km) is comfortably in the €250 band.
Eurowings is not “Eurowings Discover”
One quick clarification that saves confusion: Eurowings is the short-haul, low-cost airline this page is about. The Lufthansa Group’s long-haul leisure flights — to the Caribbean, Africa and the Indian Ocean — are now operated by a separate airline, Discover Airlines (originally launched as Eurowings Discover). If your wide-body holiday flight was Discover, that’s a different carrier; this guide is for Eurowings’ short-haul network.
Delays and cancellations
- Delays. Reach your destination 3+ hours late for a reason within Eurowings’ control, and you’re owed €250–400. Measured at arrival.
- Cancellations. A refund or rerouting, care, and — unless 14+ days’ notice or extraordinary circumstances — the per-passenger compensation on top.
- Care. Owed by the hour even when the cause is extraordinary and no cash is due.
Real example. A Düsseldorf → Vienna flight is cancelled during a Eurowings pilot strike, rebooked the next day. Own-staff strike (not extraordinary), under 1,500 km → €250 per passenger, plus rerouting and care. Check a cancelled flight →
Real example. A Hamburg → Gran Canaria flight arrives 4 hours late after a technical fault. Not extraordinary, but intra-EU → €400 (capped), not €600. Check a delayed flight →
How to claim from Eurowings yourself
- Gather your evidence — booking code, flight number and date, Eurowings’ stated reason, and receipts for any meals, transport or a hotel.
- Confirm it qualifies — arrived 3+ hours late (or cancelled with under 14 days’ notice, or denied boarding); the cause wasn’t extraordinary; you’re within the time limit (about three years in Germany).
- Work out the amount from the distance band — €250 or €400.
- Submit Eurowings’ claim form. Use Eurowings’ claims and compensation page, citing EU 261/2004, the flight and the arrival delay, with your booking code and bank details.
- Escalate if refused. Germany’s enforcement body is the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA); for a free resolution you can use the travel conciliation body SÖP (renamed Schlichtungsstelle Reise & Verkehr in 2025) — or hand the claim to a specialist.
Real Eurowings scenarios
- Pilot strike cancellation. Düsseldorf → Vienna scrapped during a Vereinigung Cockpit strike → €250 each, plus rerouting and care.
- Technical delay, short-haul. Düsseldorf → Palma 3.5 hours late after a technical fault → €250 each.
- Intra-EU cap. Hamburg → Gran Canaria 4 hours late → €400 (capped, not €600 despite the distance).
- ATC strike — the honest no. Stuttgart → Heraklion cancelled by an ATC strike → no compensation, but care and a refund or rerouting.
See real won cases and verdicts →.
Eurowings at a glance
Eurowings traces back to 1990 and was relaunched as the Lufthansa Group’s low-cost brand from 2015. Led by CEO Max Kownatzki since 2026, it flies an Airbus A320-family fleet of around 90 aircraft from German bases, carrying roughly 22.7 million passengers in 2024. Its low fares and leisure focus mean plenty of disruption — and, because it sits in a strike-prone group with its own restive cockpit union, plenty of claimable cancellations that passengers wrongly write off.
Why hand your Eurowings claim to Refundio
Strike-season “extraordinary circumstances” refusals, the intra-EU cap, the Eurowings-vs-Discover mix-up — a Eurowings claim has more snags than its €250 headline suggests. Refundio buys your claim and pays you upfront, usually within days, then takes Eurowings on itself — including the own-staff-strike cases the law already backs. No win, no fee.
Check your Eurowings claim in 2 minutes →
Frequently asked questions
Eurowings cancelled my flight because of a strike. Can I claim?
If it was Eurowings’ own staff — pilots (Vereinigung Cockpit) or cabin crew — then yes. EU law says an own-staff strike is not extraordinary, so Eurowings owes €250–600. Only external strikes — ATC or airport staff — usually remove the cash (you still get care and a refund or rerouting).
How much compensation does Eurowings pay?
For most flights, €250 — it’s short-haul, so most routes are under 1,500 km. Longer leisure routes (Crete, the Canaries) pay €400. Eurowings never reaches €600: its network is intra-EU, where compensation is capped at €400.
My flight to Gran Canaria was over 3,500 km — isn’t that €600?
No — €400. The Canary Islands are part of Spain and the EU, and any intra-EU flight is capped at €400 however far it goes. The €600 band needs a flight over 3,500 km to a non-EU country, which Eurowings doesn’t fly.
Is Eurowings the same as Eurowings Discover?
No. Eurowings is the short-haul LCC on this page. The long-haul leisure operation is a separate airline, Discover Airlines (formerly Eurowings Discover), flying wide-body routes — a different carrier within the Lufthansa Group.
How do I claim compensation from Eurowings?
Use Eurowings’ official claims and compensation form, citing EU 261/2004, your flight and the arrival delay, with your booking code and bank details. If refused, escalate to Germany’s LBA or the SÖP/Schlichtungsstelle Reise & Verkehr — or hand it to Refundio.
How long do I have to claim from Eurowings?
In Germany, generally up to three years (to the end of the year of the flight). Limits vary by country, but older flights are often still claimable.