Passenger rights after the IT failure: what travelers need to know
Passenger rights after the IT failure: what travelers need to know
Last weekend, a global IT glitch led to considerable delays in international air traffic. The effects were also clearly noticeable in Austria. At Vienna Airport, for example, check-ins for certain airlines such as Ryanair and WizzAir had to be carried out manually. This led to delays and flight cancellations over the course of the day.
Compensation payments after the IT failure
Airlines are exempt from the obligation to pay compensation if the delays or cancellations are due to extraordinary circumstances. A global IT breakdown caused by a faulty computer update falls into this category. In such cases, Agency for Passenger Rights (apf) examines on a case-by-case basis whether the extraordinary circumstance was understandable and whether the airline took all reasonable measures to minimize the delay.
Important to know:
Travelers who were directly affected by the IT outage are unlikely to receive compensation payments (although we will check individual cases).
For travelers who were still confronted with delays on the following day, compensation payments are more likely. In these cases, the airline must prove that the delay was due to the IT failure.
The amount of compensation depends on the flight distance and is between 250 and 600 euros, regardless of the ticket price.
Compulsory care services for delays of two hours or more
Regardless of the cause of the delay, passengers are entitled to assistance services:
Flights up to 1,500 km: from two hours delay
Flights within the EU from 1,500 km: from three hours delay
Flights from 1,500 km up to 3,500 km (not within the EU): from three hours delay
Flights over 3,500 km (not within the EU): from four hours delay
In these cases, the airline must offer snacks and refreshments free of charge.
Other support services such as hotel accommodation and transfers between the airport and hotel depend on the individual case and must be in reasonable proportion to the waiting time.
Recommendations for affected travelers
The apf recommends that affected travelers who are not proactively offered meals and/or accommodation should first contact the company before making any independent expenses. If travelers ultimately have to organize and pay for accommodation themselves, all invoices and receipts should be kept.
If you have not yet submitted a complaint to the airline, you can use sample letters to inform the airline of your entitlement to compensation. The sample letters cover the topics of flight delay, flight cancellation, denied boarding or flight overbooking and downgrade. These can be customized and inserted into online complaint forms if required.
Document the submission of your claim to the company as well as possible, e.g. using screenshots for online submissions, and keep the automatically generated confirmations of receipt.
Despite the inconvenience caused by such IT failures, it is important to be aware of and prepared for your rights and the appropriate steps to enforce them. This way, you can ensure that you receive the benefits and compensation to which you are entitled.