Aer Lingus Strike Compensation

One of the most common reasons for flight disruptions is flight strikes, which may be arranged by the personnel, an airport itself, or an airline. As a passenger, you should be aware of the EU 261 regulation, according to which you might be eligible for compensation of up to 600 Euros.

Read on to find out how to obtain compensation and under what circumstances.

Your Passenger Rights

The good news is that any passenger is protected by the EU 261 regulation. The EU 261 is a European Union law that sets the rules for compensation and assistance for travelers in cases of flight delays and cancellations. Now, let’s take a closer look at passenger rights, according to EU 261:

• The airline is required to provide passengers with information about their rights.
• In the event of flight cancellation, a passenger is entitled to choose one of these options: either a ticket refund or rebooking to the final destination under similar conditions;
• Passengers can expect to receive food and beverages; they are also entitled to have two free phone calls, e-mails, or faxes.
• If you decide to reroute, and it involves an overnight stay, the airline is required to provide hotel accommodation, as well as transportation between the airport and the hotel.
• Compensation between 250 to 600 euros per passenger

When You Are Entitled to Aer Lingus Strike Compensation

Frequently, Aer Lingus strikes involve their employees. These can be engineers, pilots, flight attendants, or other essential employees. As you’re now aware, you may be eligible for compensation for airline strikes, if your trip was disrupted. The compensation will then cover the inconvenience you experienced because of the strike.

It is also important to understand what “extraordinary circumstances” are. These are events outside of the airline’s control. If a strike is considered one of these circumstances, the airline is not required to provide compensation. It is important to note if a staff strike happens, the airline could have potentially foreseen and managed such incidents, therefore such cases are within the airline’s control. That is when flight disruptions are caused by the airline’s own employees, these are not cases of extraordinary circumstances. Consequently, passengers have a right to claim flight compensation.

Nonetheless, you need to be aware that each incident is unique, meaning that every flight disruption caused by a strike must be carefully analyzed to determine whether the airline will pay compensation.

Aer Lingus Strike Compensation

Before claiming the airline strike compensation, you need to know about the criteria and the amount of compensation you could be entitled to.

Aer Lingus Strike Flight Delay Compensation

The longer a flight is delayed, the more trouble it causes passengers. When airline staff go on strike, it can disrupt passengers’ plans and make them arrive at their final destination much later than expected. It is important to know that if your flight is delayed for more than 3 hours because of a strike, you are eligible for compensation from the airline for the inconvenience caused.

In considering the potential sum of compensation, passengers need to take two critical factors into account: the flight’s distance and the duration of the delay. It’s essential to understand these factors, as only that is how you can be calm regarding the fair flight delay compensation you are entitled to. In the following, you can find a table with the amounts of compensation you may get.

Less than 3 hours	Between 3-4 hours	Over 4 hours	Distance
€0	€250	€250	All flights up to 1500 km
€0	€400	€400	All flights between 1500 km and 3500 km
€0	€400	€400	All intra-EU flights over 3500 km
€0	€300	€600	All non-EU flights over 3500 km

Aer Lingus Strike Flight Cancellation Compensation

Sometimes, it also happens that airline strikes cause flight cancellation. Under EU 261/2004, you may receive compensation of up to 600 Euros. Note that the regulation also states that you are entitled to compensation in the case when the airline informed you about the cancellation less than two weeks before your travel.

Nevertheless, there are always some exceptions to the rules, and here is the case. The airline is entitled to avoid paying compensation if it provides the passenger an alternative flight. This alternative flight must meet the criteria listed below:

Advance Notice	Re-routing Requirements
14 Days	None
7 – 13 Days	Alternative flight departing no more than 2 hours before and arriving less than 4 hours after the original flight
Less than 7 Days	Alternative flight departing no more than 1 hour before and arriving less than 2 hours after the original flight

Importantly, if you used an alternative flight but your final arrival time at your destination was still delayed, you are entitled to claim compensation.

The amount of the compensation is based on the flight distance and the time of delay in arriving at the final destination. Check the table below for more details:

Under 2 hours	2-3 hours	3-4 hours	Over 4 hours	Never arrived	Distance
€125	€250	€250	€250	€250	All flights 1,500 km or less
€200	€200	€400	€400	€400	Internal EU flights over 1,500 km
€200	€200	€400	€400	€400	Non-internal EU flights 1,500 km- 3,500 km
€300	€300	€300	€600	€600	Non-internal EU flights over 3,500 km

Which Aer Lingus Flights Are Covered by EU261?

EU261 regulation applies to all flights departing from airports in the EU, regardless of the airline, as well as flights arriving in the EU from outside the EU when operated by EU airlines. The regulation also covers flights to/from Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland.

The following table shows which Aer Lingus flights are covered by EU 261/2004:

Itinerary	Covered by EU 261
Flights departing the EU airports	✅ Covered
Flights arriving at the EU airports	✅ Covered

How to Claim Aer Lingus Strike Compensation

If you have encountered flight delays or cancellations at least once, you know how annoying it can be.

Travelers who encounter any of these issues on Aer Lingus flights have a right to claim compensation, according to EU regulations. Follow these steps to claim compensation:

1. Fill in our form. You’ll need to provide details such as your flight number, date, and the issue you encountered.
2. Let our experts help you. Once you submit the form, our team will take over. We are well-versed in the EU laws thoroughly and will make every effort to get you your compensation. You only incur a fee if we win your case.