Vienna Airport flight compensation
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Quick answer
Every flight departing Vienna Airport is covered by Regulation 261/2004 on any airline; inbound flights from outside the EU are covered on EU airlines. Vienna–Paris, Vienna–London and Vienna–Frankfurt pay €250; Vienna–Tel Aviv pays €400; Vienna–New York and Vienna–Bangkok pay €600. The apf runs free conciliation and Austrian law allows three years to sue.
Rules for flights departing Vienna International Airport
Every flight departing from Vienna International Airport is covered by EU Regulation 261/2004, regardless of the airline.
Flights into Vienna International Airport from outside the EU/EEA are covered only when operated by an EU/EEA-licensed airline.
Location: VIE / LOWW · 48.1103, 16.5697 · Austria
Care and re-routing when leaving Vienna
Delayed at the gate: meals, refreshments and two calls or e-mails from 2 h of delay on flights up to 1,500 km, 3 h up to 3,500 km (and on every intra-EU flight over 1,500 km), 4 h beyond — plus a hotel and transport when the departure moves to the next day. Owed whatever the cause.
Cancelled or denied boarding: the choice between a refund of the unused ticket within 7 days and re-routing to your destination at the earliest opportunity or on a later date of your choosing, with care while you wait.
Delayed 5 h or more: you may give up the journey and take a full refund of the unused ticket, with a return flight to your departure point if the trip has lost its purpose.
Vienna is Austrian Airlines' hub and a connecting point for central and eastern Europe. Austria offers free conciliation through the apf for departures, which makes escalation cheap here.
Enforcement body
Example routes from Vienna
- London (LHR) · 1,275 km€250
- Paris (CDG) · 1,035 km€250
- Frankfurt (FRA) · 621 km€250
- Tel Aviv (TLV) · 2,361 km€400
- New York (JFK) · 6,805 km€600
- Bangkok (BKK) · 8,451 km€600
- Rome (FCO) · 779 km€250
- Amsterdam (AMS) · 959 km€250
Can I claim compensation for a flight from Vienna?
EU261 applies to every airline on this route: €250–€600 per passenger for an arrival delay of 3 hours or more, a cancellation announced under 14 days ahead, or denied boarding, unless the airline proves an extraordinary circumstance. Refund, re-routing and care are due whatever the cause.
Does this apply to your flight?
Flying from Vienna?
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Already known from this page
- From Vienna (VIE)
What happened to your flight?
Vienna-specific issues
Vienna is Austrian Airlines’ hub and a base for Ryanair (Lauda Europe) and Wizz Air, so it mixes connecting itineraries — delay measured at the final destination — with point-to-point low-cost flying. Winter fog and snow are the usual defence; weather is extraordinary only where it prevented your flight and the airline took all reasonable measures.
Austrian Airlines’ own industrial action is not extraordinary; strikes by Vienna Airport ground handlers or by Austro Control (ATC) generally are. Ryanair and Wizz Air rotation delays are compensable unless the root cause on the earlier sector was extraordinary.
Airlines at Vienna
Austrian Airlines, Ryanair (Lauda Europe), Wizz Air, easyJet Europe, Eurowings, Lufthansa, SWISS, KLM, Air France, British Airways, Turkish Airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways (non-EU carriers: inbound flights not covered).
Escalation
- Claim from the airline in writing.
- apf (Agentur für Passagier- und Fahrgastrechte) — free conciliation for flights departing Austria or on Austrian carriers; also the enforcement body.
- Bezirksgericht Schwechat (the court for the airport) or your local court — within three years (§ 1489 ABGB).
Sources
- Republik Österreich — RISAllgemeines bürgerliches Gesetzbuch § 1489 — dreijährige Verjährung von Entschädigungsklagen
- Agentur für Passagier- und Fahrgastrechte (apf)Schlichtung Flug — Voraussetzungen
- Court of Justice of the European UnionJoined Cases C-195/17 etc. Krüsemann v TUIfly — a "wildcat strike" by airline staff is not an extraordinary circumstance
- Court of Justice of the European UnionJoined Cases C-402/07 and C-432/07 Sturgeon v Condor and Böck v Air France — passengers of flights delayed by three hours or more may claim compensation
- European Commission — DG MOVEAir passenger rights (including list of National Enforcement Bodies)
- European Parliament and CouncilRegulation (EC) No 261/2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights
Last legally reviewed: 12 September 2026 · Content updated: 12 September 2026
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