Austrian Airlines compensation: how to claim for Austrian delays and cancellations
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Réponse rapide
Austrian Airlines AG is licensed in Austria, so Regulation 261/2004 applies to every Austrian flight departing the EU/EEA and to every Austrian flight arriving in the EU from elsewhere. If Austrian refuses, the apf — Austria's passenger-rights agency — offers free conciliation, and Austrian law gives you three years from the flight to sue.
Transporteur effectif
Austrian Airlines OS / AUA · Austria
Compagnie titulaire d'une licence UE/EEE — le règlement 261/2004 s'applique à tous ses vols au départ de l'UE/EEE et à ses vols vers l'UE/EEE.
Où envoyer votre réclamation
- Formulaire officiel / centre d'aide
- https://www.austrian.com/at/en/passenger-rights
- Service client
- https://www.austrian.com/at/en/help-and-contact
- Dispositif de médiation
- apf (Austria)
Exemples d'indemnisation sur les trajets Austrian Airlines
- Vienna → London (1 275 km)250 €
- Vienna → Frankfurt (621 km)250 €
- Vienna → Paris (1 035 km)250 €
- Vienna → Tel Aviv (2 361 km)400 €
- Vienna → New York (6 805 km)600 €
Les passagers Austrian Airlines peuvent-ils réclamer une indemnisation ?
Oui. Austrian Airlines détient une licence UE/EEE ; le règlement 261 couvre donc ses vols au départ de l'UE/EEE, du Royaume-Uni ou de la Suisse et ses vols à destination de ces territoires : 250 €–600 € par passager pour un retard à l'arrivée de 3 heures ou plus, une annulation annoncée moins de 14 jours avant ou un refus d'embarquement — sauf si la compagnie prouve une circonstance extraordinaire.
Cela s'applique-t-il à votre vol ?
Un vol Austrian Airlines concerné ?
Quelques questions courtes — pas encore besoin du numéro de vol. Vous obtenez un résultat préliminaire sur les faits indiqués ; la vérification complète le confirme à partir de l'itinéraire.
Déjà connu grâce à cette page
- Austrian Airlines
Qu'est-il arrivé à votre vol ?
Which Austrian entity flew you
Austrian Airlines AG operates the whole OS network under one Austrian operating licence since its regional subsidiaries were merged into it. Some short sectors are flown by other Lufthansa Group carriers under OS numbers; all are EU carriers, so nothing changes for your rights. Address the claim to Austrian.
How to claim from Austrian
Austrian handles claims through the passenger rights form on austrian.com (compensation under Regulation 261/2004). You need the booking code and passenger names; list every passenger on the booking. Austrian’s replies usually arrive in writing within a few weeks; if the first answer is a refusal citing “operational reasons”, reply asking for the precise cause and the measures taken — the burden of proof is the airline’s.
What Austrian typically argues
- Weather at Vienna — winter fog, snow and de-icing queues are the classic defence. Weather is extraordinary only if it actually prevented your flight from operating; a de-icing backlog caused by insufficient equipment is an operational matter.
- Crew and rostering — Austrian’s own staff shortages and its own crew’s industrial action are not extraordinary (Krüsemann; Airhelp v SAS).
- Late inbound aircraft — compensable unless the root cause on the earlier sector was extraordinary.
- Technical problems — not extraordinary (Wallentin-Hermann).
Escalation
- apf (Agentur für Passagier- und Fahrgastrechte) in Vienna runs a free conciliation procedure for flights departing Austria or operated by an Austrian carrier; Austrian takes part. Use it after a refusal or after 6 weeks without a substantive answer.
- Flights departing another EU country: the enforcement body of that country.
- Court: the Austrian Bezirksgericht for small claims, or the European Small Claims Procedure from abroad. Limitation: three years from the flight (§ 1489 ABGB).
Typical amounts
Vienna–Frankfurt, Vienna–Paris, Vienna–London and most European sectors are under 1,500 km (€250). Vienna–Tel Aviv and Vienna–Cairo fall in the €400 band. Vienna to New York, Washington, Chicago, Bangkok or Tokyo pays €600 (€300 if re-routed to arrive under 4 hours late).
Operating facts: Austrian Airlines
From the registries behind the checker and, where enough cases exist, from claims passengers tracked on Horvera. Nothing here is estimated.
- Official claim channel
- https://www.austrian.com/at/en/passenger-rights
Channel not yet verified by a reviewer.
- Dispute-resolution body
- Agentur für Passagier- und Fahrgastrechte (apf)
airline is a member · decisions not binding · accepts cases 42 days after the claim
- Enforcement body (Austria)
- Agentur für Passagier- und Fahrgastrechte (apf)
The competent body is the one of the departure country; this is the airline's home-country body.
- Time limit for a court claim (Austria)
36 months
§ 1489 ABGB (three years) · loi · 2026-09-14
- Flight lookup on Horvera
- Not on Horvera: there is no live flight-status lookup. You enter the route, the date and the airline; every figure in the check and the letter is stated as your own record.
- Collected from tracked claims
- Not enough verified Horvera cases yet (we publish only from 30 tracked claims sent to this airline).
Straight answers
Each answer is computed from the registries behind the checker and carries its source and verification date.
Can I claim compensation from Austrian Airlines?
Yes, if your Austrian Airlines flight arrived three hours or more late, was cancelled with less than 14 days' notice, or you were denied boarding against your will — and the airline cannot prove an extraordinary circumstance. EU261 applies because of the airline's licence and where the flight departed.
- Conditions
- Arrival at the final destination three hours or more after the scheduled time (delay).
- Cancellation announced less than 14 days before departure, and no re-routing inside the legal time windows.
- Confirmed booking, on-time check-in and boarding refused against your will.
- The airline cannot prove an extraordinary circumstance it could not have avoided with all reasonable measures.
Source: Regulation (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 · Interpretative Guidelines on Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (2016/C 214/04) · verified 12 septembre 2026
How much compensation does Austrian Airlines pay?
On the example routes for Austrian Airlines the fixed amount is 250 to 600 EUR per passenger, set by distance, regardless of the ticket price.
- Conditions
- Up to 1,500 km · 1,500–3,500 km · over 3,500 km; intra-EU flights over 3,500 km take the middle amount.
- Over 3,500 km the airline may halve the amount if the arrival delay was under four hours.
- Per passenger, for every passenger on the booking.
Source: Regulation (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 · Joined Cases C-402/07 and C-432/07 Sturgeon v Condor and Böck v Air France · verified 12 septembre 2026
Which law applies to a Austrian Airlines flight?
Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (EU261): Austrian Airlines is an EU/EEA-licensed carrier, so it applies to every flight departing the EU/EEA and to its flights into the EU/EEA from outside.
- Conditions
- Any flight departing the regime's territory is covered whichever airline operates it.
- A flight into the territory from outside is covered only when a licensed carrier of that regime (or the EU) operates it.
Source: Regulation (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 · verified 12 septembre 2026
How long do I have to claim against Austrian Airlines?
For flights departing AT, a court claim is likely time-barred after 36 months (§ 1489 ABGB (three years)). Other departure countries have their own limits; the airline's own claim form has no deadline of its own.
- Conditions
- The country whose enforcement body is competent — normally the departure country — sets the limit.
- Limitation is national law (CJEU C-139/11); escalation steps do not stop the clock.
Source: Allgemeines bürgerliches Gesetzbuch § 1489 · Case C-139/11 Cuadrench Moré v KLM · verified 14 septembre 2026
Where do I send a claim to Austrian Airlines?
Through the claim channel of Austrian Airlines: https://www.austrian.com/at/en/passenger-rights. Claim from the operating carrier, in writing, and keep proof of sending.
- Conditions
- Claim from the airline that operated the flight (on the boarding pass), not necessarily the one that sold the ticket.
- In writing, with the booking reference, flight number, date and the passengers' names; keep proof of sending.
Source: Regulation (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 · Interpretative Guidelines on Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (2016/C 214/04)
What if Austrian Airlines refuses to pay?
Austrian Airlines is a member of Agentur für Passagier- und Fahrgastrechte (apf), whose decisions are not binding on the airline. Refer the case there after a refusal or once the waiting period has passed; the enforcement body and the courts remain available.
- Conditions
- The body accepts the case 42 days after the claim was sent without a substantive answer, or after a final refusal.
- The national enforcement body of the departure country can examine the airline's compliance.
- A court claim remains available within the national time limit, as a last resort.
Source: Schlichtung Flug · How to complain: contact the airline first, then the National Enforcement Body of the country of departure (or arrival for inbound EU-carrier flights) · verified 14 septembre 2026
What if Austrian Airlines says the delay was due to weather?
Weather can be an extraordinary circumstance — but only on the facts. Austrian Airlines must prove the conditions were incompatible with operating this flight, that they affected this flight and not just the airport in general, and that no reasonable measure could have avoided the delay. A generic reference to weather does not discharge that burden.
- Conditions
- The burden of proof is on the airline (Art. 5(3)).
- The weather must have affected this flight, not just the airport in general; other flights that operated are evidence.
- The airline must also show what it did to avoid the disruption — spare aircraft, crew, re-routing.
- A technical fault, by contrast, is inherent in normal operations and not extraordinary.
Source: Regulation (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 · Interpretative Guidelines on Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (2016/C 214/04) · Case C-549/07 Wallentin-Hermann v Alitalia · Case C-257/14 van der Lans v KLM · verified 12 septembre 2026
Questions fréquentes
Is the apf procedure free and does Austrian follow it?
The apf conciliation is free for passengers and Austrian participates. Its outcome is a recommendation rather than a binding order, but Austrian normally follows it; if not, the Bezirksgericht small-claims route remains open within the three-year limitation period.
Does an Austrian Airlines crew strike count as extraordinary circumstances?
No. Industrial action by the airline's own staff is inherent in running an airline (CJEU Krüsemann; Airhelp v SAS). Strikes by third parties such as air-traffic control can be extraordinary.
How long do I have to claim against Austrian?
Three years from the flight under Austrian law (§ 1489 ABGB) for flights where Austrian law applies. Send the claim early anyway: it stops the argument and gives you a dated paper trail.
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 UnionCase C-28/20 Airhelp v Scandinavian Airlines — a strike organised by the airline's own staff is not an extraordinary circumstance
- Court of Justice of the European UnionCase C-826/19 WZ v Austrian Airlines — a diversion to a nearby airport is not a cancellation; the delay is measured on arrival at the original destination airport and the carrier bears the transfer cost
- 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
- Court of Justice of the European UnionCase C-549/07 Wallentin-Hermann v Alitalia — technical problems are not, as such, extraordinary circumstances
- European CommissionInterpretative Guidelines on Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 (2016/C 214/04)
- 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
Dernière revue juridique : 12 septembre 2026 · Contenu mis à jour : 12 septembre 2026
Vérifiez si votre perturbation Austrian Airlines ouvre droit à indemnisation.
Indiquez le vol ; la vérification applique les règles à la licence de Austrian Airlines et à votre trajet, et vous donne le montant.