Austrian Airlines Compensation Claim. Check Your Rights.

How much can you claim for a flight delay or cancellation?

The key factors that will decide how much money you can get for your claim are how far you traveled (the total distance of your journey) and how long the delay was.

If your flight was shorter than 1,500 km, you could claim $275 (€250) for your disruption. If it spanned between 1,500 and 3,500 km, your Austrian delay compensation rises to $440 (€400). Finally, if your flight covered a distance of more than 3,500 km, you could claim up to $700 (€600).

Austrian airlines flight delay compensation

To claim delayed flight compensation, two basic conditions need to be met:

• You reached your final destination at least 3 hours late

In order for you to get compensation, your flight needs to have arrived at its destination airport with a delay of over three hours. Flight delay is calculated as the difference between the actual and the scheduled time of arrival.

One more thing you should note: if you missed a connecting flight because of an Austrian flight delay, you will be able to get compensation based on the total length of your trip. There is a catch though, both your flights should be under the same booking reference, so if you have the option to book your connecting flights together, we strongly advise you to do so. 

• The delay was not caused by any extraordinary circumstances

Airlines have to try their best to make flight delays or cancellations as short and as little bothersome as possible. However, if there are any unusual circumstances related to the flight, Austrian may not be able to prevent the disruption.

Here is a list of the most common cases of such extraordinary circumstances:Bad weather (e.g. snowstorms, low visibility, strong crosswinds)

• Bird strikes
• Runway closures and air traffic control restrictions
• Airport personnel strikes
• Union strikes
• A medical emergency
• Political or social unrest

As you might have noticed, technical issues are not a part of the list. That is because EC261 considers it the airline’s responsibility to keep their aircraft in good condition. So if Austrian AIrlines say the delay was due to a mechanical issue, you still may qualify for a flight delay compensation claim.

Is My Flight Eligible?

Austrian airlines flight cancellation compensation

Airlines cancel flights for different reasons. Usually, they do their best to arrange a new flight for passengers at no extra cost. As per EC261, if your Austrian Airlines flight gets canceled, you have the option to either choose a later flight that fits your schedule or request a full refund for the ticket price if you decide not to travel. This is true even if the flight gets canceled due to extraordinary circumstances.

Besides a refund of your ticket or an alternative flight, you could also be entitled to compensation IF:

• You were informed of the cancellation less than 14 days before the scheduled departure
• The replacement flight to your final destination arrived more than 4 hours late
• Your Austrian Airlines flight was not canceled due to any extraordinary circumstances

If the airline told you about the cancellation less than a week before departure and your replacement flight arrives more than 2 hours late, you could claim compensation of up to $700 (€600).

Claim Compensation

Denied Boarding

If Austrian denies your boarding against your will due to an overbooked flight, they will have to offer you one of the following options:

1. Get a full ticket refund and a return ticket to your original point of departure
2. Get a replacement flight to your final destination - either as soon as possible or at a later date

What’s more, you can submit a claim for Austrian Airlines overbooking compensation. You may get the same amount as for delays and cancellations - up to $700 (€600).

About Austrian Airlines

Austrian Airlines is based at Vienna - Schwechat Airport (VIE), which serves as its main hub and headquarters. It is Austria's national airline and was formed through the merger of Air Austria and Austrian Airways in 1957. Later on, it became part of the German Lufthansa Group and joined the Star Alliance in the early 2000s.

Austrian offers flights to various destinations across Europe, North America, Asia, and the Middle East. It also operates domestic flights within Austria, connecting Vienna to several other airports in the country.

Is My Flight Eligible?

Austrian rankings

Skytrax, a well-known airline ranking site, has given Austrian Airlines a score of 5/10. This is based on the quality of the onboard service. Seat comfort, food, drinks, staff and cabin crew are some of the main points included in the score. 

While Austrian may get mediocre customer reviews, it did very well in the yearly ranking for most punctual airlines in Europe. Austrian got the 4th place in 2022 with 81.05% of their flights having landed within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival time.