However, this does not apply to passengers who have booked a package tour. They should first contact the tour operator. According to the lawyer specializing in travel law, the European passenger rights regulation provides for a compensation payment if the flight is delayed or cancelled.
However, the airlines can exonerate themselves if there is a so-called “extraordinary circumstance”. “It can be a strike – but the strike must then be the responsibility of the airline.” However, if the ground staff or security checks go on strike, it is not the airline’s responsibility and passengers have no right to these compensation payments. “Since Verdi and the ground staff are on strike on Friday, it looks bad that passengers will receive these compensation payments,” explains Zeller.
The Bavarian consumer advice center also advises all affected travelers to document their steps. Because it is precisely during strikes that systems such as customer hotlines and help centers are quickly overloaded. This is important so that, in the event of a dispute, one can prove that one has at least tried, Zeller said. Otherwise, the Bavarian Consumer Center advises: “Bring patience, document, stay calm.”
Is the train equipped for transfer passengers?
The railway will not use any additional trains on Friday. Experience has shown that the demand for the carnival holidays is lower than for Christmas and Easter, said a railway spokeswoman for BR24. With their ICE connections between the big cities at least every hour, there is “generally sufficient capacity for holiday travel and also for the passengers affected by the strike”. And in fact, the location at Munich Central Station has so far been manageable and quiet. In front of the information center in the station hall there was a line about 100 meters long in the late morning, around 30 passengers were waiting there for support with a rebooking. Most, however, for other reasons, such as train delays.
If you want to be on the safe side, Deutsche Bahn recommends reserving a seat. You can also “look at the utilization display on bahn.de and in the DB Navigator for trains that are less in demand,” said the spokeswoman.
Regular flight operations again on Saturday?
The Lufthansa Group and other airlines assume that they will be able to return to normal operations in Munich on Saturday. A Lufthansa spokeswoman told BR24 that there should only be very isolated delays or cancellations. The vast majority of the airline’s aircraft were already in their positions for the start on Saturday morning on Thursday evening. Airport boss Jost Lammers does not expect major problems to arise either. The suspension of passenger flights ends in Munich on Saturday at 1 a.m.
Where is the risk of traffic jams lurking on the roads?
It starts on Friday at noon: between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., the ADAC expects the first major wave of travel, especially in the ski areas of the Alps. “Anyone who sets off on their carnival holiday on Saturday should start early in the morning or late in the afternoon, depending on where they come from. The longest traffic jams are likely to be between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m..”
But travelers from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Thuringia also return north through Bavaria – because that’s where the so-called winter holidays end. It’s halftime in Saxony. According to ADAC, the A3 via Würzburg – Nuremberg – Passau, the A7 via Würzburg – Ulm – Füssen/Reutte, the A8 Ulm – Munich – Salzburg, the A9 especially between Nuremberg and Munich, the A93 Inntaldreieck – Kufstein, the A95/B2 in the direction of Garmisch-Partenkirchen and the A99 east bypass for Munich.
