Your flight was hit by a strike

The airline's own staff: you are usually paid

European courts have held that a strike by the airline's own pilots or cabin crew is part of running an airline, not an extraordinary circumstance. Wildcat action after an unpopular restructuring has been treated the same way. If your delay notice says 'industrial action' without saying whose, ask.

Air traffic control and airport staff: usually not

A national air traffic control strike, or a strike by airport security or ground handlers employed by someone else, is outside the airline's control. Compensation is generally not due — but the airline must still show it did what it reasonably could to get you there, such as rerouting you on another carrier.

What you always keep

Whatever caused the strike, the right to care survives: meals, refreshments, communication, and a hotel for an overnight wait. So does the choice between a refund and a replacement flight if the flight was cancelled.

Pinning down the real cause

• Ask the airline in writing for the specific cause and the measures it took.
• Check whether other airlines operated the same route that day.
• Keep the strike dates — a flight cancelled days before or after may not be genuinely affected.