American Airlines Strike: Compensation

As air passengers, we are protected by a piece of EU law called EC 261. It holds airlines financially accountable for flight disruptions that they are responsible for. That includes flight disruptions due to airline staff strikes. So if your flight was canceled due to a strike, you may be eligible for compensation under the EC 261 regulations. The law regarding this particular situation was clarified only as recently as 2018. The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg ruled that disruption caused by airline employee strikes qualifies for compensation as the airline is considered responsible for the behavior of their own staff.

You can find out more about EC 261 and your air passenger rights here.

• When am I eligible?
• When am I not eligible?
• Check your eligibility with AirHelp
• What about past American Airlines strikes?

When am I Eligible for Flight Strike Compensation from American Airlines?

You are eligible for strike compensation if:

• You had a flight disrupted by a American Airlines staff strike.
• Your flight was either delayed by 3 hours or more, or was canceled less than 14 days before it was due to depart.
• You had a confirmed flight reservation.
• The disruption occurred within the last 3 years.
• If you took a replacement flight, your new arrival time was significantly different to your original flight.

Airline staff strikes are strikes involving the employees of American Airlines. That includes pilots, cabin crew, airline engineers, and other employees working directly for American Airlines. If you book a flight which is disrupted because of a staff strike, American Airlines may owe you compensation to make up for the trouble caused.

We believe that air passenger rights should always come first – if an airline strike with American Airlines causes or caused your flight to be delayed, canceled, or even result in a denied boarding, you can make a claim for compensation.

When am I Not Eligible for Strike Compensation from American Airlines?

You are not eligible for strike compensation if the strike is one that American Airlines has no control over. For example:

• Strikes by airport security staff
• Strikes by baggage handlers
• Strikes by air traffic management staff
• Strikes caused by political unrest

While American Airlines staff strikes are within the control of American Airlines, all other strikes are considered to be “extraordinary circumstances”. Extraordinary circumstances are any events or situations that are completely beyond the airline’s control and cannot be avoided, even if reasonable measures have been taken to protect against them. In such cases, American Airlines is not at fault.

Check Your Eligibility for Airline Strike Compensation from American Airlines with AirHelp!

Not sure whether your flight qualifies for flight strike compensation? There are a lot of laws and exclusions, so for a quick and easy answer, all you have to do is to fill out our eligibility checker with your details. We’ll tell you if your flight qualifies and how much you’re entitled to. You can also use us to handle the claim for you.

What About Past American Airlines Strikes?

If you were affected by a American Airlines strike in the last 3 years you might be eligible for compensation.

Use our compensation check to see if you are eligible.

The amount of compensation that you are entitled to depends on your individual circumstances, but you may be owed as much as €600per person. Click on the type of disruption you had to find out more.

*Some amounts on this page are shown in Euros as legal processing takes place within the European Union.

American Airlines Strike Flight Cancellation Compensation

Sometimes, American Airlines staff strikes can lead to the cancellation of your flight altogether. If you’ve had a flight canceled due to a strike, you could be owed compensation! You qualify for compensation if the airline notified you less than 14 days before your flight was due to depart, and they weren’t able to offer you an alternative flight which arrived at a similar time.

You can learn more about flight cancellations and your rights here.

American Airlines Strike Flight Delay Compensation

American Airlines strikes can sometimes cause lengthy delays and affect your arrival at your final destination. You are eligible for compensation if your flight is delayed by 3 hours or more.

How much could you be owed when your flight with American Airlines is delayed?

You can learn more about flight delay compensation here.

Denied Boarding Compensation

During an airline strike, there may be instances where you are denied boarding due to an aircraft being overbooked. If you are denied boarding against your will, you may be entitled to compensation. You can learn more about denied boarding compensation here.

• The Right to Care
• Rebooking and Refunds

You Have the Right to Care

When you experience flight disruption due to an airline strike, you have the “right to care”. Depending on the length of the delay, American Airlines must provide you with several essentials, including:

• Meals and refreshments.
• Access to communications, including two telephone calls, fax messages, or emails.
• Overnight accommodation, including transportation to and from the airport to your hotel, if necessary.

Rebooking and Refunds

If your flight has been canceled or delayed for more than five hours, you have the right to withdraw from your flight and receive a complete refund.

If your flight was canceled, you also have the choice of taking an alternative flight, organized by American Airlines, to get you to your destination. You can learn more about rebooking and refunds here.

AirHelp…

• Is the world's most successful flight compensation company.
• Has lawyers in 30+ countries.
• Uses state-of-the-art technology to pursue each claim.
• Takes the stress out of the claim process.
• Operates on a no win, no fee basis.
• Makes air travel better.

Flight disruption due to airline strikes does happen, and it is your right to receive compensation if you are affected. AirHelp makes the process of claiming easy and stress-free. We handle the heavy lifting for you!

AirHelp is one of the most successful flight compensation companies in the world, with lawyers in over 30 countries, and support in 16 languages. We use innovative technology to assess and pursue each case, which allows us to start working on your claim quickly and efficiently.

Plus, we operate on a no win, no fee basis, eliminating the risk for you completely. So if you need help to get your flight compensation due to a American Airlines strike, fill out our form today.

We’re always here to help.

American Airlines is one of three major US airlines, along with Delta Airlines and United Airlines. American Airlines is a founding member of the Oneworld Alliance, the third largest airline alliance in the world.