Help during flight disruptions
We will do everything to get you to your destination efficiently and on time. But sometimes changes still have to be made at short notice, whether it’s a departure gate change, your flight is delayed or has been cancelled, or you have been rebooked for other reasons. On this page you can find all the answers we are able to give you in advance.
Rebooking and alternative transport
If your flight is delayed or cancelled, you will generally be rebooked onto the next available flight. Alternatively, train or bus tickets are available for certain destinations if there is no alternative flight. We will notify you by email or text if you have given us your contact details at the time of booking.
Enter your original booking number under My Bookings. You can also update your contact details there for future communications.
If your flight has been cancelled or delayed, we will automatically rebook you on the next available flight to your destination.
You are also welcome to contact one of our service centres .
If there are no alternative flights or the flights can no longer be booked, you can travel by train or bus instead of flying to certain destinations. On request, you will be given a train voucher for rail travel to destinations within Austria (e.g., Linz or Graz) at one of our service centres. You can find a summary of all the rail connections on the ÖBB website (Österreichische Bundesbahn – Austrian Federal Railways).
Unfortunately, we are unable to provide a booking service for rental cars, but we will refund the price of the unused flight segment (see the section on Refunding the airfare and compensation). Please note: The costs of a rental car are generally greater than the amount of the refund. We therefore recommend that you use public transport.
We will do everything to provide you with a new flight connection for the following morning. Please contact our service centres.
If they are already closed, you will have to find alternative transport or overnight accommodation yourself. The airline responsible will be happy to refund you any costs you incur against proof of receipts. You will find more detailed information about the accommodation options in the section Hotel and food and drink costs.
Hotel and food & drink costs
If onward transport is no longer possible on the same day, we or the airline operating the cancelled flight will cover the costs of an overnight stay. At Vienna Airport you will be given vouchers for this at our service centres.
In this case we will give you a voucher that can be redeemed at any of the various airport restaurants. The value of the voucher will depend on the waiting time and the airline operating the flight. Please contact a member of the Austrian Airlines staff for assistance.
We will cover the costs of a room at a three-star hotel including food and drink and transfers to and from the hotel. You will find information about Accommodation in Vienna quickly from our partner Booking.com.
Then please send us the following documents and information using our contact form:
- your hotel, transport and food and drink receipts
- your boarding pass or booking confirmation
- your bank details (IBAN and BIC)
Baggage
In the event of a rebooking, we will automatically ensure that your bags are carried on the same flight as you. If you are put up at a hotel, we will provide you with an overnight kit with all your essential needs such as a T-shirt, toothbrush and shower gel. You can get these from our service centres.
Would you like to have your bags available due to a lengthy delay? Please note that unloading your bags in this situation may take several hours.
You should report any delay or damage to your bags directly at the local baggage tracing service before you leave the airport. You can also report any baggage delay online or at the self-service opposite carousel 9.
You can also report this later in writing within the statutory deadlines, but after leaving the airport the passenger is responsible for providing evidence that the damage occurred while in the custody of Austrian Airlines.
Please note the following deadlines:
- Damage to bags and partial loss: within seven days of delivery of the bags
- Purchasing a replacement in the case of late delivery or total loss: within two years
Compliance with the deadlines is determined by the postmark or the automated date of receipt in the case of email or fax.
If your bags have not been found within five days, please complete the Baggage questionnaire form (PDF) and return it to us. This asks you for detailed information about your bags so that we can widen an automated, worldwide search.
If you already have a reference number, you can request the status of the baggage tracing via the baggage tracing.
If one or more of your bags was damaged on arrival, please notify Austrian Airlines’ local baggage tracing service immediately, so that we can draw up a damage report. You will receive this in the form of written confirmation with a reference number, which must be kept safe.
Please contact one of our service centres or the Arrival Service opposite carousel 9. You will receive your bags on carousel 10.
Finding your way at the airport
Do you require assistance at the airport? Our colleagues at the Austrian Service Centres will be happy to assist you further.
You will find the Austrian Service Centres here:
- The ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways) provides a convenient high-speed rail link to the city centre.
- With Wiener Linien you can travel throughout Vienna by U-Bahn (underground), bus and tram.
At Vienna Airport there is a central arrival hall. From there, you have quick and easy access to buses, taxis and platforms. Please follow the signs to Ausgang Wien / Exit Vienna.
You will also find an ÖBB counter (Austrian Federal Railways) at arrivals. ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways) provides regional and ICE connections throughout Austria and abroad.
Refunds for the cost of the flight ticket and compensation
If your flight is cancelled or delayed for more than five hours, you can get a refund for the purchase price of the leg(s) you have not yet flown. Since a range of factors have to be considered when evaluating your claim, we recommend that you contact our service centres for assistance.
Your claim for compensation due to delays or cancellation depends on a series of factors that we must check carefully. If you believe that you are entitled to compensation, please contact our Service Center via the category "Booking, Refund, Invoice" --> "Ticket Refund" --> "During" --> "Inquiry"..
One example of a deciding factor: According to international law, the airline is exempt from paying compensation if the cancellation is due to extraordinary circumstances. For example: political instability, bad weather, security risks, air traffic control decisions or unexpected security issues.
If your flight has been cancelled or delayed for more than five hours so that it no longer makes sense for you to continue your journey¹, you can cancel your flight irrespective of the ticket conditions and get a refund of the purchase price of the leg you have not flown. In all other cases it depends on the ticket fare you have chosen.
Please contact the issuer of your ticket to obtain a refund. If you booked your ticket direct via our website www.austrian.com, please contact us using our contact form. You can also request a refund at a later date.
1 = Please note that the refund will depend on additional factors. These will be assessed jointly with the airline and will affect whether you receive a refund and the amount of the refund.
Passenger rights and confirmation of flight disruptions
On our air passenger rights page, you can find all the legal information regarding your rights, to which you are entitled to, in the event of various disruptions. If you require confirmation of a flight disruption for your employer or your travel insurer, please contact one of our service centres for assistance.
Has your flight been cancelled or delayed for more than five hours and is your journey therefore pointless? Then you can get a refund for the purchase price of the legs you have not yet flown.
Did you buy your ticket directly from Austrian Airlines? Then please write to us using the Austrian Airlines contact form.
For tickets booked via a travel agency, we recommend that you also get in touch with them. If you do not receive a response in a timely manner, please contact us for further processing.