Tag Munich

Travel

Munich Airport Closed Until Noon Tuesday & Flight Delays And Cancellations Around Germany

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Southern Germany has had fantastic winter weather with plenty of snow for the past few days that has caused Munich Airport to be closed or only partially operating since Saturday. There have been widespread delays and cancellations in Frankfurt.

Munich Airport is closed today until noon (December 5, 2023), and there will likely be minimal operations after it reopens, possibly for days. There are thousands of passengers whose travel has been disrupted, and many are waiting for Lufthansa’s (dummy) chatbot to process rebookings.

Munich Airport’s Announcement:

EC 261/2004 Duty to Care:

The European Union Air Passenger Rights (EC 261/2004) also apply in case of irregular operations beyond the airlines’ control.

Airlines are required to provide Duty to Care (accommodation & meals) in case of long delays. However, the compensation for flight cancellations and delays does not apply here.

Passengers can opt for a refund if their flight is canceled or significantly delayed (some flights have been postponed by 20+ hours), even if their fare is nonrefundable.

Airlines must rebook affected passengers to their final destinations at the earliest convenience, even when this means moving them to competing airlines and avoiding Munich Airport altogether in case of connecting itineraries.

Conclusion

This debacle with Munich Airport has been ongoing since late last week, and it will likely be days before the airport is fully operational and planes and crews are at their usual rotations.

If you have been affected by this, remember to keep those receipts, as the European Airlines and if your travel is from the EU/EEA area, are required to provide Duty to Care even in a situation such as this, meaning paying for accommodation and meals.

If Lufthansa or any other airline refuses to rebook you expediently for flights ex-EU/EEA and community carrier flights from elsewhere, you can always buy the replacement ticket and go after the airline later for the expenses. Just remember to document the refusal.

Good luck to everyone experiencing this lovely snowmageddon in Germany.

Travel

Munich Airport Limited Flight Operations Have Resumed (December 3, 2023)

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Munich Airport was closed on Saturday for flight operations (take-offs and landings) due to heavy snowfall in Southern Germany.

The airport has reopened for limited flight operations, and airlines have restarted their operations. Passengers should consult their itineraries to see if their ticketed flights are operating or have been rebooked.

Munich Airport Announcement:

EC 261/2004 Duty to Care:

The European Union Air Passenger Rights (EC 261/2004) also apply in case of irregular operations beyond the airlines’ control.

Airlines are required to provide Duty to Care (accommodation & meals) in case of long delays. The compensation for flight cancellations and delays, however, does not apply here.

Passengers can opt for a refund if their flight is canceled or significantly delayed (some flights have been merely postponed by 20+ hours), even if their fare is nonrefundable.

Airlines must rebook affected passengers to their final destinations at the earliest convenience, even when this means moving them to competing airlines and avoiding Munich Airport altogether in case of connecting itineraries.

Conclusion

It is always unexpected when there is snowfall in some parts of Europe during winter, although the weather challenges in Southern Germany have been significant this weekend.

A touch of snow in London roughly at the same time last year brought the area airports to a standstill, and a fight I was on was delayed by a day.

Travel

Munich Airport Limited Flight Operations Have Resumed (December 3, 2023)

gadis.uk 0 Comment

Munich Airport was closed on Saturday for flight operations (take-offs and landings) due to heavy snowfall in Southern Germany.

The airport has reopened for limited flight operations, and airlines have restarted their operations. Passengers should consult their itineraries to see if their ticketed flights are operating or have been rebooked.

Munich Airport Announcement:

EC 261/2004 Duty to Care:

The European Union Air Passenger Rights (EC 261/2004) also apply in case of irregular operations beyond the airlines’ control.

Airlines are required to provide Duty to Care (accommodation & meals) in case of long delays. The compensation for flight cancellations and delays, however, does not apply here.

Passengers can opt for a refund if their flight is canceled or significantly delayed (some flights have been merely postponed by 20+ hours), even if their fare is nonrefundable.

Airlines must rebook affected passengers to their final destinations at the earliest convenience, even when this means moving them to competing airlines and avoiding Munich Airport altogether in case of connecting itineraries.

Conclusion

It is always unexpected when there is snowfall in some parts of Europe during winter, although the weather challenges in Southern Germany have been significant this weekend.

A touch of snow in London roughly at the same time last year brought the area airports to a standstill, and a fight I was on was delayed by a day.

Travel

Munich Airport Closed Until Sunday Morning (December 3, 2023) Due To Snowfall

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Southern Germany has been enjoying winter weather, including heavy snowfall, which has now closed the Munich Airport for traffic until 6 AM on Sunday (December 3, 2023).

Airlines advise passengers not to arrive at the airport but to check their rebooking status and seek hotel accommodation.

You can access Lufthansa’s page for announcements here.

Note that this affects all airlines operating at Munich Airport, but predominantly Lufthansa, as it is its second hub.

Lufthansa’s Announcement:

Munich Airport closed for arrivals and departures

Due to heavy snowfalls, flight operations @Airport_MUC are cancelled up until tomorrow morning 6:00 am. Lufthansa kindly asks all guests not to travel to the airport and inform themselves online on lufthansa.com or on the Lufthansa App about their flight status. Limited flight operations are also to be expected tomorrow.

Due to the airport closure in Munich, many other airports in Germany, including @Airport_FRA are affected with limited flight operations. Lufthansa kindly asks all guests to inform themselves online or on the Lufthansa App about their flight status.

Thank you to all our guests for their understanding in this exceptional weather situation.

Passengers are covered by the EC 261/2004 in case of flight delays and cancellations.

If Lufthansa or any other airline has canceled your flights due to a situation at Munich Airport, you can opt for a refund even if the ticket is non-refundable.

The airlines are required to provide Duty to Care, which means accommodation and meals. You probably need to handle this by yourself and later seek reimbursement from the airline. Remember to keep those hotel and meal receipts.

This likely won’t be entirely resolved by 6 AM on Sunday when airplanes and crews are out of their usual rotations.

Conclusion

It is lovely that Southern Germany gets to enjoy some snowfall, but this has come with some consequences.

Let’s hope the airport will reopen for traffic by Sunday morning so that passengers can be taken care of.