Judgment of the Court (Third Chamber) of 17 April 2018 (requests for a preliminary ruling from the Amtsgericht Hannover, Amtsgericht Düsseldorf — Germany) — Helga Krüsemann and Others (C-195/17), Thomas Neufeldt and Others (C-197/17), Ivan Wallmann (C-198/17), Rita Hoffmeyer (C-199/17), Rudolf Meyer (C-199/17), Susanne de Winder (C-200/17), Holger Schlosser (C-201/17), Nicole Schlosser (C-201/17), Peter Rebbe and Others (C-202/17), Eberhard Schmeer (C-203/17), Brigitte Wittmann (C-226/17), Reinhard Wittmann (C-228/17), Regina Lorenz (C-254/17), Prisca Sprecher (C-254/17), Margarethe Yüce and Others (Case C-274/17), Friedemann Schoen (C-275/17), Brigitta Schoen (C-275/17), Susanne Meyer and Others (Case C-278/17), Thomas Kiehl (C-279/17), Ralph Eßer (C-280/17), Thomas Schmidt (C-281/17), Werner Ansorge (C-282/17), Herbert Blesgen (C-283/17), Simone Künnecke and Others (Case C-284/17), Marta Gentile (C-285/17), Marcel Gentile (C-285/17), Gabriele Ossenbeck (C-286/17), Angelina Fell and Others (Case C-290/17), Helga Jordan-Grompe and Others (Case C-291/17), EUflight.de GmbH (C-292/17) v TUIfly GmbH
(Joined Cases C-195/17, C-197/17 to C-203/17, C-226/17, C-228/17, C-254/17, C-274/17, C-275/17, C-278/17 to C-286/17 and C-290/17 to C-292/17) 1
(References for a preliminary ruling — Transport — Common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights — Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 — Article 5(3) — Article 7(1) — Right to compensation — Exemption — ‘Extraordinary circumstances’ — ‘Wildcat strike’)
Language of the case: German
Referring courts
Amtsgericht Hannover, Amtsgericht Düsseldorf
Parties to the main proceedings
Applicants: Helga Krüsemann and Others (C-195/17), Thomas Neufeldt and Others (C-197/17), Ivan Wallmann (C-198/17), Rita Hoffmeyer (C-199/17), Rudolf Meyer (C-199/17), Susanne de Winder (C-200/17), Holger Schlosser (C-201/17), Nicole Schlosser (C-201/17), Peter Rebbe and Others (C-202/17), Eberhard Schmeer (C-203/17), Brigitte Wittmann (C-226/17), Reinhard Wittmann (C-228/17), Regina Lorenz (C-254/17), Prisca Sprecher (C-254/17), Margarethe Yüce and Others (Case C-274/17), Friedemann Schoen (C-275/17), Brigitta Schoen (C-275/17), Susanne Meyer and Others (Case C-278/17), Thomas Kiehl (C-279/17), Ralph Eßer (C-280/17), Thomas Schmidt (C-281/17), Werner Ansorge (C-282/17), Herbert Blesgen (C-283/17), Simone Künnecke and Others (Case C-284/17), Marta Gentile (C-285/17), Marcel Gentile (C-285/17), Gabriele Ossenbeck (C-286/17), Angelina Fell and Others (Case C-290/17), Helga Jordan-Grompe and Others (Case C-291/17), EUflight.de GmbH (C-292/17)
Defendant: TUIfly GmbH
Operative part of the judgment
Article 5(3) of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 February 2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights, and repealing Regulation (EEC) No 295/91, read in the light of recital 14 thereof, must be interpreted as meaning that the spontaneous absence of a significant part of the flight crew staff (‘wildcat strikes’), such as that at issue in the disputes in the main proceedings, which stems from the surprise announcement by an operating air carrier of a restructuring of the undertaking, following a call echoed not by the staff representatives of the company but spontaneously by the workers themselves who placed themselves on sick leave, is not covered by the concept of ‘extraordinary circumstances’ within the meaning of that provision.
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1 OJ C 221, 10.7.2017.OJ C 231, 17.7.2017.OJ C 239, 24.7.2017.OJ C 283, 28.8.2017.OJ C 249, 31.7.2017.