Laudamotion compensation: the airline has gone, your claim has not
Laudamotion was the Austrian airline set up by Niki Lauda and based in Schwechat, next to Vienna airport. Ryanair bought all of it in late 2018, renamed it Lauda in 2019, and the Austrian company stopped flying on 31 October 2020. Its Airbus fleet moved to Lauda Europe, a Maltese Ryanair group airline that still operates flights sold under the Ryanair brand. We still take on claims for Laudamotion and Lauda flights, even though the original company has closed.
Both Laudamotion and Lauda Europe are EU carriers, so Regulation (EC) 261/2004 covers their flights out of the EU and their flights into the EU from outside it, such as Tel Aviv to Vienna.
Long delay
Reaching your destination 3 hours or more behind the scheduled time.
3+ hours lateCancellation
Notice given less than 14 days before departure, without a replacement close to the original times.
Late noticeBumped off the flight
You turned up on time with valid papers and were left behind.
Denied boardingExclusions
Proven extraordinary events, such as closed airspace or an air traffic control strike.
Extraordinary circumstancesStill have the old booking? Enter the flight and we will check whether it can still be claimed.
What a Laudamotion flight can be worth
Laudamotion operated from Vienna, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart and Palma de Mallorca, mostly to holiday spots around the Mediterranean. The amount depends on distance only:
| Distance | Sample routes | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | Stuttgart–Palma, Düsseldorf–Palma | €250 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | Vienna–Tel Aviv | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km | Not on the Laudamotion network | €600 |
The money is per person. Two parents and two children with their own seats on a Vienna–Tel Aviv flight that landed four hours late could claim €1,600 between them.
Delayed Laudamotion flight: rebuilding the evidence
Most Laudamotion claims are about trips from a few years back, so the work starts with finding proof:
- Search your inbox for "Laudamotion", "Lauda" or "Ryanair": the confirmation shows the reservation code and flight number.
- Check your bank or card statement for the ticket payment if the email is gone.
- Look through your phone for mobile boarding passes or screenshots.
- Write down what you remember: arrival time, airport, the reason announced.
- Dig out receipts for food, taxis or a hotel paid while waiting.
Care during the wait
Separately from compensation, the airline had to provide refreshments and, for overnight disruption, a hotel and transfers.
| Distance | Care after |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | 2 hours |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | 3 hours |
| Over 3,500 km | 4 hours |
| 5 hours or more | Option to abandon the trip with a full refund |
Missed connections
On a single booking, what counts is the delay at your final destination over the total distance; separate tickets are judged leg by leg. More on Laudamotion delay compensation.
Cancelled Laudamotion flight, including 2020
Many Lauda flights were scrapped in 2020. Two different entitlements can apply:
Owed for every cancelled flight unless you chose to be rebooked.
Owed when notice came within 14 days and the cause was not extraordinary.
| Notice | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more | None |
| 7–13 days | Due, unless the replacement left no more than 2 hours early and arrived within 4 hours of schedule |
| Under 7 days | Due, unless the replacement left no more than 1 hour early and arrived within 2 hours |
Moved departure. A big change of time shortly before the flight can be treated as a cancellation. See Laudamotion cancellation compensation.
Laudamotion overbooking
If the flight was oversold and you were refused boarding, compensation is due at once, plus a seat on a later flight or a refund. It does not apply if you reached the gate late or your passport was out of date. Read the guide to Laudamotion denied boarding.
Strikes and Lauda flights
A walkout by the airline's own pilots or cabin crew does not release it from paying, since the EU Court of Justice sees it as a business risk (case C-28/20). Industrial action by air traffic controllers is outside its control, so compensation falls away.
Claim turned down? Common objections
Lauda maintained its own Airbus fleet; a fault on its own is no reason to refuse.
Court of Justice of the EU, case C-549/07The fare refund is always due; compensation turns on the timing and reason for the cancellation.
Airline staff: normally payable. Outside staff: not payable.
Court of Justice of the EU, case C-28/20Only if it truly grounded that flight, which we check against airport data.
From Laudamotion to Lauda Europe: who answers now
From June 2020 Lauda flights were sold under Ryanair's FR code. Lauda Europe, based in Pietà, Malta, now flies aircraft for Ryanair from bases including Vienna, Palma, Zagreb and, in summer, Zadar. If your Ryanair booking says "operated by Lauda Europe", your rights are exactly those of any Ryanair flight. For older Laudamotion flights we identify the right group company to send the claim to.
Making a Laudamotion claim yourself or with us
Laudamotion no longer has customer service. FR-coded flights go through Ryanair's EU261 form; for older ones you must find the right recipient. If refused, contact the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed, or the courts.
We rebuild the file and handle demands and court action. You pay only on success: 25% + VAT, leaving you €173.75 from €250 and €278 from €400. Legal costs are ours even if we lose.
Holding a rejection letter
Forward it to us; if the reasoning is weak we restart with a formal demand.
Paperwork
- Booking or bank statementShowing date, flight number and travellers.
- Passport or IDFor everyone on the booking.
- Airline noticesDelay or cancellation emails and texts.
Is it too late?
The regulation sets no deadline; national law where you sue decides (Court of Justice of the EU, case C-139/11). For flights several years old, some countries may already be closed and others still open: give us the date and we will check.
When you get paid
If the airline accepts, payment usually lands within a few weeks. With a formal demand or court case, expect a few months.
Lost or damaged suitcase
Luggage claims follow the Montreal Convention: a Property Irregularity Report at the airport, then a written claim within 7 days for damage or 21 days from delivery for a delayed bag.
Laudamotion details and flight status
- Former head office
- Laudamotion GmbH, Schwechat, Austria (ceased operations 31/10/2020)
- Today
- Lauda Europe Ltd, Pietà, Malta, part of the Ryanair group
- Claims and flight status
- Ryanair app or Ryanair website for FR-coded flights
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