On Tuesday afternoon, a storm over the Zurich region was enough to turn Kloten Airport into a makeshift dormitory. In a few hours: 70 flights canceled, more than 30 diverted to Stuttgart, Geneva or Basel, about 10,000 passengers affected. Several spent the night at the airport. Emergency kits were distributed and security services stayed open longer than usual. Traffic returned to normal Wednesday morning.
The first thing people think in those cases: "they're going to pay me". And here comes the surprising part. In Switzerland, the European regulation EC 261/2004 applies, which establishes compensation of between 250 and 600 euros per flight cancelled depending on the distance. But that right has one exception: “extraordinary circumstances”, that is, causes that are beyond the airline's control and that it cannot avoid by taking reasonable measures. A storm enters exactly there. Result: financial compensation, none.
What they do owe you is something else. The airline is obliged to offer you assistance: food and drink in proportion to the wait, communication, and hotel with transport if the flight is postponed to the next day. You also have the right to choose between a full refund of the ticket or an alternative flight to the destination as soon as possible. If they don't offer it to you, you have to ask for it. And if you spend money out of pocket while waiting, keep receipts because those reasonable expenses can be claimed.
The practical problem is that many people leave the airport without documenting anything, assume the expenses without thinking and then discover that claiming is more complicated than it seemed. If you get to that situation, in Switzerland the competent authority is OFAC (Office fédéral de l'aviation civile). There are specialized services that handle claims against successful airlines. Because the theory is very nice until you arrive at the airport at 2 in the morning with your suitcase in hand and the app on a "canceled flight".