A method for operating a compressor including providing suction pressure measurement, final pressure measurement, throughput measurement is provided. Using a first control characteristic map a target value for a pump surge limiter is determined from one or two of the measurements, and the pump surge limiter compares the target value to the throughput measurement, wherein the pump surge limiter opens a bypass valve when the measured value falls below or exceeds the target value, such that the final pressure is lowered or the flow through the compressor is increased. In the event of failure of a measurement, a further measurement of another physical variable of the compression process, together with a measured variable that did not fail or a modification of the measured variable, is an input variable for a substitute control characteristic map, form which a substitute target value is determined.