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No more advance payment for flight tickets? Debate picks up speed - customers could benefit massively

2022-08-23T12:43:35.093Z


No more advance payment for flight tickets? Debate picks up speed - customers could benefit massively Created: 08/23/2022, 14:29 Will flight tickets soon no longer have to be paid for in full in advance? © AndreyPopov via www.imago-images.de The flight is cancelled, but the ticket has already been paid for in full. Customers are often left with the costs. That could possibly change in the futur


No more advance payment for flight tickets?

Debate picks up speed - customers could benefit massively

Created: 08/23/2022, 14:29

Will flight tickets soon no longer have to be paid for in full in advance?

© AndreyPopov via www.imago-images.de

The flight is cancelled, but the ticket has already been paid for in full.

Customers are often left with the costs.

That could possibly change in the future.

Berlin - Consumer advocates are calling for air passengers to no longer have to pay the full ticket price when booking.

The state of Lower Saxony, which is governed by the SPD and CDU, has adopted the initiative of the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations (VZBV) against prepayment with a Federal Council initiative.

Lower Saxony's CDU is making advance payment for flight tickets - Greens support projects

Lower Saxony's push to abolish the prepayment principle for flight and travel bookings is at least partially supported by the federal government.

A spokesman for Consumer Protection Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) welcomed corresponding announcements by Lower Saxony's Economics Minister Bernd Althusmann (CDU).

However, skeptical tones came from the FDP-led transport department.

Althusmann had announced in the

Handelsblatt

at the weekend that the state cabinet would decide on a Federal Council initiative on this Tuesday.

The state chamber should discuss this on September 16th.

"We want to significantly improve consumer protection for travelers," said the CDU man.

The Federal Ministry for Consumer Protection is in contact with the airlines

The Federal Ministry for Consumer Protection is in contact with the airlines, consumer protection organizations and passenger rights portals on this matter in order to "strengthen consumer rights," said the ministry spokesman in Berlin.

It is also about the numerous flight cancellations this summer.

However, the ministry has not yet "put the gun on the chest" of the airlines, but only announced an observation of the situation.

"Airlines have a duty to make refunds, compensation payments and compensation quickly and unbureaucratically in the event of justified claims," ​​emphasized the spokesman.

"The increase in complaints to the arbitration board for public transport could indicate that this is not going entirely smoothly at the moment."

Advance payment for flight tickets: Customers are often left with the costs in the event of flight cancellations

"During the talks, we made it clear to the airlines that - if this does not develop well - we will review the advance payment practice again, i.e. put this advance payment to the test," the ministry spokesman continued.

This is essentially an interest-free loan from customers to the airlines, he pointed out.

Mobility expert of the VZBV, Marion Jungbluth, said in the

Handelsblatt

on Monday, August 22nd.

Passengers are tired of "being left with the costs of canceled flights or, in the worst case, having to bear the risk of insolvency".

In view of the chaos at several German airports this summer, the VZBV sees an urgent need for action.

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However, there are three judgments by the Federal Court of Justice, which declared the advance payment principle of the airlines to be legal in 2016.

According to the federal judges, consumers are adequately protected by the EU passenger regulation and the risk of insolvency is kept within limits by state controls.

Possible interest rate disadvantages for customers are regularly offset by price advantages for early bookings.

Faster and easier compensation for passengers: round table with Lemke and Wissing required

Lemke and Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) should now, at the request of the VZBV, set up a round table with the participation of airlines, airports and consumer associations to prepare a change in the prepayment practice.

Even if the EU passenger rights regulation currently offers consumers a good level of protection, they often have to wait too long for compensation.

Jungbluth also called for automatic compensation to be made available to travelers in the event of flight cancellations or delays, which they can claim “with just a few clicks”.

Arbitration results should be binding on airlines.

(AFP, dpa)

Source: merkur

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