Lufthansa, Iberia, Vueling: Flight chaos threatens fight with “non-payers”

These are images that one often sees these days: Long queues in front of the information desks at the airport, suitcases stacked next to the baggage carousel and display boards on which the word “cancelled” lights up in every third line.

There is currently chaos at many European airports. The reason: there is a lack of personnel, in the air, but above all on the ground. The frustration is great. Also, because many vacationers only find out shortly before departure that their flight has been cancelled.

Most have paid for their tickets months in advance – without being able to be sure whether the respective air trip will actually take place. The airlines spend the money immediately, thus securing their liquidity. At least that’s what critics claim.

System in advance: “First offer as many flights as possible and then cancel later”

It’s a problem that consumer advocates have been grappling with for years. The so-called “payment in advance when flying” represents an “unacceptable financial burden for consumers,” writes the Federal Association of Consumer Centers (VZBV) on request.

The fact that airlines often ask for the entire amount months in advance when booking is an impertinence. After all, consumers not only lack planning security, in the worst case they are also left with the ticket costs.

“The current system is one-sidedly tailored to the interests of the airline and should be abolished. With every airline insolvency – of which there are in Germany with Air Berlin and most recently condor There were some defining examples – consumers are left empty-handed,” says Oskar de Felice in an interview with FOCUS Online. He heads the legal department at the passenger portal Flightright.

And he goes even further: “The prepayment system naturally creates an incentive to first offer as many flights as possible in order to earn money and then to cancel flights later if necessary.” system than they can actually implement in the end?

Lufthansa considers advance payment system “still sufficient”

The group does not go into more detail on these allegations. A written statement reads: “For our corporate customers, we offer a corresponding product with later payment. It’s called “Pay as you fly” and is booked, for example, by frequent flyers from the management consultancy.” However, it is also true that the offer can only be used by a limited group of customers.

In general, “Lufthansa continues to consider the current regulations on payment practices to be sufficient”. The reason: short-term payments – the group argues – would mean that the utilization of flights would be much less predictable. Some machines would then have to start half empty. That would be “ecologically and economically not sensible”.

In addition, the prepayment system corresponds to global practice in international air traffic, according to the airline’s statement. “A national change would not only be associated with competitive disadvantages for Lufthansa, but would also pose significant booking and billing problems.”

Flight Canceled: When Travelers Are Eligible for Additional Compensation

One thing is certain: many travelers currently feel abandoned, especially when their flights are canceled at short notice. But even if the situation is precarious: “If the flight is cancelled, passengers are entitled to a replacement flight or a refund of the ticket price,” says de Felice.

And that’s not all. “If a flight is canceled 14 days or less before departure, passengers may be entitled to an additional compensation payment of between 250 and 600 euros per person, depending on the flight route, according to the EU Air Passenger Rights Regulation,” says the expert.

For an additional claim for compensation, the airline must be responsible for the problem. This is the case, for example, with the lack of flight and ground personnel. “In addition, the claim only exists if the airline cannot organize replacement transport at short notice.”

Specifically, this means that if you cancel between 14 and eight days before departure, the replacement transport must start at least two hours earlier and arrive four hours later. “If the cancellation was announced seven days or less before departure, the limit is departing one hour early and arriving two hours late,” says de Felice.

Fearing that the airlines could refuse such payments, more and more travelers are apparently turning to legal service providers such as Flightright or EUflight. This is from a report by the
mirror
“ out.

Lufthansa: “Even before the Corona period, a massive refusal to pay”

The Federal Association of Consumer Organizations (VZBV) does not yet have any reliable figures on complaints in connection with flight chaos compensation payments. Legal expert de Felice has made mainly negative observations in recent weeks.

“In terms of the overall market, we see significantly worse payment behavior than before the pandemic,” he says. This is truer of some airlines than others. “Some airlines have long been known to us as refusers and delayers. Iberia, Vueling, Turkish Airlines and British Airways deserve special mention here.”

He particularly emphasizes Lufthansa in his descriptions. “Even during the Corona period, she presented herself as a vehement refusal to pay, despite massive state support,” says the Flightright chief lawyer.

Ironically, the airline that has prided itself on quality, punctuality and customer friendliness for decades. Which still describes itself as a “premium airline”, although the consulting company Skytrax has removed the fifth star – due to ongoing service problems.

Lufthansa does not want to comment on future reimbursement claims

Flightright is committed to customers who Lufthansa does not want to compensate. In the vast majority of cases, the experts have to take legal action to get the airline to pay, says de Felice.

He does not know the reasons for the airline’s refusal. However, the lawyer suspects that Lufthansa wanted to shake off the state influence through the loans as quickly as possible. “Now there is not only a lack of staff to carry out the flights, but also people in customer service who can process the reimbursement claims properly.”

Lufthansa only says that the number of open ticket refunds has been at the pre-pandemic level since the beginning of August 2021. “Ticket refunds are usually made within the statutory period.” The company does not want to comment on future refund claims.

Surf tip: You can find all the news about the corona pandemic in the FOCUS Online news ticker

The flight chaos could go on for months

Airline boss Carsten Spohr has already apologized to Lufthansa customers for the current flight chaos. In a corresponding email, he at the same time agrees with travelers that the irregularities will continue for a long time.

“In the next few weeks, with the number of passengers continuing to rise, whether on vacation or business trips, the situation will hardly improve in the short term.” That means: Delays, unexpected flight cancellations, mountains of suitcases and long queues will probably continue to be part of the airport scene in the future.

“The airlines and airports expected that they would not reach the pre-corona level again until 2024 or 2025 at the earliest,” said Gerald Wissel, head of the Hamburg consulting firm Airborne Consulting
“Mirror”
. “That was a classic bad plan.”

For Flightright chief lawyer de Felice it is clear in the end: “Before air traffic can really pick up speed again, the trust of customers will be trampled on.”