Canceled flights, delayed trains: things don’t always go according to plan when you travel. Anyone who gets stuck with a refund can contact the arbitration board. Many have already done so.
The arbitration board for public transport (SÖP) expects a significant increase in disputes this year in view of the significant increase in travel, especially in air transport.
In the first half of this year alone, the consumer agency received almost 18,700 complaints, as the SÖP announced. That was more than 10,000 cases more than in the first half of 2022.
In total, the arbitration board expects around 37,100 complaints in 2023. “That would be around 22 percent more than in 2022 – a year in which the number of cases in the first half of the year was still characterized by reluctance to travel,” said the SÖP.
Around 86 percent of the applications related to air traffic
The main reason for the significant increase in the first six months of this year was the travel chaos at several German airports last summer. Affected travelers first had to contact the airlines to request a refund. Only if they got no further could they submit an application to the arbitration board. It could therefore sometimes take several months between the event and a complaint to the SÖP.
According to the arbitration board, around 86 percent of the applications received related to air traffic. The main reasons are canceled trips and flight delays, which made travelers want their money back. However, consumers can also turn to the SÖP for conflicts when traveling by train. Around 13 percent of all applications related to railway companies. Here, too, the disputes arose primarily from train cancellations and delays.
Bus and boat trips make up the smallest share
The SÖP has been taking care of problems with air, bus, train and ship travel since 2010. For the most part, it is about compensation for delays or cancellations of flights and train journeys. Around 400 transport companies are taking part in the arbitration process, which they finance themselves. Conflict cases relating to bus and boat trips regularly account for the smallest proportion of all cases in the SÖP.
Most of the complaints within a year have been received by the body so far in 2020. At that time, the SÖP processed around 40,000 applications. Due to the pandemic, travel came to a standstill within a very short time and numerous flights were canceled at short notice.
Source: Stern
