Image: APA/AFP/POOL/JOHN THYS
A right to better information when traveling with different means of transport, to support if you miss a connection and to reimbursement of the price in the event of cancellations instead of vouchers: A mobility package that the EU Commission presented on Wednesday is intended to bring improvements for travelers. For package tours, the down payment before the start of the trip should not be higher than 25 percent in order to give consumers more protection. “The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the travel industry and reminded everyone of the importance of ensuring strong consumer rights at all times”EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders justified the project.
The consumer protection organization BEUC sees one in the Commission’s proposals “small step in the right direction”. However, there is still a lack of protection for airline passengers when airlines go bankrupt. In addition, there is still no right to cancel tickets free of charge in times of crisis – when presenting the package, the Commission itself referred to Covid-19 and the bankruptcy of the tour operator Thomas Cook in 2019.
The last word has not yet been spoken anyway – it is now the turn of the member states in the Council and the Parliament. There were reactions to the latter from Germany, more precisely from the transport policy spokesmen for the CDU and the SPD. Jens Gieseke (CDU) welcomed the proposed uniform reimbursement when traveling with different means of transport. The previous regulation is the same “more of a patchwork quilt”. But: “At the same time, however, it is feared that the well-intentioned suggestions will be difficult to implement.”
Thomas Rudner (SPD) called for the opportunity to be used “to set a standard that respects and protects the rights of travelers in the future”.
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