Whether it’s a flight cancellation or a train delay: if consumers have a dispute with travel companies, they can turn to an arbitration board. Recently, there have been more complaints in one particular area.
In the event of conflicts with travel companies, consumers can turn to the Travel and Transport Arbitration Board. Around 19,500 complaints were submitted in the first six months of this year alone, according to the arbitration board’s half-yearly report. That was around four percent more cases than in the same period last year.
More complaints about rail transport
The increase was mainly due to more complaints about rail transport. In the first half of the year, the agency received around 3,400 arbitration cases due to train cancellations and delays. That was around 1,000 cases more than in the first six months of the previous year. Almost one in five applications thus concerned rail transport.
The majority of complaints again came from the flight segment. Almost 81 percent of the cases related to cancelled flights or flight delays. However, the absolute number remained largely stable compared to the previous year at around 16,000 complaints.
According to the report, most applications were received in January. This is seasonal, as travel activity is particularly high at the turn of the year. Because travelers must first register their claims with the respective company, it usually takes a few weeks for the cases to reach the arbitration board.
Three percent more applications expected
The arbitration board expects around 42,000 complaints for the whole of 2024. That would be around three percent more than in the previous year. In four out of five cases, an amicable solution can be found for all parties involved.
The Arbitration Board for Travel and Transport changed its name this year. Its previous name was the Arbitration Board for Public Transport (SÖP). Since 2010, it has dealt with problems relating to air, bus, rail and ship travel.
Companies finance the arbitration board
Most of the cases involve compensation for delays or cancellations of flights and train journeys. Around 400 transport companies take part in the arbitration process, which they finance themselves. Conflicts involving bus and ship journeys regularly make up the smallest proportion of all cases at the arbitration board.
Source: Stern
