In recent weeks and months, thousands of charter customers have probably received emails from airlines informing them of changes or even cancellations to their flight connections to the starting base of their cruise. The YACHT editorial team has also been experiencing flights being rebooked two or three times in recent weeks, not just in terms of flight times, but even changes to the route and flight days. Not to mention the long queues at security check-ins at many German airports and lost or delayed luggage.
Airlines and airport operators have lost staff in droves during the coronavirus crisis, often because they previously worked for poor wages, were fired during the crisis and then simply looked for something better. Now they are understaffed, but have sold masses of flights and can no longer cope with the rush.
This has also long been recognised in the charter industry.
"We have already heard from many customers that they are having problems. Flights are always being rebooked, but we've also had cases where crews have flown to the destination and then the return flight was cancelled," says Christian Zaloudek from the German agency Sarres-Schockemöhle Yachting. "In Croatia, you can perhaps solve this by travelling by car, but that doesn't work for every destination. Sometimes it is possible to book seats with another airline if a flight is cancelled, but of course that's luck in the high season and the prices are correspondingly higher."
Then there are the problems at the airport. A YACHT editor was stranded in Frankfurt at the weekend because the transfer there had already been cancelled due to a two-hour delay. As a result, Lufthansa rebooked him for a flight the next morning. In theory, the customer is then entitled to an overnight stay in a hotel including a transfer at the airline's expense. The problem: the airline's service counters in the terminal were all closed at 10 pm! The hotline was not available due to overload. The customer should go to the central service centre outside the security area, according to a message on the screen.
But Lufthansa stewardesses expressly warned against this: the queue in front of the service counter would have a waiting time of around one to two hours. But then you leave the transfer area and have to go through security check-in again. At the moment, it can take three hours to get through security at the weekend, so you have to be there four hours before departure. So spending the night in the terminal on a bench is the safest alternative. Especially as alternative train tickets are also issued by the Service Centre - if they are available.
After a long, uncomfortable night in the terminal, it became clear just how right the staff were: The flight, which was actually ready to take off on time, had to wait again because 30 passengers had checked in their luggage but had not made it through security to the gate in time. As a result, their luggage had to be removed from the aircraft in accordance with international IATA regulations. That takes time. And yet another unpunctual flight.
Philipp Kadelbach, founder of the air passenger rights service provider Flightright (www.flightright.de), also confirms that the airline industry is currently in a state of flux.
"The volume of clients who instruct us to represent their claims against airlines has risen abruptly by around 300 to 400 per cent in recent months. And normally two-thirds of our business was about claiming for flight delays, now 80 to 90 per cent is about cancellations," says the lawyer.
Customers turn to the Berlin-based company if they want to claim their entitlements under the EU Passenger Rights Regulation after a fiasco with the airline and don't have the time or inclination to deal with the (often unreachable) complaints departments of the airlines. Flightright then takes over the customer's case and negotiates with the airline or, if necessary, goes to court. This is free of charge for the customer, but the lawyers charge around 30 per cent of the subsequent compensation amount as a fee.
The airlines are already hopelessly overwhelmed by the volume of claims. "Before corona and the current chaos, it took around three and a half months for a customer's claim to be enforced; now we're at around six months," says Kadelbach.
But what is the best course of action for customers if there are problems with their flight? After consulting with agencies, fleet operators and flight professionals, the following picture emerges:
1. flight schedule changes If the changes are feasible for you because only departure times and transfer airports are changing, it is often best to accept them; the many cancellations due to staff shortages often mean that nothing else is possible at present, and replacement flights are difficult to find in the high season. You must confirm the change, otherwise the booking will be cancelled at a later date.
2. delays The customer is entitled to compensation of 250 to 600 euros if the flight is delayed by three hours or more at the final destination, but only for flights over 3,500 kilometres, i.e. mostly transatlantic flights. In Europe, it is usually 250 to 400 euros, depending on the duration of the delay and the length of the flight. Incidentally, the amount of the claim is independent of the ticket price.
If you miss a connecting flight and are rebooked onto a later flight (often automatically and only by email notification), ask the airline's service desk to explain the reason for the delay in writing. If the waiting time is overnight, you are entitled to an overnight hotel stay and transfer free of charge. However, vouchers and bookings usually have to be requested at the counter. For shorter waiting times, catering vouchers are sometimes issued, or you can charge for food and drink at a later date.
3. complete cancellation If this GAU occurs, or if a flight is offered days later or earlier, the situation is more complex. Many customers think that if the airline cancels, it must also replace the charter of the boat, but this is almost never the case. As charter trips are often not package holidays, but rental contracts, the customer is then stuck with the costs. Exception: In most charter contracts, charter agencies expressly state that they are only agents, even if they then book the flight for the customer. This becomes more difficult if the agency then also books the transfer, a skipper and other possible services. Then it comes very close to organiser liability. The problem: If the trip is cancelled, the customer would have to have this checked in retrospect via legal action in individual cases. A complex, lengthy procedure with an uncertain outcome.
But it doesn't have to come to that. Because what many customers - and airlines - have not yet realised is an amendment to EU passenger law from 2020: "The airline is by no means exempt from liability if it unilaterally cancels or offers a flight much later," says Philipp Kadelbach. "This is because, according to the latest case law, the right to carriage continues to exist and the customer can check whether there are other flights from other airlines to the destination on the originally planned flight date." If this is the case, they can either demand that the airline book these flights or simply book them themselves and charge the airline for the costs later. Flightright also represents such cases.
4. lost/delayed baggage The regulations there are relatively clear. The customer often has their baggage check-in sticker on their boarding pass or digitally - be sure to keep this as proof. If the baggage does not arrive, the customer may buy toiletries and the most necessary clothing on site and later charge the airline. The value of the suitcase and contents is limited to a maximum of 1,500 euros if the luggage can no longer be found. However, only the current value will be reimbursed, not the original price. If the suitcase turns up later, it must be returned to the customer.
It is difficult for sailors if they are carrying a personal lifejacket, oilskin, hand-held spark or similar. If you don't want to do without it, you have to decide how much you can buy locally. If the luggage then turns up again, it may not be replaced because it is not considered absolutely necessary. Given the current problem with baggage handling at many German airports, it is worth considering whether really expensive equipment should be included in checked baggage.
With this background knowledge in mind, crews should be able to get through the current stormy flight times. Useful tips and even more details on this topic can also be found, for example, at the ADAC website.
Andreas Fritsch
Editor Travel
