August 13, 2021

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August 13, 2021

Vienna: Lauda Europe announces ultra-short haul destination Kosice

From November 2021, Austrian Airlines will face competition on the Vienna-Kosice route, as Ryanair will offer this route twice a week. Airbus A320s from Lauda Europe will be used as aircraft. The distance between the two cities is around 365 kilometers as the crow flies, or around 500 kilometers by road. In the future, two carriers will match each other, with the fact that Lauda Europe wants to fly on Fridays and Mondays indicating that the target group is weekly commuters. It is possible that the aim is to get eastern Slovaks working in Austria off the road and into the air. Tickets are currently on sale from around 17 euros one way. Competitor Austrian Airlines charges significantly higher entry-level prices, with catering and baggage also being charged extra. Amman to be reactivated As Laudamotion, the Ryanair Group briefly had the Amman destination in its program from Vienna. This was discontinued after just one winter season. Now they want to try again under the Mainline brand. From November 2, 2021, Airbus A320s from Lauda Europe will commute between the two capitals on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The starting price of the tickets is currently around 30 euros one way. Numerous airlines have already presented extensive winter offers, but it remains to be seen - also in view of the events in the 2020/21 winter flight schedule - how the politicians will behave with regard to entry and quarantine regulations. If there are drastic tightenings as in the previous year, it can be expected that many announced routes will not be included due to a lack of demand, or that there could be cuts or even temporary cancellations on existing routes. The further development

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Gerd Stöwer is hired on a long-term basis in Erfurt-Weimar

Erfurt-Weimar Airport will continue to be managed by Gerd Stöwer until at least the end of 2023. Following a recommendation from the Supervisory Board, the manager received a contract extension from the shareholders' meeting. Options have already been agreed for the period thereafter. Stöwer came to Erfurt-Weimar Airport in October of last year as interim managing director. It was actually planned that he would bridge the time until a new company boss was found and appointed, but it was now agreed that the manager would take on the job himself. "Prof. Stöwer, together with the workforce and in close coordination with the owners, led the airport through the crisis and has now successfully positioned it on the market again. I am therefore delighted that we have been able to win him over to continue our collaboration with his extensive industry experience," said Benjamin-Immanuel Hoff, Transport Minister of Thuringia. Born in Berlin and with a degree in aerospace engineering, he began his aviation career after completing his studies in various management positions at Deutsche Lufthansa in Hamburg and Frankfurt. After reunification, Stöwer built up the Dresden and Leipzig/Halle airports as managing director before taking over the role of managing director at Münster/Osnabrück airport for many years. He has a teaching position for aviation law and aviation policy at the TU Dresden, where he was appointed professor many years ago. In 2016, Stöwer set up his own business as a management consultant, advising airports and airlines before being brought to Erfurt in autumn 2020. "It was a great honour for me to be able to help the Free State of Thuringia and especially the state airport in a difficult phase. Now I am pleased that I

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Trend reversal? Tui wants to be cash-positive again

The Tui Group says it has been able to benefit from the increased demand in the holiday travel sector and has landed around 2021 million new bookings since May 1,5. This also has a positive effect on cash flow, which has risen to around 320 million euros. According to a press release, Germany's largest travel group is cash-positive again for the first time since the start of the corona pandemic. The German federal government has repeatedly helped this provider with aid packages worth billions. "Customer demand and booking dynamics are high as soon as travel restrictions are lifted. The figures for the start of the summer business are encouraging. Germany and continental European markets are showing high demand. In England, this will not be reflected until the fourth quarter. Business is coming back and Tui's transformation is clearly having an impact," said CEO Fritz Joussen. A total of around 4 million bookings have been received since the half-year figures in May, and the group currently has 1,5 million bookings for summer 2021. As before, there has been a significantly increased trend towards online bookings during the pandemic. In the third quarter of the financial year, more than half of Tui customers booked their holidays online (4,2 percent). In addition, interaction with guests is increasingly taking place digitally, with almost 52 percent of all TUI package holiday guests using the TUI app (+70 percentage points). In addition to the Balearic Islands with Mallorca, the Greek islands, especially Crete and Rhodes, are among the most popular destinations for TUI guests. In addition, domestic tourism and cruises from the group company TUI Cruises as well as the hotel and club brands of the TUI Group - RIU, TUI Blue and Robinson - are also in demand. In the reporting period, 21 TUI

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Paderborn: Lufthansa announces Munich comeback

As of September 13, 2021, the connection to the Lufthansa hub in Munich is to be reactivated in Paderborn. The flights are to be operated with Bombardier CRJ-900 from Lufthansa Cityline. Subject to negative developments in the corona pandemic, flights will initially be operated once a day on Monday to Friday. Two rotations are planned on Saturdays and Sundays. Lufthansa plans to increase traffic between Paderborn and Munich from October 1, 2021. "The connection to Munich is not only a point-to-point destination, but is also very important for our airport and our region in terms of connecting to the international flight network," explains Paderborn Managing Director Roland Hüser. The reactivation of the connection to the Kranich hub in Munich is also likely to be important for PAD Airport in other respects, as a ticket seller's holiday flight offer turned out to be a real flop and was canceled after only a few rotations. Those left behind are angry and stranded customers who even have to fight for their compensation under EU Regulation 261/2004, as the affected provider tries to evade this obligation by using legal subtleties.

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WWF warns: Animal souvenirs can be expensive

Holiday souvenirs remind you of the best time of the year, but can lead to unpleasant surprises and severe penalties on the return journey. Countless souvenirs are confiscated at national borders every year - especially protected animals, plants or products made from them. "What attracts people on the beach or at exotic markets as harmless souvenirs contributes to rare species being pushed to the brink of extinction," warns Georg Scattolin, species protection expert at the environmental protection organization WWF Austria. Over 35.000 endangered animal and plant species are protected by the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Their import is either completely prohibited or only permitted with complex permits. Travelers face confiscation of the prohibited souvenirs, fines of up to 80.000 euros and, in extreme cases, even up to five years in prison. To avoid accidentally becoming a smuggler on vacation, the WWF recommends taking a look at its souvenir guide. Whether corals, reptiles, traditional medicinal products made from animals or tropical wood carvings - there are many souvenirs that you should keep your hands off of in order to avoid getting into trouble with the law and committing theft of nature. 25 million seahorses are killed every year for souvenir production or for use in traditional Chinese medicine. More than a million crocodiles and monitor lizards lose their lives every year for the fashion industry. "With exotic souvenirs, you should generally be cautious. Even small and inconspicuous species can be threatened and therefore protected. If you don't buy plant or animal souvenirs, you're on the safe side," advises WWF expert Georg Scattolin. The list of problematic souvenirs is long. Memorabilia that are particularly often confiscated are: carvings, jewelry

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Wizz Air increases Balkan traffic from Germany

The Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air will fly to some destinations in Germany from Sarajevo from December 2021. In addition, from December 14, 2021, there will be a commuter service between Tuzla and Nuremberg. In the future, Wizz Air will connect the capital of Serbia with Frankfurt-Hahn, Cologne/Bonn, Hamburg, Memmingen and Dortmund, among others. Some of the routes were or are already on offer, but the flight days are being fundamentally changed. In addition, the carrier wants to fly more frequently from Tirana to Hamburg, Berlin-Brandenburg and Memmingen. The increases are to be completed shortly before Christmas 2021. All announcements by Wizz Air are subject to the further development of the corona pandemic. The Tirana base is to be expanded to six aircraft.

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Aura Airlines helps out at Wizz Air

The low-cost airline Wizz Air currently has an unusually large number of wet-lease aircraft in use, even though the entire fleet has not yet been put into the air. One of the reasons for this is that the company is suffering from a shortage of flight attendants across its route network. Fly2Sky and Aura Airlines, among others, but also other airlines are currently operating on Wizz Air's route network on their behalf. It is currently not foreseeable how long the low-cost airline will have to make do with rented capacity. On Wednesday it was announced that Wizz Air will close its bases in Dortmund and Riga in October 2021. The one in Germany was only opened in June of last year and is the only one in Germany to date.

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Frankfurt: 2,85 million passengers in July 2021

Germany's largest airport, Frankfurt am Main, counted around 2021 million travelers in July 2,85. This was the highest figure since the beginning of the corona pandemic. In direct comparison with the performance achieved in July 2019, the figure was recently 59 percent lower. In the freight sector, Frankfurt was able to increase by 2020 percent compared to July 31. 192.200 tons of cargo were handled. Fraport management expects to have between 20 and 25 million passengers this year. However, they do not want to be "pinned down" to an exact number, as the further development of the corona pandemic cannot be predicted. Last year, Frankfurt am Main had around 19 million passengers, whereas in 2019 there were still around 70 million passengers. CEO Stefan Schulte does not expect this level to be reached until 2025 or 2026 at the earliest.

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Strays on vacation - what to do?

As soon as you arrive at your holiday home, you often come across stray dogs and cats on the way to the beach, pool or restaurant. You may think that the animals are in need of help, but this first impulse - however well-intentioned - is often not the right one. Animal Protection Austria (TSA, the new website of the Vienna Animal Protection Association) receives repeated inquiries about how to act in these situations. Therefore, here are the most important tips. Do not feed animalsReducing the space between humans and animals can lead to conflicts and, in the long term, can harm the strays more than it helps. If contact between humans and animals is encouraged, for example by an animal-loving holidaymaker regularly giving a dog cuddles or food, this can satisfy the animal's needs at that moment. However, not everyone is an animal lover and an "intrusive" dog that has been tied to one place by regular feeding can annoy other holidaymakers, hotel or restaurant owners. In the long term, this does not help the animals. There is another animal welfare-related reason against feeding stray dogs and cats: As a rule, stray animals know sources of food and water on the street. If additional feeding is given, the increased energy supply may lead to the animals multiplying more, thereby increasing the stray animal population and causing even more suffering. It only makes sense to take action if an animal is clearly sick or injured. Taking action does not mean taking care of the animal yourself or giving it to another animal.

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Rail passengers also have passenger rights

Due to the train drivers' strike in Germany, international rail connections may also be significantly delayed or cancelled. Similar to aviation, there are passenger rights in rail transport. The Austrian Agency for Passenger Rights provides information about these. In principle, passengers have the following rights and obligations in accordance with national and EU passenger rights in rail transport: Information obligations for companies and passengers in the event of disruptions Companies: Passengers must be informed by companies about any disruptions as quickly and as best as possible (depending on the railway company's level of knowledge). The information must be provided via all available communication channels (e.g. personal counters, ticket machines, notices, monitors). Companies have an increased obligation to provide information if they have passenger data (e.g. in the case of personal bookings made over the Internet). Passengers: Passengers must also be informed appropriately and in a timely manner about any disruptions - for example about delays and train cancellations. Train cancellation/ticket refund If a train is cancelled due to a strike and the journey cannot be made by other means (e.g. using a comparable connection), there is generally a right to a refund of the full ticket price in cash. Compensation for single tickets If the delay is more than 60 minutes, even if it is due to a strike, passengers with a single ticket are entitled to compensation of 25 percent of the ticket price, and 120 percent for delays of 50 minutes or more. "If passengers are not sure whether they are entitled to compensation for the delay, the apf experts will be happy to provide information by telephone. Helpful information can also be found on our website," says Maria-Theresia Röhsler. No compensation! Be careful if the passenger has already paid for the delay before purchasing the ticket.

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