February is traditionally a busy month for travel. The APF takes this opportunity to inform travelers about the rights of travelers in relation to the problems that most often lead to arbitration proceedings: cancellations and delays in air and rail traffic.

Short-term flight cancellations often cause significant inconvenience for travelers. According to the Air Passenger Rights Regulation, passengers can choose one of three options in such cases:

• Ticket price refund
• Free return flight to the departure point at the earliest possible date
• free alternative transport to the destination

It is important that passengers contact the airline on their own initiative if the airline has not previously contacted them. If you are not notified of the cancellation in a timely manner, you will also be entitled to compensation payments of up to 600 euros per person, depending on the flight distance. Airlines are exempt from making compensation payments if there are “extraordinary circumstances”. However, these must be clearly explained in the arbitration procedure. During the 2023 semester break, most of the cancellation cases (39 percent of all procedures) concerned Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines.

Flight delay: Another nuisance for travelers

If they arrive at their destination late by three hours or more, travelers are also entitled to a compensation payment of up to 600 euros. In this case, too, the amount of the sum depends on the flight distance. 36 percent of APF procedures with a departure date in February 2023 dealt with flight delays. Most of these proceedings affected Austrian Airlines, Wizz Air and Iberia.

Be careful when traveling to the airport by train

During the semester break there were increasing demands for penalties in the railway sector, particularly on the route between the Vienna city limits and Schwechat Airport. Passengers were often penalized by the train company because of incorrectly booked tickets or the lack of a valid ticket. In ÖBB passenger regional train services, it is not possible to buy a ticket on the train on this route. If you pay fines (additional fares) on the train immediately, it is important that your personal data is recorded by the train company. You can then lodge an objection against the claim. This must be received by the railway company within one month.

Travelers who are affected by flight cancellations, delays or unjustified additional fare demands can find out about their rights at www.passagier.at and, in the event of an inadequate response from the transport company, submit a free application for an arbitration procedure.