A consumer-relevant proposal was discussed in the Austrian National Council on Monday. The SPÖ demanded that vouchers that are issued in the course of canceled flights or trips must be paid out after their validity has expired. The motion for a resolution also provided for a uniform regulation to be created.
Refunds related to canceled package tours and flights are still a major nuisance for consumers. Although there is an indisputable legal basis for those affected to get their money back due to the Package Travel Act and EU Regulation 261/2004, airlines and tour operators still do not take it very seriously. Often an attempt is made to “sell” a voucher. Some providers have even trained their service centers in such a way that these consumers provide targeted false information in order to be able to persuade them to accept the voucher. Occasionally, vouchers are proactively sent by email and / or post.
If an airline cancels a booked flight, passengers have numerous rights. These are set out in EU Regulation 261/2004. Regardless of the reason for the cancellation, if the passenger does not wish to travel, he or she has a statutory right to reimbursement of the ticket price within seven days. The package travel law also provides for such a claim and regulates the process precisely. The problem is that airlines and tour operators disregard the law and try to use compulsory vouchers to conserve their own liquidity.
The SPÖ moved in the National Council that the passing on of financial problems to consumers should be curbed by further legal regulations. The Social Democrats wanted to explicitly state that there is no obligation to accept vouchers or rebooking for canceled flights or trips. However, should consumers decide in favor of vouchers, then uniform requirements would have to be defined with regard to the period of validity, transferability and cash payment after their expiry.
Since the package travel law and the EU-VO 261/2004 already provide legal bases that bring passengers a cash entitlement, the additional law that the SPÖ wanted to have passed is actually not necessary. It would be more important that existing legal bases are enforced and companies that violate them are punished accordingly. In any case, the Social Democrats' motion did not find a majority in the National Council and was therefore rejected.
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