Two weeks of summer vacation in Greece, the flights conveniently booked online from home - many are using this form of vacation planning these days. But in some cases it is concealed online who is the actual contractual partner in the case of a booking.
"Some online agents use what is known as screen scraping or crawling technology: a computer program accesses a third-party database and presents its content as its own," says ÖAMTC lawyer Verena Pronebner. And this approach by travel platforms is often even permitted. "However, many airlines only allow certain partner platforms to use their online content in this way."
The problem: Some platforms do not adhere to this and use the airlines' data without a contractual basis. Travelers usually do not notice the technology and assume that they are booking directly with the airline or an authorized representative. "It is often unclear who the customer's contractual partner is - the travel platform or the airline itself," explains the mobility club expert.
"The consequence is that you have to register for the flight again at the airport for the data comparison - and with sufficient advance notice. The airline advises customers in advance that they should be at the airport 90 minutes before departure. But we fear that this time buffer is too short with the current controls, so that in the worst case scenario you will not be transported because of a delayed check-in."
Reimbursement can also be difficult
If the booking was made through an agent, it is often difficult or even impossible to get a refund in the event of a flight cancellation - the experience of the ÖAMTC legal advice service last year clearly showed this. "Under EU law, the airline is obliged to refund the full price of the ticket after a cancellation initiated by it - and to do so within seven days," says Pronebner. "However, if an agent is involved, the airline often has no or incorrect data from the customer."
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