Where do I book safely? How do I get my money back from last year? Are airlines and hotels allowed to insist on a vaccination? A Berlin lawyer answers the most important questions for a carefree vacation
After exactly one year of pandemic everything feels new in the travel world. Suddenly we need PCR tests, new insurance and, in the best case scenario, a Covid vaccination before we can really start again. Flexibility is more important than ever, but also financial security.
Because many travelers have still not got their money back from canceled flights from last year. The Berlin lawyer and travel law expert Roosbeh Karimi (www.karimi.legal) answers the most important questions before restarting your trip.
► How do I book securely?
Since package travelers generally enjoy the highest protection, I clearly recommend package tours. If you need individual advice, you won’t find it online, but better in a local travel agency. So you always have a contact person.
► What if I want to book individually?
Individual travelers should use offers that are as flexible as possible or secure themselves otherwise. With some providers, for example, you can take out insolvency insurance for flights. If possible, no prepayment should be chosen for hotel stays. This applies even more to contracts with foreign providers. More important than ever: only reserve rooms that can be canceled shortly beforehand at no extra charge.
►What happens in the event of bankruptcy?
Package travelers don’t have to worry about bankruptcy. Here the travel price is secured and a travel price insurance certificate is included. Individual travelers tend to tremble. If the provider goes bankrupt, the money is gone without special additional insurance.
► The first airlines (Qantas) and tour operators (Alltours) have announced that travelers will be imposed. Is that right?
In fact, it’s an ethical issue rather than a legal issue. Because travel contracts are basically private law and private companies can choose their contractual partners. It is therefore certain that a sale is only legally permissible to vaccinated people. However, this only applies to new contracts; a provider cannot change the provisions retrospectively. If you have already booked a trip, the organizer must take you with them – even without a vaccination.
► Many organizers are currently offering flex tariffs with loose cancellation conditions. Access?
The new Flex tariffs make sense in many cases, even if they cost something. Because they remove any uncertainty as to whether a trip can be canceled free of charge. In most cases, you don’t even have to give a reason for the cancellation. Nevertheless, every single offer must be checked individually and carefully, because sometimes sub-brands are excluded from flexible provisions.
Sometimes consumers have the right to cancel free of charge seven to 14 days before departure, sometimes only to rebook. It is important to know that the legal regulation remains in force. If the RKI assesses a holiday destination as a risk area, the right to cancel package tours free of charge remains. Even without a flex tariff.
► Does travel cancellation insurance make sense?
A recent test has shown that just 16 out of 50 travel insurance policies are pandemic-compatible. Older tariffs in particular expressly rule out a pandemic. Therefore, check carefully here too! Such insurance is particularly recommended for individual travelers. It is usually cheaper not to select the insurance when booking the trip, but to take it out separately.
► When is international health insurance necessary?
A foreign health insurance also makes sense regardless of a pandemic. Because in the event of illness, the costs are covered and in an emergency the return transport is organized. But here too, the exact provisions must be checked for pandemic suitability. Some insurances do not work if you deliberately travel to a risk area, others do.
► Is there a right to a refund if a flight takes place even though the vacation is virtually impossible due to massive restrictions in the destination country?
In the case of a package tour, the full price can always be charged if the execution of the tour is significantly impaired. This can usually be forecast well a few weeks before the start of the journey. But if you have booked your flight and hotel individually, you will probably not get your money back.
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►Book your summer vacation now without risk
►Should I book quickly because package tours and flights are cheap?
What about the repayments from 2020? Are there still ways to claim them?
Absolutely, if you still haven’t got the money back from a package tour, you should urgently seek support. There are now dozens of judgments in favor of consumers. The same applies to canceled flights.
►You don’t want to call in a lawyer immediately, especially with smaller sums. That’s why many give up in exasperation.
There are legal portals where you can have your claims checked without obligation, such as B. Getright. A large number of legal problems can be solved at www.hellogetright.de, including refunds after flight cancellations or package travel cancellations due to Corona. You pay a commission for success, but that’s fair and stress-free.
►Many airlines issued vouchers at that time. Can I still exchange these for money?
That can be more complicated because once you have actively committed yourself to the voucher, only the cancellation joker can actually help you. Most airlines did not include a cancellation policy with their voucher offers.
Expiring vouchers can usually be exchanged for the vouchers secured by the federal government on request. These are then valid at least until the end of 2021 and can otherwise be paid out in early 2022.
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