In times like these, one could believe that flying has become risky again, with all the bad news about economic turbulences of several airlines. Two headlines are the German Air Berlin and the Irish Ryanair.
Air Berlin
The bankrupt airline announced how she's going to deal with the numerous claims of customers whose flights got cancelled. According to media reports, 100.000 consumers are affected. For current information updates, as well as frequently asked questions and answers, please look at the website of Air Berlin. Regarding compensations, the timetable makes all the difference:
- Passengers who bought their tickets before August 15:
Those consumers can't really hope for a compensation or refund. As soon as the insolvency proceedings start, they can register their claim. Their share of reimbursement will be calculated from a quote and, considering the large number of creditors, won't be too big, if any at all.
- Passengers who bought their tickets after August 15:
According to Air Berlin, the money of those customers has been put aside and will be reimbursed in case of cancellations. We advice consumers to ask for an alternative flight instead of reimbursement, as we consider this the safer option, considering the uncertain situation of the airline. Furthermore, the airline is not mentioning any compensation according to the EU air passenger rights direction.
Ryanair
The situation is different with the Irish airline who struggles with massive flight cancellations due to mismanagement. After threats of a legal action by the British Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Ryanair now promised to play by the European rules. The airline supposedly mislead her customers regarding their air passenger rights and paid less compensation than just. Now Ryanair provides correct information via mail and on its website.
Tips & sample letters
Find out more about your rights in case of delays or cancellations in our respective article. Furthermore, you can use our free sample letters to address the airlines (only available in German).
