ECJ judgment: Airlines must refund mediation fees!

ECJ judgment: Airlines must refund mediation fees!

The latest developments in the field of flight cancellations and reimbursements ensure conversation among travelers. In his final application, the General Prosecutor Rimvydas Norkus at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has made it clear that airlines must reimburse the fees paid for intermediaries in the event of annulments. It does not matter whether the airline knows the exact amount of this commission or not, such as EPOCH "> EPOCH" Times reported.

In the specific case, which affects the legal dispute between the Austrian Association for Consumer Information (VKI) and the Dutch Airline KLM, passengers had booked tickets via the opodo portal. KLM canceled the flights and only reimbursed the ticket costs of around 1,958 euros instead of the actual sum of 2,053 euros. The difference of EUR 95.14, which covers the placement fee of Opodo, was not taken into account. This led the passengers to entrust their claims to the VKI, who now demands the reimbursement of the entire fee of KLM, as Orf .

The judgment of the ECJ

The Attorney General Norkus demands that the regulation on passenger rights from 2004 should be interpreted in such a way that the refund includes the mediation. A connection between the airline and the intermediary is sufficient to assume a knowledge of the airline about the commission and its approval. KLM had been working with Opodo for a long time, which the court included in its considerations. The airline would only have to prove that she knew nothing about the commission and did not appreciate it in order to be able to free herself from the obligation to reimbursement, according to the general lawyer.

This clarification could have far -reaching effects on thousands of travelers who are in similar situations. Airlines are obliged to take care of the well -being of their passengers in accordance with the Passenger Rights Ordinance (VO (EG) No. 261/2004), and this also includes responsibility for booked services via third parties. Aircraft can often result in a compensation payment between 125 and 600 euros if the plane was late or not flew at all, such as consumer center explained.

rights of passengers

passengers affected by cancellations can rely on various rights. With a return flight of less than 1,500 km, which is more than 3 hours late, passengers are entitled to compensation of 250 euros, while the amounts can increase accordingly at further distances. In the event of a cancellation, there are additional support services, such as reimbursement of the ticket price or childcare services at longer waiting times at the airport.

It remains to be seen how the judgment of the ECJ will ultimately be and what consequences result in the airlines. However, it is clear that the rights of consumers, especially in the turbulent world of travel, are increasingly coming to the fore.