European Commission: travelers should be able to get money back more easily after a canceled trip

Do you have to wait a long time to get your money back if a travel organization cancels your flight? This must come to an end if the European Commission has its way. Travelers should receive clearer information about their rights and be quickly reimbursed if their trip is canceled.

A bill for this from the committee has been sent to the European Parliament and EU ministers. They must now take a position and then negotiate the final rules.

At the moment, travelers are often offered vouchers for which they would rather want their money back. If the travel organization does refund the money, people often have to wait a long time for this. In some cases, not even the entire amount is refunded.

These problems came to light during the corona crisis, when many trips were canceled. European Commissioner Didier Reynders says that “the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has shaken up the travel industry and reminded everyone how important it is to have good consumer rights.” The committee now wants to do something about this.

The Consumers’ Association is also concerned about the refunds and wants them to be paid much faster. “Consumers sometimes stay with the retailer for months. If they go bankrupt, as happened to D-Reizen, the money is suddenly gone and a tug-of-war begins for months,” said the Consumers’ Association. To prevent this in the future, the interest group has made recommendations to the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

One of the proposals is that travelers can now directly choose to get their money refunded if they do not want a voucher. A standard form that has been approved by every travel organization should make this easier. If a traveler opts for a refund, the money must be in the account within 14 days.

There should also be better protection when travelers travel with multiple vehicles. A travel organization that offers a package with multiple vehicles is then responsible if something goes wrong, for example missing the train due to a plane delay.

The Consumers’ Association hopes that consumer rights will be better protected, although not all recommendations made to the ministry have been adopted.

Director of travelers association Rover Freek Bos also thinks that the rules will help to better protect travelers. “A general form makes it easier for travelers to get a refund,” he says. However, he would also like to see delays prevented, “if the train is on time, you don’t have to pay out any money.”

“Everything is already well arranged in the Netherlands,” says Hanita van der Meer of the trade association of travel providers ANVR. She thinks that the new European rules will not lead to major problems for travel organizations. “These adjustments can be made.”

It remains to be seen whether the bill will be adopted before next year’s European Parliament elections. It may therefore take quite some time before the new rules become a reality.