photo-caption">There is chaos at many airports in Germany this summer.picture alliance/dpa | David Young
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There are some problems at many German airports this summer. Flights are cancelled, postponed and delayed. We explain what you can do.
If your flight was cancelled, you can claim compensation of 250 to 600 euros from the airline.
If the airline does not react, contact the Söp arbitration board, advises Julia Rehberg from the Hamburg consumer advice center.
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If you now want to fly by plane on your summer vacation, you have to reckon with restrictions. Flights are delayed or even canceled altogether. After two years of the pandemic, there is a shortage of staff, from baggage handling on the ground to onboard staff. We explain what rights you have.
My flight has been cancelled
If additional costs were incurred as a result of the cancellation, for example because you can no longer use your hotel room or because you missed your connecting connections due to the delay, you can demand money from the airline. However, if the flight was canceled at least 14 days before the planned trip, the airline does not have to pay anything.
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If the airline cancels the flight 13 to 7 days before travel, it must offer an alternative flight with times that differ only minimally from the times of the canceled flight. That means: if you take the alternative flight and depart no more than two hours earlier and arrive at your final destination no more than four hours later than originally planned. If the airline does not offer a replacement, it must pay. The compensation ranges from 250 to 600 euros and depends on the distance to the final destination.
“If there are special reasons why there was a cancellation, for example due to a storm, the airline does not have to pay any compensation,” said Julia Rehberg from the consumer advice center Hamburg Business Insider.
My flight is delayed
If the plane is three hours late, you have the right to flat-rate compensation. Depending on the flight route, this is between 250 and 600 euros. The flat rate is 250 euros for short distances, 400 euros for medium distances and 600 euros for long distances. It is always advisable to have the delay confirmed at the airline counter.
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The airline does not respond
Basically, the airline is obliged to pay. If she doesn’t, you should contact the Söp arbitration board, which will take care of the rights of passengers free of charge. You can simply submit the arbitration request online. “Because airlines are not only obliged to pay, they are also obliged to arbitrate,” says Julia Rehberg.
My luggage is lost gone
In that case, you should contact the airline directly. The maximum liability limit is 1,400 euros. Expensive items such as a laptop, jewelery or a wedding dress that costs 2,000 euros should therefore be stowed in your hand luggage.
If your checked baggage is lost, you should also provide the airline with details of what items were in the bag and their value. It is best to also present the purchase receipts, if available. In addition, you should read the employment conditions of the booked airline carefully before the flight. If it says that valuable items should not be kept in the suitcase, you may not get any money for this.
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A quarter of Germans forgo summer vacation because of inflation
