Packed your bags and off to a package holiday? But beware: In some cases, prices can rise at short notice. Photo: Frank Rumpenhorst/dpa-tmn
Holidays in times of rising kerosene prices can quickly become more expensive. This also applies to package tours that have already been booked – or not? A look at the fine print can help.
Many people are probably not aware of this: Package tours that have already been booked can sometimes become more expensive later on. What do holidaymakers need to know about this?
Lawyer Hans-Josef Vogel from Düsseldorf says: “A unilateral adjustment is capped at eight percent.” This means that if the organizer wants to increase the prices by more than eight percent, the customer can pay the additional costs, but does not have to. And there are also specifications for a unilateral adjustment by the organizer of up to eight percent of the price, but more on that below.
What the industry says
But do tour operators make use of this, for example in view of rising fuel costs? A survey of shipping companies by the specialist portal “Reisevor9” at the beginning of May revealed that very few cruise operators were planning fuel surcharges. The reason for that survey was the announcement by the provider Plantours, which charges surcharges for trips already booked, partly because of higher fuel costs.
But that is still the exception, as Kerstin Heinen from the German Travel Association (DRV) confirms. In their opinion, the prices for package tours – regardless of whether they travel by plane, ship or bus – are stable.
Price increases are not that easy
It is not that easy to change the prices, says lawyer Hans-Josef Vogel. “The organizer may only increase prices if he expressly reserves the right to do so.” If you want to be sure whether the organizer is allowed to raise the prices, you can’t avoid reading the small print.
In the same way, such clauses also mean that prices must, conversely, fall. For example, if exchange rates have changed between the conclusion of the contract and the start of the trip and the tour operator incurs fewer costs. Therefore, according to DRV spokeswoman Heinen, most providers refrain from price changes. In view of the complex calculation, the bureaucratic effort is not worth it.
Reasons for price increases are fixed
If the organizer decides to pass on the prices to the customers, there must be certain reasons: These include, for example, increased fuel or energy costs, which is why the transport is more expensive.
The organizer must inform its customers in writing of a price increase for the booked trip at least 20 days before the start of the trip. Karolina Wojtal from the European Consumer Center therefore advises customers to keep a close eye on this period.
If the increase in the travel price by up to eight percent occurs less than 20 days before the departure date, holidaymakers do not have to accept this surcharge. You can then refuse the payment with reference to the legal situation, according to the consumer advice centers.
Deadline for price increase applies to both sides
While timely price increases of up to eight percent have to be accepted with correspondingly effective price change clauses in the general terms and conditions, the situation is different for surcharges that go beyond this threshold.
According to Karolina Wojtal, organizers could in this case “demand that the customer accepts the offer for a price increase within a reasonable period of time”. This is a matter of weighing up the interests of the customer and the organizer. After all, the organizer wants to resell the trip if the customer withdraws. But customers have a choice.
So you have to make a decision: within the period set by the organizer, you can either request an equivalent replacement trip at the previous price or cancel the booked holiday free of charge. However, holidaymakers who completely ignore the letter are tacitly accepting the price increase.
dpa
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