Die International Air Transport Association will Gutscheinlösungen …
Das ist eine echt schwierige Situation. Auf der einen Seite wollen Kunden das Geld für gestrichene Flüge zurück. Keine Leistung, keine Bezahlung. Auf der anderen Seite bringen diese Rückzahlungen die Airlines in gröbere Schwierigkeiten. Der Abfluss ist so enorm, dass einfach die Finanzreserven knapp werden können. Eine Lösung wären Gutscheine oder Buchungen auf einen unbestimmten späteren Zeitpunkt.
Die Deutsche Bundesregierung spricht sich für die Gutscheine aus und will die Europäische Kommission zu einer Auslegungsrichtlinie der Fluggastrechte bewegen: Deutsche Bundesregierung möchte Änderung der Fluggastrechte – Man fordert Gutscheine statt Erstattung!
In den USA schaut die Situation anders aus. Da hat das Department of Transportation die Durchsetzung der Rückzahlungen angekündigt: Erstattung von Flügen in die USA mit dem Department of Transportation (DOT) durchsetzen
Heute hat sich die International Air Transport Association zu Wort gemeldet. Der CEO und Generaldirektor spricht sich für eine Gutscheinlösung aus. Es könnte sonst das Weiterbestehen der Airlines nicht mehr richtig garantiert werden.
We’re deeply disappointed by @USDOT ruling on issuance of vouchers for flight cancellations due to gov’t travel restrictions. This decision risks 750,000 #airline jobs, each of which supports 13 additional jobs in the wider US economy.
➡️ https://t.co/QmEoDtO8Ke pic.twitter.com/T97EkhcFlN
— IATA (@IATA) April 4, 2020
Das Statement des IATA Generaldirektors Alexandre de Juniac:
„Aviation is fully behind government efforts to fight this contagion. But that has severe consequences for the airline industry, the 2.7 million people who are directly employed by airlines, and the 65.5 million jobs in the value chain that aviation supports.
There is very little money coming into the industry. And with two million flight cancellations already, a huge number of travelers have had their trips disrupted. Airlines are doing their best to find solutions for their customers. But in this totally unprecedented situation, there are no easy solutions.
Every day there are stories in the media about airline layoffs. And behind the scenes airlines desperately are trying to preserve jobs and stay solvent.
But there is a very harsh economic reality setting in. Airlines cannot cut costs fast enough. And with the $35 billion owed to travelers for flights that could not or cannot take place, airlines face an imminent depletion of the cash they need, not just to maintain employment, but ensure that they will be around to support the economic revival when the COVID-19 crisis is over.
Passengers have the right to get their money. They paid for a service that cannot be delivered. And in normal circumstances, repayment would not be an issue. But these are not normal circumstances. If airlines refund the $35 billion immediately, that will be the end of many airlines. And with that an enormous number of jobs will also disappear.
So what’s to be done?
The simple answer is that airlines need time. And that is why I am supporting airlines (and our partners in the travel and tourism sector) in their request for governments to delay the requirement for immediate refunds. We propose vouchers that could be used for future travel or refunded once we are out of this crisis period. This would buy the industry vital time to breathe—surviving the crisis so that they are ready to fly when better days arrive.
That’s our proposal to travelers. But it is not just their understanding that we need. Our travel agent partners are caught between the airlines and consumers. We are reaching out to them to create a structure for managing a voucher system that will be good for consumers, agents and the airlines.
I know that this is far from ideal. But the alternative is even worse. Without this flexibility, airlines will collapse, and jobs will disappear. Accepting a voucher or delayed refund today will mean that the airlines will be around for when we have our freedom to travel restored.“
Das volle Statement: Passenger Ticket Refunds During COVID-19 Crisis
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Kommt halt immer auf die Situation drauf an. Hier bei uns haben wir immer mal die Chance, einen Gutschein der LH-Group zu verfliegen. Aber ob ich jetzt „einfach so“ einen Gutschein von Virgin Australia einlösen könnte, welcher evtl. nur ein Jahr gültig ist, ist dan schon eine andere Frage…