18 cases every day

Enormous increase in travel complaints

Cancellations accounted for 58 percent of air travel disputes in the previous year.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

Air travel and rail travel are very popular with Austrians. At the same time, however, disputes about delayed or canceled connections also rose sharply in 2023. The Agency for Passenger and Transport Rights (apf) counted 6610 arbitration requests - a new (negative) record. After all, around 2.5 million euros in compensation payments were won for those affected, an average of 472 euros per case.

As the saying goes, those who travel have a lot to tell. Very often, however, it doesn't get that far because flights or train journeys are delayed or canceled altogether. In such cases, those affected often face a very arduous path to a ticket refund and compensation payment. Before you can turn to the apf, you have to claim your rights from the airline or rail company yourself - which is not always possible. As a rule, AUA, Ryanair, ÖBB, WESTBahn & Co. have six weeks to respond to requests. Only then can the customer turn to the apf.

18 requests for dispute resolution per calendar day - a record
In the previous year, 6610 applications (+12 percent) were received and examined. This resulted in 4878 arbitration proceedings (2022: 4242), which is also a record figure. The vast majority of these, namely around 80 percent (3856 procedures), related to air travel.

Cancellations were the main problem with air travel
In the case of air travel, the biggest problem for passengers was canceled flights (58 percent of cases). Just under four in ten applicants were affected by delays. Four percent were affected by "denied boarding", for example due to overbooking. In such cases, the person affected is entitled to a compensation payment of up to 600 euros - provided no extraordinary circumstances (e.g. bad weather, volcanic eruption) were the reason. In total, apf recovered almost 2.3 million euros for customers in the flight sector. The largest airline in Vienna, AUA, accounted for around a third of the cases. In second place (23 percent) was Wizz, followed by Ryanair (eleven percent) and Lufthansa (five percent).

If a flight is canceled, the customer is usually entitled to compensation.

(Bild: studio v-zwoelf - stock.adobe.co)

Rail not only saw a record number of claims (1307), but also an all-time high of around 203,000 euros in payments to passengers. Four out of ten cases involved ticket refunds, 22 percent involved disputes about penalty payments, for example due to "incorrect" tickets. apf CEO Maria-Theresia Röhsler criticizes the fact that train tickets that are refundable in principle are not paid back despite timely cancellation once they have been printed out by the customer. This is unique in Europe.

Maria-Theresia Röhsler heads the Agency for Passenger and Passenger Rights.

(Bild: apf)

How those affected can assert their rights
Anyone affected by a flight cancellation or delay should always assert their rights. First of all, directly with the airline or rail company. If there is no response or an unsatisfactory response (the deadline is six weeks), you should contact the apf. This can be done via the website www.passagier.at or by telephone on +43/1/5050707 and the extension numbers 710 (train), 720 (bus), 730 (ship) and 740 for concerns relating to air travel. The application itself must be made in writing and include all documents. The success rate of the proceedings conducted by the Agency for Passenger Rights is impressive. Only three percent are concluded without agreement. This is a major advantage for consumers, also in comparison with service providers such as FairPlane, who fight for compensation for their customers for a fee: apf's service is free of charge.

Complaints about rail travel are also on the rise this year.

(Bild: APA/dpa/Oliver Berg)

Fewer complaints about flights this year, more complaints about rail travel
This year is divided into two parts in terms of complaints. While the number of applications for air travel is declining, the number of contacts regarding problems with rail travel continues to increase. According to Röhsler, the recent AUA cancellations are not yet noticeable at apf. One reason may be that the airline, as mentioned, has six weeks to respond to inquiries.