Trouble for travelers

Low-cost airline mixes up Rotterdam and Amsterdam

Many airlines now don't care about halfway adequate service - or make you pay dearly for it.

(Bild: AP/Carolyn Kaster)

The flight should have gone to Rotterdam, but was actually bound for Amsterdam. The cabin crew only found out by chance because a passenger asked about the weather in Rotterdam. If you travel, you can experience something, but do you really have to put up with everything? Long waiting times, hardly any information, it often happens that passengers have to stand in the shuttle bus for ages, right in front of the plane. Is the traveler not the paying customer, are airlines not service companies?

It doesn't always have to be as bad as it was for a traveler to Hurghada, where a terror warning before the flight home led to stricter security measures. Everything was checked three times, water bottles, even if just bought, had to go in the garbage can anyway, total body check and undressing down to socks and underpants.

Is it your own fault if you book cheap?
Many users think it's their own fault if they are tempted by cheap airline offers. So you shouldn't be surprised if they cut back on service. However, there is little understanding for the fact that small children are also flown around the world on such flights. They simply have nothing to gain from such a journey, cannot compensate for the pressure in their ears and suffer on a flight; they should only be taken along sensibly from the age of six or seven. Many people also think that it is nicer to stay in Austria during peak travel times, and the narrow-gauge railroad in Lower Austria is a real insider tip.

Vacations in your own country can be just as enjoyable as those further afield.

(Bild: P. Huber)

Planning and early booking saves hassle
However, if you do go on a trip, you can save yourself some trouble by taking certain measures. Booking early helps because there are cheaper prices and you don't necessarily have to switch to budget airlines. Checking in on time can also save stress, as can going on vacation in September, when the beaches would be empty. All of this can't always succeed, airports and tour operators should also treat their customers with a certain amount of respect.

Getting to the airport early enough can significantly reduce the stress of checking in.

(Bild: P. Huber)

Legislators should be called upon to better protect consumers against the basic evil of overbooking. In other industries, for example, it is simply not possible to oversell by 120 percent, as is the case with airlines. Imagine a restaurant simply selling too many menus and then sending customers away again after a long wait for their food.

Check supposed bargains carefully
Hotel platforms that lure you in with cheap offers that you can no longer find on the second click can be tricked with a little technical know-how - for example, changing the VPN number, which can be done using special apps or simply changing the device you use to connect to the Internet so that the IP address is different the second time you connect.

Rail operators are likely to be more satisfied than airlines. Users said that there would be a lot of excitement if ÖBB and co. behaved like the airlines, as delays here tend to be in the order of minutes. But those who travel by car also have their experiences, such as huge rip-offs at highway service stations, where goulash soup with a roll and Almdudler cost 15.20 euros.

Please continue to send us your experiences and try to improve the service of the tour operators together with us. Either to the " Krone" ombudswoman or right here in the comments.