How do you solve the problem of money back for tours and tickets?
In Europe, they are looking for formats for maintaining the liquidity of tour operators and airlines. Instead of refunds for cancelled tours and flights, consumers will be offered deposit vouchers for services in the future.
In Germany, a new liquidity support mechanism for tour operators and travel agencies has been proposed by the German Tourism Association (DRV).
Consumers with reservations until March 8, 2020 will be offered instead of a refund (for air tickets under the law it is up to 7 days, for tours – up to 14 days) “vouchers” or “coupons” (Gutschein), valid until December 31, 2021.
If during this period the client does not use the voucher and does not activate the service, he will receive live money – but from January 1, 2022.
The consumer can claim the payment of funds ahead of schedule in exceptional cases. For example, if you need funds for an urgent operation.
The guarantor of payments on the voucher is the state: in case of bankruptcy of the tour operator or carrier, the German government will pay the consumer "frozen" money - 110 million euros were allocated for these purposes.
Norbert Fibig, President of DRV: The scheme will help avoid travel companies going bankrupt. The German government has proposed a voucher scheme throughout the EU. The difficulty is that not all EU countries have the finances to create a “guaranteed payments fund.”
Meanwhile, the experience of Germany is ready to implement in France, Italy, Austria, Belgium.
To adhere to the scheme of deposit vouchers instead of a refund is recommended to airlines. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has recognized such instruments as laws between the airline and the airline.
In Russia, this practice has earned de facto. The airline “Victory” promises a direct refund to customers for canceled flights after June 1, 2021. Before that, the funds will be returned to the account in the personal account on the website of the low-cost airline with the possibility of purchasing another ticket for the carrier’s flight. The carrier promises a 10% discount on the next flight.
Other Russian airlines have more flexible refund conditions. The consumer can leave an application for a normal refund, but in what time it will happen, carriers due to force majeure can not tell. As an alternative, Ural Airlines offers to return the full cost of the ticket with bonuses for future flights.
The S7 has an exchange for a certificate costing 10% more than the original ticket price. The money will remain on a “personal deposit”, it can be spent on a new trip or additional services in flight in one year.
The scheme of deposits and rewards for their use was launched by European carriers. WizzAir offers a bonus of 20% of the cost of transportation if the passenger agrees to a refund to the account in his personal account, Lufthansa - a discount of 50 euros for overbooked flights with a new departure date until December 31, 2020.
Source: atorus