Passenger rights: Who pays when trains & flights are canceled?

Last October, storm Xavier caused a lot of chaos in traffic. Flights were canceled and trains were grounded. What should you do if you are affected by the turmoil? We know who pays if nothing goes ahead and explain your passenger rights!

via Sabrina

01/25/2018, 12:28

Junge Frau sieht sich Anzeigetafel am Flughafen an — The suitcase is packed, the passport is ready, but the flight is canceled.

When is payment made for train delays?

Annoying, but almost a daily occurrence: train delays. Whether due to force majeure or technical reasons, Deutsche Bahn (DB) pays compensation. The decisive factor for compensation is the arrival time at the destination. According to passenger law, you will be reimbursed 25 percent of the travel costs for delays of 60 minutes or more and 50 percent for delays of 2 hours or more. To make a claim, you must have the delay confirmed by the conductor, complete the passenger rights form at www.bahn.de and hand it in at a DB Travel Center or send it by post to the Passenger Rights Service Center, 60647 Frankfurt am Main.

What if the train does not continue?

If the line is blocked, such as when the track was lowered on the Rhine Valley line in August, Deutsche Bahn will organize an emergency bus service to take you to your destination. In exceptional cases, you can change to a bus or cab for a maximum of 80 euros. To do this, the train must be at least one hour late and your scheduled arrival time must be between midnight and 5 am.

And if the train is completely canceled?

Then you will be refunded the ticket price or can continue your journey the next day. You can claim the cost of an overnight stay in a hotel from the railroad company.

My plane is delayed ...

After two hours of waiting time, the airline must provide care services directly at the airport, i.e. provide snacks and drinks free of charge. After three hours, you are even entitled to financial compensation. Depending on the flight distance, the amount of the payment is between 250 and 600 euros. However, as airlines find it difficult to make payments to passengers, a lawyer can also help in an emergency.

The flight was simply canceled

If your flight is canceled, you can reclaim the full ticket price in accordance with passenger rights or choose alternative transport and have the airline take you to your destination by another route.

If the long-distance bus is stuck in a traffic jam

Unfortunately, if there is a traffic jam: bad luck. However, if the bus departs late, you can make the same claims as with the train.