Arbitration board recovers €2.5 million for travelers
apf Annual Report 2023: apf recovers €2.5 million for travelers
Arbitration board provides assistance free of charge and commission
The Agency for Passenger Rights (apf) advocates for travelers using rail, long-distance bus, scheduled ship, and air transport. Through out-of-court arbitration proceedings, the apf helps travelers assert their rights free of charge and without commission.
In 2023, apf was able to obtain a total of €2.5 million in compensation, settlement payments, and refunds for travelers in more than 5,200 completed proceedings. The largest share, amounting to €2.3 million, was attributable to the aviation sector. On average, this means a payment of €472 per case concluded for passengers and travelers.
"Depending on the flight distance, air travelers are entitled to compensation payments in the event of long delays and flight cancellations. Travelers often had to pay for alternative transportation themselves and were not adequately provided for by the airlines with meals and hotel accommodation. In the rail sector, apf was increasingly confronted with cancellations of incorrectly booked tickets, unjustified penalties, and compensation claims for reduced services on night trains," summarizes Maria-Theresia Röhsler, head of apf. "My thanks go to the dedicated apf team. Never before have so many cases been concluded in a calendar year – some of which involved a great deal of effort. This is particularly true when an airline claims "extraordinary circumstances." We are particularly pleased to be able to offer this service completely free of charge and without commission to all travelers to, from, and within Austria."
Overview of figures for 2023
In 2023, a total of 6,610 written conciliation requests were received by the apf. These requests ultimately resulted in 4,878 conciliation proceedings being initiated. On average, the apf initiates thirteen conciliation proceedings per day. A proceeding at the apf takes an average of 52 days from the initial contact via the online conciliation form to its conclusion.
In total, the apf recorded 5,267 completed conciliation proceedings in 2023, with 4,248 relating to air travel, 978 to rail travel, and 31 to bus travel.
New record for applications and procedures at Deutsche Bahn
Last year, the apf received 1,307 inquiries relating to rail transport, more than ever before. Of the 978 cases concluded in 2023 in the rail sector, 96% ended with an agreement between the applicant and the transport company. This once again represents an extremely high success rate and underlines the expertise and problem-solving skills of our team in the area of passenger rights. Most of the proceedings in the rail sector in 2023 related to the issue of "ticket refunds." These included many proceedings concerning the exclusion of refunds for ÖBB tickets purchased as PDFs. In addition, there was an increase in the number of cases of downgrading, mostly in connection with night train services.
The vast majority of cases (95 percent) related to ÖBB passenger transport, followed by WESTbahn with approximately two percent and One Mobility GmbH (KlimaTicket) with one percent.
Record earnings in the aviation sector in 2023
Most proceedings in the aviation sector in 2023 were due to cancellations. More than half of the cases brought before the apf concerned this issue. Delays were the second most common reason for arbitration proceedings, accounting for 38 percent of cases. In 2023, the apf team in the aviation sector also recorded an increase in cases of premature departure and alleged extraordinary circumstances, which had to be proven in the proceedings.
Only four percent of cases in the aviation sector had to be closed due to a lack of agreement. In 79 percent of cases, airlines provided services to passengers. The remaining cases were closed due to "extraordinary circumstances," for example.
The complete annual report of the apf is available at https://www.apf.gv.at/de/publikationen.html and also contains data on bus and ship transport modes.
www.passagier.at – Submit a request for arbitration to apf using the online form
Arbitration requests must always be submitted to apf in writing so that all necessary documents are available and the company can be contacted quickly. The online arbitration request form is available at www.passagier.at. If you have any questions, apf is also available to passengers by telephone on +43 1 5050707-710 (rail), - 720 (long-distance bus), - 730 (ship), and -740 (air).