Flight: Good to know... Be careful when booking flights via online portals
from Jürgen Vogl
In principle, the following applies: In the case of multi-leg flights, you have the right to compensation in the event of delays or missed connecting flights, which amounts to between 250 euros and 600 euros depending on the flight distance. In addition, the airline is obliged to provide you with free care services, such as meals, rebooking to a new connecting flight and, if necessary, hotel accommodation.
If you book a multi-leg flight under a reservation number or booking code, this means that the necessary and prescribed minimum transfer times at airports are taken into account and your baggage is automatically transported to your final destination. This ensures that in the event of flight irregularities with missed connecting flights, appropriate measures are taken, such as rebooking to another flight or care services to which you are entitled. In addition, for multiple-leg flights with a reservation number, it is guaranteed that the final destination is used to calculate compensation claims and not just the leg affected by the irregularity.
The situation is different when booking flights via online portals. Online portals sometimes offer flight combinations that are not coordinated, i.e. due to the independently booked tickets, it is not clear to the airlines whether a flight has been booked as a connecting flight. Although these combinations are often cheaper than others, they are often separately booked flights that do not constitute a single contract of carriage. This means that if problems occur, you are not entitled to any assistance from the airline. In these cases, the right to a compensation payment may also be completely forfeited or the amount may be lower, as only the leg of the journey on which the irregularity occurred is taken into account for the calculation. If you book your flights via an online portal, apf therefore recommends that you read the regulations on liability, missed connecting flights, assignment of claims, etc. in the general terms and conditions of the online portal beforehand so that you can switch to alternatives if the content is questionable.
Further interesting information on your passenger rights can be found on the apf website at www.passagier.at