In a ruling, the Munich District Court strengthened the rights of consumers when booking time-bound event trips.
According to the ruling of April 28, 2026 (Case No. 172 C 527/26), a tour operator is obligated to fully refund the travel price if it fails to provide contractually guaranteed tickets and flights in time for the trip. In this specific case, a football fan had booked a three-day package tour to a Champions League match in Istanbul for a total of €2.270. Since the travel documents and stadium tickets did not arrive by the departure date, the customer cancelled the contract and demanded a refund of the remaining amount of €1.670.
The judges upheld the claim and clarified that, in the case of major events such as sporting events or concerts, setting a prior deadline for subsequent performance is unnecessary. Legally, this constitutes a so-called relative fixed-date transaction within the meaning of the German Civil Code. Since the purpose of the entire trip was essentially tied to the fixed date of the football match, a delayed performance after the match is objectively worthless to the consumer. Therefore, immediate cancellation of the contract on the day of departure is lawful if the service is not provided by this critical point.
Furthermore, the court set high hurdles for the procedural proof of services rendered by the company. The travel provider had argued in the proceedings that it had sent the documents by mail and submitted extensive but disorganized WhatsApp chat logs as evidence. The court rejected this argument. A general reference to disorganized digital communication logs or general terms and conditions does not meet the legal requirements for a substantiated presentation of facts. Companies are obligated to prove precisely and unequivocally the exact time and physical or digital receipt of the documents.
This case highlights the increasing legal risks in the sports and event travel market, which is increasingly marketed via social networks and messaging services. Consumer advocates have long warned that the informal nature of such contracts often leads to difficulties in proving their existence. While the Munich ruling provides consumers with a reliable legal basis in clear cases of non-performance, the financial risk remains with the customer beforehand, who, despite a court ruling, often has to pursue lengthy enforcement proceedings against unscrupulous providers to recover their money.