In the greatest aviation crisis in history, one thing has been shown: if the hut burns, consumers are often left behind.

If a flight is canceled, the passengers have a statutory right to reimbursement of the entire ticket costs. Not only that. The airline must transfer the money within the statutory period - usually one week. So far so good. But in practice it is clear that these seven days have proven to be theoretical at best. “Not a single airline has kept to the statutory deadline,” says Ulrike Weiß, consumer advocate at the Upper Austrian Chamber of Labor.

This unlawful behavior can also be observed at the big airlines - above all the Lufthansa Group, to which the domestic Austrian Airlines belongs. Annoying when you think of the large sums of aid money that have flowed in. The respective governments would also show little or no willingness to cooperate in this regard. Especially since the state aid provided no obligations to reimburse passengers for their expired tickets. But not only airlines disappointed on this point.

There were also complications with online reservations via comparison and booking portals. And that at the expense of the consumer. According to the AK consumer advocate, the impression was even given that many companies had deliberately gone into hiding in view of the problems. E-mail addresses were deleted and even registered letters from the customers concerned were returned from the online portals to the senders, as stated in the online edition of ORF is called. These portals are therefore no longer accessible - not even for the Chamber of Labor. In such cases it seems almost impossible to get your own money.

Ultimately, a court could help. Consumers are not left to their own devices here either. Because in order to enforce his rights in court, Weiss recommends turning to a reputable, private passenger rights portal. Part of the amount won must be paid to the company as a commission. However, only in the event of success. If the passenger rights portal fails in court, the service is free of charge for the passengers concerned. Those who live in Upper Austria are also fortunate that the Upper Austrian Chamber of Labor pays the commission that would have to be paid in the event of success. In general, you should be on your guard at the moment. Because those who book trips at the moment also book the risk of losing money.