You have to let this number melt in your mouth. In ten German courts alone, 45.000 cases are pending in which consumers are suing airlines and / or organizers. Most of the time, it is about reimbursements for canceled flights or package tours that have not yet been made. This was announced by the German Association of Judges.

The specialist magazine “Deutsche Richterzeitung” carried out a survey among the judges and found that immediately after the lockdown period, the claims brought against airlines and tour operators due to reimbursements not received had experienced a real boom. In the case of canceled flights, airlines are legally obliged to reimburse the paid ticket price in full. But that was anything but exact.

The German Association of Judges also gives figures: There are currently around 9.500 lawsuits pending in Cologne, around 9.000 in Düsseldorf, around 7.500 in Frankfurt, around 4.000 in Berlin and Munich. The list goes on and on, because there should hardly be a German district court that is not literally inundated with lawsuits from consumers who are waiting for their money.

It may also be because many so-called passenger rights portals have used the crisis to adapt their business models. The collection of the non-reimbursed ticket money is offered against commission. The providers take an exceptionally large number of cases to court.