The consumer advocate Peter Kolba warns that the delayed repayment of tickets to travel agencies can also have consequences for end customers. It could happen that the broker himself has to file for bankruptcy, which can then lead to further inconvenience for the end customer.

"This is money from customers and the travel price has to be paid back to them," emphasizes Peter Kolba, chairman of the consumer protection association (VSV). If you book a package tour with an organizer in a travel agency, the organizer must, in the event of cancellation, repay the entire travel price to the customer. If the flow of payment goes through the travel agency as an intermediary and does not pass the amount on to the customer because it is close to bankruptcy itself, then the right to repayment remains; the organizer may now have to pay the customer a second time. The situation is similar with flight-only bookings via travel agencies or booking platforms. If the travel agency puts together a package tour itself, the travel agency has to repay the price to the customer, regardless of whether the airline and hotel return money to the organizer, according to the SAAM in a broadcast.

“The travel industry is in poor economic shape and illegal practices are becoming more prevalent,” says Peter Kolba. "The VSV tries to counter this and to enforce consumer rights."