The German Arbitration Board for Public Transport (SÖP) had so much to do this year than ever before. By the end of December, the office expects a total of around 41.000 applications from travelers. The ailing aviation industry in particular troubled those affected. That is why the lion's share of complaints (84 percent) are also on his cap.
This year the SÖP overtook the previous record year 2018 by almost a third. At that time, the Air Berlin bankruptcy caused extra work, passengers had to deal with massive delays and flight cancellations. Compared to last year, the number of complaints increased by almost 60 percent, like that Traunstein daily newspaper reported.
Again, around 13 percent of the complaints were not about air traffic, but about rail. The pandemic also hit the state-owned company, albeit not as drastically as the airlines. The trains remained largely empty, and many people postponed their journeys because business trips were canceled or because they were afraid of sitting in a car with many people. According to the information, only a small proportion of the complaints related to other modes of transport: According to the SÖP, the proportion of complaints about long-distance buses and local public transport was only around one percent each.
Overall, in around eight out of ten cases, the agency was able to ensure that the travelers were successful with their concerns.