VIR calls on the Lufthansa Group to improve its return flight guarantee
Munich, June 18, 2020 (w&p) – The Association of Internet Travel Agents (VIR) is calling on the Lufthansa Group to improve its recently announced return flight guarantee: It is currently available mainly through direct distribution channels, thereby excluding customers who book their flight tickets through other sales systems or channels.
“It is unacceptable that the Lufthansa Group, on the one hand, boasts about guaranteeing customers a return flight, but on the other hand excludes a large portion of its customers’ sales channels from this guarantee,” criticizes VIR board member Michael Buller. “And this against the backdrop that travel agencies and tour operators have been driven into major liquidity problems in recent weeks due to Lufthansa’s failure to make refund payments. At the same time, they were forced to endure incredibly cumbersome manual processes because the refund function in the global distribution systems (GDS) was disabled.”
Michael Buller continues: “The return flight guarantee policy is utterly unworthy of the Lufthansa Group, which has received nine billion euros in taxpayer support in the form of guarantees, equity investments, and loans. Here, out of pure self-interest, a large part of the industry and its customers are being deliberately left out. The return flight guarantee must also apply to customers who have consciously chosen other booking channels. Anything else is highly immoral and unacceptable.”
The press release is available for download here in PDF format.
Über den VIR:
The Association for Internet Travel Distribution (VIR) represents the digital travel industry, which, according to 2019 FUR figures, accounts for approximately 67 percent of vacation trips lasting one or more nights with pre-booked services. VIR members include more than 90 companies active in the digital tourism sector. They are divided into four clusters: OTA, Supplier & Tour Operator, Service & Travel Technology, and Start-up. The VIR serves as a point of contact for consumers, the media, policymakers, and the industry itself on all topics related to digital tourism.
VIR members include: Acomodeo, adigi, ACCON-RVS, act, AERTicket, Allianz Travel, Amadeus Germany, Amazon Pay, Bewotec, Berge & Meer, Bontravo GmbH, BPCS Consulting Services, CamperBoys, DB Vertrieb, DER Touristik, Expedia Group, EC Travel, ERGO Reiseversicherung, Europ Assistance, Evaneos, Fair Voyage, FerienDiscounter, FLYLA, Fly Money, For You Travel, FTI Touristik, GIATA, Groupon, Hamburg Tourismus GmbH, HanseMerkur, heymundo, HolidayCheck, HRS, Intent, Invia Group, journaway, Juvigo, Klarna, LEGOLAND Holidays, List and Ride, mami-poppins, Mamistravelguide, meine-weltkarte.de, Meravando, Midoco GmbH, Motourismo, MYLi, Passolution, PayPal, PCI Proxy, refundrebel, Reise-Rebellen, re:spondelligent, RightNow Group, Sabre, Salesforce, schauinsland-reisen, SIX Payment Services, silverscreentours, sleeperoo, Solamento, Sunny Cars, taa travel agency accounting GmbH, ta.ts, team neusta, tennistraveller, traffics, Trasty, travelbasys, Travelport, TRIP*PERFECT, triper one, tripi, TrustYou, TrustYourTrip, TUI, Ucandoo, Unplanned, Urlaubsrente, vawidoo, virtualpro360, Viselio, weg.de, world is a village, Wirecard, and Xamine.
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