“Whilst the court focussed on the facts specific to this claim, it is a reminder of the liability which tour operators face under German law and in accordance with the EU Package Travel Directive. The court did not set a guest to hotel bed ratio.”
Germany
A court in Hannover has awarded a German traveller €986.70 in damages because he and his family were unable to find sun loungers during their stay at a resort in Greece. The court ordered the tour operator to pay these damages on the basis that as the seller of package tour, it had strict liability to the traveller. The court found that the tour operator had a responsibility to ensure that the hotel, as its agent, ensured that the facilities available at the hotel be adequate and proportionate to the hotel’s capacity. In this case, the court concluded that this required the tour operator to ensure that the hotel maintained a reasonable ratio of guests and available sunbeds, which were actually available and usable.
Key take-away: whilst the court focussed on the facts specific to this claim, it is a reminder of the liability which tour operators face under German law and in accordance with the EU Package Travel Directive. The court did not set a guest to hotel bed ratio.
India
In April 2027, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (“DGCA”) issued an order requiring all foreign airlines serving India to have a local representative to deal with it. In addition, the DGCA now requires foreign airlines to implement an effective passenger complaints handling and resolution process, maintain a complaints database and provide regular reports to the DGCA on complaints as required by the DGCA. The DGCA is now also empowered to revoke or cancel permission to operate services to/from India for breaches of safety and security standards after consultations with the government of the offending airline.
Key take-away: foreign airlines serving India will need to ensure that they have a local representative and that their complaints handling procedures and records comply with this order even where claims are handled outside India, including at a head or regional office.
The Netherlands
From 1 May, Amsterdam has banned advertising for meat products and fossil-fuel-based industries. The latter includes airlines, cruise lines and other transport operators who rely on fossil fuels. The ban applies to advertising in public, including billboards, buses, bus shelters, metro stations, trains, and trams. This follows similar bans on advertising fossil fuel products in other Dutch cities, including Leiden, the Hague, Utrecht and Zwolle.