If war is not far away in Europe and people are dying, can you think about vacation? There are moral issues that need to be weighed right now. But also very practical. What counts, …
- What if you want to stay at home out of fear?
A package tour may be canceled free of charge if “unavoidable, extraordinary circumstances” which “significantly impair” the implementation or the transport to the holiday destination. One Travel warning from the Federal Foreign Office is an indication of this. It was pronounced for Ukraine, but for Russia only for the border regions in the south, and not at all for other Eastern European countries. Anyone who had booked a holiday there and would rather not start it can cancel, but must reckon with cancellation costs. The closer you get to departure, the higher they usually turn out to be. Even a travel cancellation insurance does not help in this case. She only steps in if, for example, you get sick before you leave. Fear, on the other hand, is not accepted as a reason for resignation.
If you haven’t booked yet, you can – usually for a surcharge – get a little more leeway with the flex tariffs of the tour operators and airlines. Such trips can usually be canceled or rebooked at short notice. Many hotels also accommodate their guests, some houses accept a cancellation on the day of arrival without asking for money. However, one should not blindly rely on goodwill: reading the fine print before making the final booking is more important than ever.
- if the flight is cancelled?
The closure of Russian airspace is forcing airlines to change flight routes. If a connection is canceled as a result, the airline must either offer an alternative flight or reimburse the ticket costs within seven days, This is how it is regulated in the EU Air Passenger Rights Regulation. There is no additional compensation because the airline is not responsible for the situation.
- if the shipping company changes the cruise route?
No Baltic cruise without a stop in St. Petersburg – normally. Many shipping companies call at the second largest Russian city with sights such as the Hermitage or the Peter and Paul Fortress. However, some large providers such as MSC Cruises, Tui Cruises or Aida Cruises have now canceled the stop in St. Petersburg for the summer season. Instead, the ports of Riga, Oslo, Copenhagen or the Swedish island of Gotland with the town of Visby are headed for.
According to travel law expert Paul Degott, this is a “significant change in service” and gives passengers the right to cancel the trip free of charge. “St. Petersburg is a focus of such a cruise. Visby, for example, is certainly not an alternative of equal value,” said the lawyer for the dpa news agency.
Customers have to react as soon as the shipping company informs them about the new route. “In this case, silence is a declaration of consent to the changes,” emphasizes Degott. If the program is changed while you are already on board, you can try to reclaim part of the travel price. In Degott’s experience, however, the refunds are usually not particularly high: With cruises, it is assumed “that the stay on the ship itself has recreational value, which you as a traveler have to take into account”.