The situation in the Middle East and travelling (FAQ)

The list below provides a general overview of issues that may be worth considering when booking a trip in a changed security situation. Each traveller makes their own travel decision based on their personal assessment.

1. Check cancellation and change conditions
   • Find out in advance in what situations you can cancel or change your trip and under what conditions.
2. Payment
   • Paying by credit card may give you additional protection. If the seller is in breach of contract, you may have the right to a price reduction, damages or other monetary compensation also from the credit provider who financed the purchase. Read more about the liability of the credit provider.
3. Consider the route and connecting flights
   • Flights may take longer routes due to airspace restrictions, which can increase travel time.
   • Flights with connections involve a higher risk of schedule changes or missed onward flights.
4. Prepare for schedule changes
   • The departure or arrival time of a flight may change significantly.
5. Check your insurance coverage
   • Not all travel insurance policies cover costs caused by crises or changes in the security situation.
   • Check in advance what your insurance covers, such as cancellations, delays or additional overnight stays.
6. Follow information about the situation
   • Follow information provided by the airline, the organiser and authorities before the trip and, if necessary, during the trip.

If your flight is cancelled or delayed by at least three hours at the final destination, you may have the right to standard compensation for loss of time. However, there is no right to standard compensation if the delay or cancellation is caused by extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken.

If the cancellation is due to the security situation, airspace restrictions or measures taken by authorities, these are usually considered extraordinary circumstances. In such cases, the airline is not obliged to pay standard compensation.

If your flight is cancelled or delayed by at least three hours at the final destination, you may have the right to standard compensation. There is no right to standard compensation if the delay or cancellation is caused by extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken.

A widespread or global fuel shortage may, in certain situations, be considered an extraordinary circumstance beyond the airline’s control. There is no established case law on this issue, and each situation is assessed on a case‑by‑case basis.

If the cancellation or delay is caused by the airline’s own resource or planning problems, the situation is not necessarily considered an extraordinary circumstance.

An airline cannot retrospectively increase the price of a flight ticket that has already been purchased due to an increase in fuel prices.

If a flight is cancelled, you always have the right to re‑routing and care, or to a refund of the ticket price.

Please note that in extraordinary situations the airline may have limited possibilities to offer re‑routing at the earliest opportunity. However, the airline may not limit re‑routing to its own flights only. If necessary, it must also look for flights operated by other airlines.

More information on our website: Flight cancellation

A passenger cannot require re‑routing on a specific flight.

In some situations, you may be reimbursed for replacement flights you purchased yourself. This requires that the airline refused to arrange re‑routing under reasonable conditions even though it would have been able to do so.

When damages are assessed:

• the costs must be reasonable
• costs are usually not reimbursed if they could have been avoided by your own actions, so it is worth trying to limit the amount of expenses.
• the same cost cannot be reimbursed twice (for example by both the airline and an insurance company)

If you claim damages afterwards, keep written evidence of:

• the costs incurred
• the airline’s failure to fulfil its re‑routing obligations

More information on our website: Flight cancellation – Re-routing

In the event of a cancellation, the airline must offer you the choice between a refund of the ticket price and re‑routing.

• If you choose a refund and make your own travel arrangements, the airline’s responsibility for the costs of a new flight ends.
• If the airline only offers a refund, it remains liable for the additional reasonable costs of a new flight.

If you are unable to reach the airline within a reasonable time and must make your own arrangements, it is important that you can later show that you tried to contact the airline first.

Keep written evidence of your contact attempts, such as:

• screenshots of chat conversations
• call logs or other similar records

If the airline fails to respond and you incur costs because of urgent new travel arrangements, you may submit a claim for damages to the airline afterwards. Reimbursability and the amount of damages are assessed on a case‑by‑case basis.

More information on our website: Flight cancellation

Standard compensation compensates for loss of time. Your entitlement depends on the reason for the cancellation and when you were informed of it.

• If the cancellation is caused by extraordinary circumstances (for example, airspace closure), standard compensation is not paid.
• If the circumstances are not extraordinary, you may be entitled to standard compensation.

You are not entitled to standard compensation if the cancellation was notified at least two weeks before the scheduled departure time.

Read also FAQ Standard compensation and extraordinary circumstances 

More information on our website: Flight cancellation

You may claim damages from the airline for accommodation costs that became unusable due to a flight cancellation. However, you are usually not entitled to damages if the cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances such as government measures, airspace restrictions or serious security problems.

The airline must nevertheless be able to prove the cause of the cancellation and justify its actions.

You can also check with your insurance company whether your travel insurance covers accommodation‑related costs.

More information on our website: Liability for damage caused by delayed flight

If you cannot reach your accommodation because your flight was cancelled, check the cancellation conditions of the accommodation booking.

Accommodation services do not include a statutory right of cancellation. However, some accommodation providers allow cancellations or changes to bookings. Practices may vary between countries.

Even if the cancellation terms do not allow cancellation or modification of the booking, you can attempt to negotiate a refund or other compensation with the accommodation provider.

Cancellation terms may be adjusted if they lead to an unreasonable situation for the consumer. When assessing unreasonableness, factors such as the reason for the cancellation and its unforeseeability are taken into account.

• For example, charging the full contract price may be unreasonable if the cancellation is due to circumstances beyond your control that you could not foresee when concluding the contract and which prevent you from using the service. In such cases, it may be justified to reduce the contract price to some extent.
• An assessment of unreasonableness is always based on an overall case‑by‑case evaluation. You are therefore not automatically entitled to any refund, even if you cannot travel to the accommodation.

More information on our website: Accommodation services

 

While waiting for a delayed flight, you have the right to care provided by the airline.

The airline must arrange, for example:

• meals and refreshments in reasonable relation to the waiting time
• accommodation if an additional overnight stay is necessary
• transport between the accommodation and the airport

If the airline fails to fulfil its duty of care and you have to arrange these services yourself, keep all receipts.

You may claim damages from the airline for reasonable, appropriate and necessary costs.

More information on our website: Delayed flight

If only part of the flights under the same booking is cancelled but the cancellation affects the completion of the entire journey, you are entitled to assistance and, where applicable, compensation in relation to the whole trip.

This applies if:

• all flights were booked under a single booking reference, and
• the cancellation prevents the trip from continuing or being carried out as planned.

More information on our website: Flight cancellation

If a flight booked under a separate booking reference is cancelled, you are entitled to assistance and compensation only in relation to that specific flight. Other separately booked flights are not automatically covered by the same rights.

For example, if the outbound flight is cancelled but the return flight was booked separately, the return flight remains valid and is not automatically cancelled.

If, due to a cancelled separately booked connecting flight, you cannot reach your destination and your return flight therefore becomes unnecessary, see also the question Can I cancel my accommodation booking and get a refund?

More information on our website: Flight cancellation

Purchasing a flight through an intermediary does not affect your right to a full refund of the ticket price.

Even if you bought the flight through a travel agent, you may always submit a refund claim directly to the airline.

The travel agent may charge a handling fee only if:

• you specifically ask the agent to request the refund on your behalf, and
• the handling fee was clearly communicated to you in advance.

Any compensation depends on the terms and conditions of your travel insurance.

Check your insurance policy or contact your insurance company directly for more information.

Read instructions on how to submit a complaint on the page Filing a complaint about a flight

The organiser may increase the price of a travel package after the contract has been concluded if transport costs increase due to rising fuel prices.

The right to increase the price must be laid down in the contract terms. The terms must also grant the traveller a corresponding right to a price reduction if the relevant costs decrease after the contract has been concluded.

The price increase must not exceed the actual increase in costs, and the organiser must notify the traveller on a durable medium no later than 20 days before the start of the trip.

If the price increase exceeds 8% of the total price of the travel package, the traveller may cancel the trip without a cancellation fee within a reasonable time.

Read more on our website: Changing a travel package

The organiser is responsible for the performance of the package travel contract.

If a flight included in the travel package is cancelled, the organiser must arrange replacement transport.

The organiser may not charge the traveller an additional fee, even if the replacement transport is more expensive than the original arrangement.

Read more on our website: Changing a travel package

 

If the departure date changes or the travel time is extended, this may constitute a lack of conformity in the performance of the package travel contract.

Changes to transport schedules may entitle the traveller to a price reduction or to terminate the contract.

The organiser may cancel the trip if unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances prevent the trip from being carried out as agreed, for example if arranging replacement transport is not possible.

Significant changes may entitle the traveller to cancel the trip.
See also: When is a change to the flight schedule so significant that it entitles the traveller to cancel the trip?

More information on our website:

• Package travel defects and refunds
• General Terms and Conditions for Package Travel

If a change to the flight schedule significantly affects the content or duration of the trip, it constitutes a change that entitles the traveller to a price reduction or to cancel the trip.

• If, before the start of the trip, the organiser must make significant changes to the main characteristics of the travel services, the organiser must inform the traveller clearly and without undue delay. The notification must also state that the traveller is deemed to have accepted the changes if they do not cancel the contract within the time limit specified.
• If significant changes are announced, the traveller has the right to cancel the trip free of charge within the reasonable time specified by the organiser.

A significant change may include, for example:

• changes to departure or arrival times that cause considerable inconvenience or additional costs, such as rearranging transport or accommodation
• a change of means of transport that significantly increases travel time
• flights agreed as daytime flights being changed to night flights, for example when a return flight scheduled for the afternoon is moved to after midnight

More information on our website: General Terms and Conditions for Package Travel

As a rule, loss of earnings is not compensated if the delay is caused by extraordinary circumstances, such as weather conditions or a security situation. The assessment of extraordinary circumstances is always case‑specific.

If the delay is caused by the actions or omission of the organiser or the airline, compensation for loss of earnings may be possible.

Loss of earnings can be proven, for example, with a certificate from the employer showing withheld wages.

More information on our website: Package travel defects and refunds

A traveller may cancel a package travel contract without cancellation fees if unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances occur at the destination or its immediate vicinity and significantly affect transport to the destination or the performance of the trip as agreed.

Read more on our website: Cancellation of a package travel contract

The organiser has the right to cancel the trip if unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances prevent the trip from being carried out as agreed.

The organiser must notify the traveller of the cancellation without undue delay before the start of the trip and refund the price of the trip no later than 14 days after cancellation.

Read more on our website: Cancellation of a package travel contract

If the traveller cancels the trip due to conditions at the destination, they must be able to justify why the performance of the trip as agreed would likely be significantly hindered.

• The justification may include travel recommendations issued by authorities.
• A traveller may not cancel free of charge on the basis of extraordinary circumstances that were already known at the time of booking. However, if the situation significantly deteriorates after booking, the traveller may have the right to cancel free of charge.

The assessment must be based on factual information, such as official statements and reporting on developments in the Middle East.

Recommendations issued by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs may support the assessment but do not alone determine the right to cancel the trip without termination fee.

Read more on our website: Cancellation of a package travel contract