Measures to strengthen consumer interests were agreed upon at the first so-called “Flight Summit” in October 2018. On behalf of Bundesministerium der Justiz und für Verbraucherschutz, nexus is investigating whether or not, and to what extent, six major German airlines have implemented these measures.

The investigation focuses on specific measures designed to strengthen the rights of consumers, such as the provision of a central and comprehensive source of information on flight delays, cancellations, and compensation options, as well as information on the EU Passenger Regulations. To this end, a nexus researcher, in conjunction with a heterogeneous group of test subjects, is examining three communication channels of the airlines: the website, smartphone app, and telephone hotline. In addition, nexus asks the airlines and the airline association ADV about their own assessment of the implementation status.

The reasoning underlying this investigation is derived from the significant rise in delayed and cancelled flights in recent years, for which over 2.6 million passengers were entitled to compensation.

Duration: 08/2019 – 09/2019
Client: Bundesministerium der Justiz und für Verbraucherschutz
Team: Prof. Dr. Hans-Liudger Dienel (Project manager), Milena Groß, Dr. Angela Jain
Project partner: Prof. Dr. Ansgar Staudinger, Bielefeld University

Picture: Skitterphoto / Pexels