Minister Kamp of Economic Affairs will investigate whether consumers can transfer unused airline tickets to other travelers.
Consumers who cancel their flight, for example out of fear of the Zika virus or terrorist attacks, have lost their money in most cases. Such situations are not covered by cancellation insurance, and airlines often charge 100% cancellation costs. Consumers with a package holiday (flight and hotel) may, in the event of cancellation, transfer their trip – under certain conditions – to someone else. Airlines do not allow this with a separate flight ticket.
The Consumers' Association finds this legal inequality between a package holiday and a single flight unacceptable and in May 2016 started the Ticket Trouble? Money gone! Together with travel marketplace Tradeyourtrip, signatures were collected in order to put the subject on the agenda of the House of Representatives through a citizens' initiative. That has now succeeded.
Minister Kamp has indicated that he will enter into talks with the Consumers' Association and sector organizations such as the ANVR and Barin and airlines. In his research, the minister will look, among other things, at the susceptibility to fraud, security and the price effects of the transfer of airline tickets.
The Consumers' Association has now collected 21.588 signatures, at Tradeyourtrip the counter is at 12.625. Consumers can still support the promotion.
Source: Consumer Association
Minister Kamp and investigate something…. DUH!
Minister Kamp is responsible for Economic Affairs and has made it very clear in recent years that he is mainly there for the companies. Employees, consumers and citizens are not interesting to him. This research will therefore also show that transferring tickets is not desirable due to safety (the standard clincher nowadays) and “European rules” (2nd standard clincher).
KLM (and others) earns money from it, so Kamp is really not going to tackle this, because that's how Henk Kamp rolls.
Available at most companies. Usually costs 100$ for the name change.
I doubt whether the flight period can also be changed. I doubt whether that minister can intervene in the way in which international fimas conduct their policy. Possibly with help from Europe.
That's just the point, isn't it?
They should allow it ("instead"), but you don't want to know how difficult they are about it, because it may end up with sky-high costs. The low-cost airlines in particular use this tactic (in fact, that is actually what their business model is all about; “selling” as many extras as possible, because flying to London for € 10 is not possible, of course, but if you have high costs charges for seat reservation, priority boarding, baggage, rebooking costs, costs for printing the boarding pass at the airport, etc., then you will get there).
Minister Kamp can simply prohibit this, but the question is whether he wants to. Probably not, because the management of KLM/Transavia will be on the phone the same day… Trade is trade, of course, and you shouldn't think about the fact that the Dutch economy is missing out on a euro. At European level it is even more complicated; Ryanair is a champion of these ridiculous surcharges, so the Irish government will never allow this. For example, every country has a low-cost airline (just about the only profitable airline companies in Europe), so they are not going to kill the goose with the golden eggs
The flight period can also be changed for a varying amount per company ... partly administration costs and partly an increased price for the flight when it falls in a more expensive period. Have experience with that. Usually around $100 indeed. Here, too, insurance companies can pay those costs in the event of calamities. The consumer association is very crooked here. The mosquito is blown up to an elephant .... become a member but Henk keeps your leg stiff.
In my humble opinion, this cannot be regulated nationally, but only in a much broader context.
In a sense, 'losing the money when canceling a flight' is also a personal choice. When you buy a fully flexible 'full-fare' ticket – for which you do pay considerably more – the ticket price is fully refunded in case of cancellation.
This seems like a very bad idea to me… smart guys/girls are going to buy cheap tickets and sell them on the internet at a much higher price via Marktplaats etc. Concert tickets already provide a bad example of this that does not deserve imitation. I fully agree with Cornelis, in addition, there is travel insurance, cancellation insurance, etc. in case of calamities. I have flown many times and have never felt the need to change anything. And if you make a mistake in the name when booking, it can often be changed by telephone for free, as I recently experienced at Budget Air. Don't camp ud is my advice. The exceptions, which are insurable, should not determine the general rule. Do we want more or less rules (Dan je Geert W.) .
Well, I believe that would be the first good measure taken by the Rutte government. I would support the transfer of tickets, whether or not for a small administration fee, in any case.