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Sources used: dpa-tmn news agency
Thomas Cook is broke – but the German subsidiary Condor flies on. State aid may be necessary to keep it that way. But that may not be the only way out for the airline.
The bankruptcy of the travel group Thomas Cook also unsettles passengers of the German airline subsidiary Condor. But she wants to fly on for the time being – possibly with a loan from the state.
Federal government examines bridging loan for Condor
"Many passengers at the larger airport locations in Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hanover, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich and Stuttgart are affected", announced the Working Group of German Airports on Monday. But one thing is certain: Condor will continue to fly for the time being. The federal government is examining whether to grant the previously profitable airline a bridging loan. That could possibly prevent them from falling into a slanting position in the wake of the Thomas Cook bankruptcy.
"We will continue to focus on what we do best: To fly our guests on vacation safely and on time"said Condor boss Ralf Teckentrup. According to the company, 140,000 guests are currently traveling with Thomas Cook’s German tour operator. 21,000 people should leave on Monday and Tuesday. Thomas Cook vacationers who want to fly home on schedule are not affected. You are reportedly being promoted by Condor.
Hessen also wants to participate in support for Condor
Condor has applied for around 200 million euros as a bridging loan, as the German press agency learned from government circles. It should prevent liquidity bottlenecks. On average, less than a fifth of Condor passengers are guests of the Thomas Cook tour operator brands.
The Hessian state government promised additional help for the company based in Frankfurt am Main. "In principle, we are open to helping Condor to bridge the current crisis together with the federal government, for example by providing a supplementary state guarantee", announced the state government.
4,900 people are employed at Condor
The bankruptcy of the Thomas Cook group once again spurred speculation about a sale of Condor. A Lufthansa spokesman did not want to comment on a possible interest of Europe’s largest airline in the German holiday airline on Monday.
Airports and unions supported the company’s request for state aid. The airline has 4,900 employees and operates 58 aircraft. "A healthy and economically stable company in and of itself deserves a fair chance to survive", also emphasized the flight attendant union Ufo, similar to Verdi and the Cockpit Association.
In the last full financial year to the end of September 2018, Condor had generated around 1.8 billion euros in sales and posted a profit of around 43 million euros (EBIT) before deducting interest and taxes.essay about your community For the current financial year, an even better result in ongoing business was expected.
Thomas Cook airlines were already up for sale
After the bankruptcy of Air Berlin in August 2017, the federal government granted a loan of 150 million to keep the airline in the air for the time being and to improve the chances of rescue. Many employees found accommodation with the airline’s buyers, and the loan has now been repaid.
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Thomas Cook put all of its airlines up for sale in February 2019. As a result, Lufthansa made a preliminary purchase offer for Condor in May; their long-haul business in particular seemed attractive to Lufthansa. But after just a few weeks, Lufthansa CFO Ulrik Svensson no longer expected to get a chance at Condor.
The problems of the Lufthansa low-cost brand Eurowings also worsened. "Eurowings will renovate itself, and after that we can talk about acquisitions"Svensson said at the end of June this year.
Sources used: dpa news agency
Hope fades. There seems to be no future for the German Thomas Cook as a whole. This also affects the tour operator’s customers.
The insolvent German tour operator Thomas Cook has canceled trips that have already been booked for the coming year. "Trips by the German Thomas Cook tour operators with a departure date from January 1, 2020, even if they have been paid for in part or in full, cannot be commenced for reasons of insolvency law"announced the company. So far, the travel stop was until the end of December 2019.
Neckermann Reisen and Bucher Reisen are also affected
Package tours from the tour operator brands Thomas Cook Signature, Thomas Cook Signature Finest Selection, Neckermann Reisen, Öger Tours, Bucher Reisen and Air Marin as well as trips booked through Thomas Cook International have been canceled. According to earlier information, around 660,000 holidaymakers had booked for the period up to September 2020.
According to the information, there is so far no reliable offer for the continuation of the company as a whole or for the tour operator business of Thomas Cook Touristik GmbH. For legal reasons, the cessation of operational business operations of Thomas Cook Touristik GmbH, to which Neckermann Reisen, Air Marin and Thomas Cook Signature belong, is being prepared on December 1, 2019, as the company had already announced.
Booked trips cannot be guaranteed
The management and the provisional insolvency administrators tried, however, under high pressure to use every opportunity that presented themselves to maintain the traditional company until the end of the month. There are specific offers for Bucher Reisen & Öger Tours GmbH, nevertheless the implementation of the booked trips cannot be guaranteed.
Competitor DER Touristik, in turn, is aiming to take over the Sentido hotel brand and purchase the Holiday Land travel agency franchise brand.
Holiday guests should be compensated from December
The holiday guests affected by the bankruptcy are to be compensated from December onwards. It is clear, however, that the insured sum is nowhere near enough and that the injured party only gets part of their expenses back. The German Thomas Cook was only insured up to 110 million euros with the insurer Zurich. At the time of the bankruptcy, 140,000 travelers were traveling, some of whom had to cancel their vacation. In addition, there are guests who cannot start because of the travel stop but have already paid for their vacation in full or in full.
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The travel company was drawn into the wake of the British mother’s bankruptcy. The German Thomas Cook filed for bankruptcy on September 25th.
Sources used: dpa news agency
During the high season, Thailand is hit by a strong storm. Life on the peninsula stands still. What is the situation like for vacationers and what rights do they have?
Tropical storm Pabuk keeps Thailand in suspense. According to the German Travel Association (DRV), there are currently around 30,000 German vacationers across the country, including around 15,000 guests with tour operators – only some of them are in the potentially affected areas.
What vacationers in Thailand have to consider
The Federal Foreign Office warns travelers of strong winds, heavy rain and possibly also tidal waves in the south of the country, including the island of Koh Samui. Travelers must expect disruptions in air and ferry traffic. Those affected are advised to follow the local media, stay in close contact with the tour operators or the airline and follow the instructions of the local authorities.
"So far the situation is manageable", says Torsten Schäfer from DRV. Air traffic from Germany runs smoothly to the Bangkok hub. Individual islands could be difficult to reach, for example the airport of Koh Samui is closed as a precaution. If the travel destination cannot be reached, the booking may be changed to a later date, the tour operators usually accommodate the package holidaymakers in hotels at their own expense. Occasionally there were also changes to other hotels.
How tour operators deal with the storm
The situation is more difficult for individual travelers, they usually have to bear their own costs or are dependent on the airline’s goodwill when rebooking.
The tour operator Tui informs its guests via the respective tour guide and via SMS. "Holidaymakers are also required to follow the hotel’s instructions"says the company. In addition, all excursions on Koh Samui have been canceled for the time being. The restrictions initially applied until Saturday.
Thomas Cook thinks similarly. Guests were asked to stay away from the beaches and follow instructions from hotels and authorities. Some trips were canceled until January 6th. Guests affected by the closure of Koh Samui Airport would be looked after and accommodated in a hotel.
These are your rights in the event of flight cancellations
As a rule, individual and package travelers do not have a right to compensation for flight cancellations due to the tropical storm Pabuk over Thailand. The travel lawyer Paul Degott from Hanover points this out.
The EU passenger rights regulation provides for a compensation payment for canceled flights, which amounts to 600 euros per person for long-haul flights such as to Thailand. "But the airlines can exempt themselves from the obligation to pay if they can refer to extraordinary circumstances"explains Degott. "To do this, they have to be able to specifically prove that they could not fly to an airport." This is the case, for example, when air traffic control on site limits landings or an airport is completely closed. Precautionary cancellation of trips by the airlines are not a sufficient reason.
When you can resign
Anyone who has booked a package tour to an island ravaged by the storm is similarly affected: If the organizer can prove extraordinary circumstances for the cancellation of the trip, there is no claim to compensation.
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But if the organizer flies the vacationers to Bangkok, for example, and makes a stopover there, he remains subject to the obligation, says Degott. If he can then not continue the trip or offers alternatives, according to Degott, vacationers can reduce the price of the trip. Even if it goes to an equivalent vacation spot, it is possible – it’s not about whether an inferior vacation is offered, but simply about the fact that it is not the preferred location.
If the departure from Europe is delayed by one day due to the storm, for example, the holidaymaker can withdraw from the trip – without cancellation costs.
Sources used: dpa news agency
Good news for travelers with Thomas Cook: You can apply for compensation from Wednesday. There are a few requirements to get it. An overview.
Customers of the insolvent tour operator Thomas Cook have been able to apply for a reimbursement from the federal government online since Wednesday. You can find the relevant application pages on the homepage of the Federal Ministry of Justice.
Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) told ARD: "For reasons of protection of trust, we will voluntarily compensate customers who have suffered damage the difference between their payments and what they have received back from another party." According to the Ministry of Justice, a total of 225 million euros has been earmarked for this.
The federal government announced in December that it would step in because Thomas Cook’s insolvency insurance was insufficient to compensate customers. The German Thomas Cook had slipped into crisis due to the bankruptcy of the British parent company and filed for bankruptcy at the end of September.
Customers must meet these requirements
The liability for the customer money safeguard, the Zurich insurance, is legally limited to 110 million euros per financial year. Therefore, Zurich does not cover all claims made – it only reimburses customers 17.5 percent.
According to the Federal Ministry of Justice, the prerequisite for a payment from the federal government is that those affected have already submitted their claims to Zurich Insurance and have registered them with the insolvency administrator. Only the costs of the package tour that have not yet been reimbursed and any food, accommodation or transport expenses that holidaymakers had to pay again on site due to insolvency are taken over.
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The situation is different if, on the other hand, those affected had rented a car for excursions in addition to the travel contract: If they were unable to use it, this amount cannot be claimed for the reimbursement.
Sources used: AFP news agency Federal Ministry of Justice
A 34-year-old is on trial in Limburg for allegedly running over his wife and then attacking him with a hatchet and ax. Now he is the first to comment on the throws.
In the murder trial of the brutal attack with an ax on a woman in the middle of Limburg, the accused partially described the crime. The 34-year-old admitted to the Limburg regional court on Wednesday that he had driven towards his wife from behind in a rental car. It all happened very quickly. He switched off the driver assistance systems, closed his eyes and screamed, the defendant said. "I think I didn’t brake."
He does not remember the further course of the crime. He remembered screams, a cell phone next to a bag and that his wife was lying under the car. "I am sorry"said the defendant.
Strikes with ax and hatchet
The public prosecutor’s office accuses the defendant of, among other things, insidious and low-motivated murder. According to the indictment, the German citizen hit his 31-year-old wife in a rented car in October 2019 and then hit her with a hatchet and an ax.