The Chamber of Labor (AK) has achieved considerable success in a dispute with the Hungarian cheap airline Wizz Air. The Supreme Court (OGH) declared a total of 111 contractual clauses and practices for illegal. Incredible reimbursements for check-in at the airport, non-transparent regulations to influence vouchers and the automatic conversion of ticket prices in so-called Wizz credits in particular.
A central point of the verdict concerns the check-in reimbursement of 40 euros that has been requested at the airport, which is not sufficiently communicated and is therefore considered unacceptable. The limitation of Wizz gift vouchers up to just twelve months was also classified by the court as illegal, because such deadlines inappropriate consumers’s rights.
The practice of Wizz Air was also particularly problematic not to reimburse the map costs in cash, but to automatically convert credits in Wizz without the affected passengers being agreed.
In addition, the OGH criticized various hidden reimbursements that were included in the general terms and conditions of the airline, as well as non -transparent and difficult contractual clauses. The obligation of the customers to claim compensation claims exclusively via the Wizz Air website or a call center with reimbursements was also declared inadmissible.
The affected can reclaim money
After negotiations with AK, Wizz Air now offers a refund for all affected customers with residence in Austria who have suffered from the non -evil fees and clauses since 2019. Anyone who has paid a check -in rate at the airport can reclaim the full amount. Likewise, it must be replaced by new codes.
In the case of the WIZZ credits, passengers have the choice to fully transfer the amount to an account of their choice or to have credited it on their WIZZ account. To request the reimbursement, those who have been affected can contact Wizz Air directly and assert their claims via the website of the airline.
Wizz Air in Vienna: from the expansion course to withdraw
Wizz Air is one of the largest airlines in Europe and started an aggressive expansion strategy in Vienna in 2018. Due to the low ticket prices, the airline started in direct competition with Ryanair and Austrian airlines and quickly expanded his basis at Vienna-Schwechat airport. Within a few years the company stationed various aircraft in Vienna and offered numerous new flight connections.
However, the expansion also had dark sides. Complaints about hidden costs, unclear contractual conditions and difficult reimbursement procedures increased rapidly. As early as 2022, Wizz Air was warned by the AK because the airline only repaid the ticket costs in the form of Wizz -credits during the COVID 19 -Pandemie, instead of offering the passengers a payment.
The affected must now be fast
In 2023 the withdrawal eventually came: Wizz Air largely put flying activities in Vienna and moved the machines that were stationed to other locations there. Despite this decision, the airline remains active with a few connections on the Austrian market. The current judgment of the OGH now finally confirms that many of the earlier business practices of the airline were not right. The AK advises all affected passengers to apply their claims as quickly as possible.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
