The German Judges’ Union supports the plans put forward by Federal Minister of Justice Stefanie Hubig (SPD) to simplify mediation processes for flight passenger complaints. Sven Rebehn, the Federal Spokesman, told the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger” that these changes “strengthen consumer rights, allowing air travelers to enforce their claims for compensation due to delayed or cancelled flights outside of court more quickly.” He added that current regulations for the mediation bodies are sometimes too complicated, causing delays in decision-making. Rebehn stressed that only by allowing consumers rapid and easy access to justice would mediation procedures for travel and air transport cases gain further traction.
Minister Hubig plans to introduce a draft regulation for a more flexible mediation procedure through the Federal Office of Justice this Friday. According to the Minister, “We want more air travel disputes to be solved through mediation, and we are creating the right incentives for this. That’s why we are making the procedures more flexible while also ensuring that it is not worth it for airlines to simply drag out the mediation process.”
Currently, when flight passengers contact the Federal Office of Justice’s (BfJ) mediation body, it must in every case draft a mediation proposal, even if the airline fails to respond at all. The new regulation proposes that the mediation body can waive a proposal at its own discretion. This time saving is intended to benefit cases where a settlement is realistic.
Rebehn hopes that the new mediation ordinance will help relieve the pressure on district courts, which are expected to handle more than 100,000 compensation claims from passengers against airlines this year alone.
