If part of a flight is cancelled, customers are entitled to reimbursement of the costs of the entire outbound and return flight, according to a ruling by the Federal Court of Justice (BGH). The prerequisite is that the flights are part of a single booking for which a single ticket has been issued. According to the decision published on Thursday, this applies regardless of the location from which the return flight was planned. (Az. X ZR 91/22)

In the specific case, the passengers had booked tickets for flights from Munich via Madrid (Spain) and Bogotá (Colombia) to Quito (Ecuador) and for return flights from Quito via Bogotá to Munich for a total of 4881 euros through a travel agency. An airline cancelled the outbound flight to Madrid. The plaintiffs wanted the entire amount from the company that did not pay.

The district court in Erding, Upper Bavaria, upheld the lawsuit. The air carrier's appeal against this decision at the Landshut Regional Court was unsuccessful. The Federal Court of Justice has now rejected the appeal. The explanations state that the right to reimbursement applies to the costs at the price at which the ticket was purchased. This applies both to parts of the journey that have not been completed and to those that have already been completed "if the flight has become pointless with regard to the passenger's original travel plan".