as summer approaches, the Tourism and Travel mediator can be contacted in the event of a dispute

Any consumer who encounters a difficulty with a service or package with a tourism agency, a tour operator or an airline can contact the Tourism and Travel Mediator, a public service set up by the State in 2012. With the Covid crisis in 2020, requests for mediation had doubled, the health crisis had led to cancellations, repatriations and other exceptional circumstances. Since then, even if the number of appeals has fallen slightly, it remains high. Around 18,000 appeals were recorded in 2023.

Security issues, epidemics or natural disasters top the list of complaints. Cancellations of travel contracts are becoming more and more frequent, due to geopolitical tensions. But the files filed primarily concern disputes related to air transport (40% of cases). A little more than half of the disputes concern delays, cancellations or overbooking, with too many reservations at the base and boarding capacities which do not keep up. As for the loss or damage of baggage, it represents 10% of disputes.

The government’s “Mr. Problem” in matters of travel works to resolve disputes as best as possible, but he comes up against the reality of the situation. For example, it is difficult to win a case against an airline which is itself a prisoner of the conditions for transporting travelers to a particular country. These conditions may evolve depending on local political situations which may change at the last minute. Today, the main objective is to streamline file management to reduce dispute processing times. Vigilance must be reinforced on the eve of the summer holidays and there is a website to consult to contact the mediator: service-public.fr, Tourism and Travel mediator.