Almost ten weeks after FTI filed for bankruptcy (Monday, June 3, 2024), the German Guarantee Fund (DRSF) will start refunding duped customers who have booked a package holiday. It concerns more than 215,000 cancelled package holidays from guests from more than 40 countries, from companies that belonged to the FTI Group. In addition, there are 60,000 to 65,000 package travellers who were already on holiday with FTI at the time of the bankruptcy and, for example, had to pay for their hotel stay again. The guarantee does not apply to separately booked travel services, such as individual hotel bookings. The total damage to be repaid would amount to a triple-digit million amount. Der Deutsche Reisesicherungsfonds (DRSF) speaks of probably “one of the largest consumer protection refund processes in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany”. The DRSF says it is actively contacting all eligible individuals for whom it has the necessary contact information. Customers with at least two means of authentication, such as email address and mobile number, will be the first to be considered. Eligible consumers for whom the German guarantee fund does not have the necessary contact details can register on the DRSF website. Customers must be able to present a booking confirmation, receipts and a travel insurance certificate from DRSF. The DRSF had previously announced that the bulk of the refunds would be completed by the fall. Dutch figures In Germany, FTI would have (had) about 700,000 passengers this summer, sources report to TravMagazine. In the Netherlands, this would involve a total of 60,000 passengers, not only package holidays, but also individual flights and individual hotel bookings. FTI filed for bankruptcy on June 3 this year after a takeover by investor Certares, which seemed to save the ailing FTI, was cancelled after all. (Photo: Shutterstock). Read here the column that Mr. Nick de Leeuw in response to the collapse of FTI.
