Post by xyz3700 on Feb 27, 2024 2:02:53 GMT -5
The crisis at Avianca Brasil left the airline market and the tourist services chain in chaos. It has been six months since the airline filed for Judicial Recovery in December 2018. Since April, thousands of flights have been canceled and, obviously, many customers are dissatisfied as they purchased a service that was not delivered. In this soap opera, which has already had its chapters extended too long, travel agencies and tour operators are paying a huge bill, which was not originated by them. It is worth highlighting that the two biggest and inherent obligations of any and all travel agencies are the duty to provide information and provide assistance to the consumer. In this sense, it is a paradox to say that companies in the segment are disregarding their main obligations.
To give you an idea, travel agencies and operators have tripled their service departments and support areas, including on weekends and holidays. Exclusive teams, even legal ones, were established to meet passenger demands as a result of the chaos created by Avianca Brasil. As if the loss that these companies will have in cash were not enough, article 7 of the Consumer Protection Code is being applied to say that Chinese Malaysia Phone Number List agencies and travel operators are jointly liable to consumers. In other words, although the provision of transport is the responsibility of Avianca Brasil, which is the real and final recipient of the service, the act of transport, the law says that, if the purchase of air tickets was intermediated by travel agencies or operators of tourism, they must be jointly and severally liable for all losses caused to a consumer.
This factual and legal context is a real danger for the tourist services market, even bringing consequences for the consumer in general. In other words, such a risk arises because the travel distribution service chain could inevitably collapse. This is because these companies act as intermediaries in the acquisition of airline tickets or tourist packages, receiving, on average, only 5% or 10% of the value of these tickets. In the current scenario, companies in this segment will end up responding and paying compensation that exceeds 10 times the original value of the ticket or trip. Summary of the opera, the Avianca tsunami will send the travel and tourism intermediation service chain into the mud. At this moment, the important role of the Judiciary is to envision, more than ever, real consumer protection. After all, if the service chain annihilates its cash flow, other bankruptcies will follow.
To give you an idea, travel agencies and operators have tripled their service departments and support areas, including on weekends and holidays. Exclusive teams, even legal ones, were established to meet passenger demands as a result of the chaos created by Avianca Brasil. As if the loss that these companies will have in cash were not enough, article 7 of the Consumer Protection Code is being applied to say that Chinese Malaysia Phone Number List agencies and travel operators are jointly liable to consumers. In other words, although the provision of transport is the responsibility of Avianca Brasil, which is the real and final recipient of the service, the act of transport, the law says that, if the purchase of air tickets was intermediated by travel agencies or operators of tourism, they must be jointly and severally liable for all losses caused to a consumer.
This factual and legal context is a real danger for the tourist services market, even bringing consequences for the consumer in general. In other words, such a risk arises because the travel distribution service chain could inevitably collapse. This is because these companies act as intermediaries in the acquisition of airline tickets or tourist packages, receiving, on average, only 5% or 10% of the value of these tickets. In the current scenario, companies in this segment will end up responding and paying compensation that exceeds 10 times the original value of the ticket or trip. Summary of the opera, the Avianca tsunami will send the travel and tourism intermediation service chain into the mud. At this moment, the important role of the Judiciary is to envision, more than ever, real consumer protection. After all, if the service chain annihilates its cash flow, other bankruptcies will follow.