IFTTA News Update

• USA: DOT fines Virgin America for failing to make safety videos accessible to passengers with hearing impairments; 
• Australia: hotel not liable for security guard; 
• ECJ: the special VAT scheme for travel agents is not limited to sales of travel services to travellers;
• ECJ: Delayed rail passsengers are entitled to a partial price refund - even in cases of force majeure; 
• German Supreme Court: "bird strike" constitutes "extraordinary cicumstances"; 
• Germany: Supreme Court reconfirms compensation for missed connecting flight; 
• Canada: CTA orders Air Canada and Porter Airlines to revise domestic tariff provisions; 
• USA: “dirtiest hotel in America” not defamatory; 
• UK: Virgin Atlantic looses dispute over flat bed airline seat patent;
• USA: New Jersey judge dismisses hotel waitresses' gender discrimination claim; 
• Committee on Transport and Tourism of the European Parliament publishes Draft Report on the Commission's proposal for a new Air Passenger Rights Regulation; 
• Canada: CTA decides on overbooking - and finds European compensation system unreasonable;
• U.S. Court: American citizens have a constitutionally protected right to travel by air; 
• USA: DOT fines ticket agents for code-share disclosure violations; 
• Egypt: tourism minister sends message to travel industry via YouTube; 
• U.S. travel industry worried about anti-gay law in Russia; 
• USA: DOT releases guidance for Internet flight-search tools;
• German court requests ECJ preliminary ruling with regard to passport data;
• UK: OFT consults on proposed hotel booking commitments;
• IFTTA Law Review 2-2013 available online; 
• Canada: Federal Court of Appeal decides on exclusivity of Montreal Convention liabiliy rules;
• USA: equal rights for same-sex spouses in visa applications;
• German Supreme Court asks ECJ for interpretation of article 12 of Reg. 261/2004; 
• Recent EU Implementing Regulations in aviation matters; 
• Austrian Supreme Court: "bad weather" not enough to release air carrier from compensation for cancellation; 
• Italy: OTAs succeed against Ryanair over website access;
•  New Package Travel Directive; 
• Austrian Supreme Court: ticket office must disclose commission; 
• USA: DOT fines Delta for violating Denied Boarding Rules; 
• German court asks ECJ to clarify offsetting rules in Air Passenger Rights Regulation; 
• Tourist’s rights and duties in Belo Horizonte, Brazil; 
• USA: DOT fines ticket agent for violating code-share disclosure rules; 
• Austria: Supreme Court decides on travel insurance; 
• USA: Cruise industry adopts passenger bill of rights; 
• California: Delta wins in mobile app case; 
• UK: Civil Aviation Authority and Office of Fair Trading warn travel industry not to mislead consumers; 
• IFTTA Law Review 1-2013 available online; 
• German Supreme Court: air passengers entitled to compensation for missed connecting flight; 
• CJEU: "Sturgeon" judgement did not infringe the principle of separation of powers; 
• Germany: Supreme court decides on malperformance of Greenland cruise; 
• New German reference for ECJ preliminary ruling regarding Air Passenger Rights Regulation; 
• Swiss Ferderal Court: yacht charter including crew does not constitute a travel package; 
• Report on new tourism legislation in China; 
• USA: Metropolitan Museum of Art sued over admissions fee policy; 
• German court: lessor of holiday apartment must include costs of final cleaning into the advertised price; 
• USA: DOT fines Alitalia for deceptive practices; 
• EU: MEPs welcome Commission proposal on air passenger rights; 
• UK to implement new Air Passenger Duty; 
• USA: Appeals Court Revives Wheelchair Lawsuit vs. United Airlines;

IFTTA News - Recent Items

• USA: Federal Aviation Administration to reexamine passenger use of portable electronic devices on board aircraft;
•  CJEU: no distance contract required for consumer forum pursuant to Brussels I Regulation; 
• USA: court decides on passenger complaint against cruise ship operator; 
• USA: defamation lawsuit against TripAdvisor dismissed; 
• Bulgaria: new tourism legislation in parliament; 
• California: new law allows travel agents to sell travel insurance; 
• Australia: Indonesian national airline not immune from legal action by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission; 
• USA: cruise ship forum-selection clause upheld;
• Germany: one more reference for ECJ preliminary ruling on Reg. (EC) 261/2004; 
• Florida: Costa Concordia lawsuit dismissed; 
• European Court of Justice decides in two denied boarding cases; 
• Austria: reference for ECJ preliminary ruling on Brussels I-Regulation; 
• Travel Agent Arbiter in US Digitizes all substantive decisions; 
• Single European Sky: 10 years on and still not delivering; 
• German Supreme Court: no air transport contract for passenger "Still Unknown"; 
• UK: Birmingham County Court decides in broken glass door case; 
• ECJ reconfirms "Sturgeon" decision; 
• Germany: Supreme Court decides on international jurisdiction with regard to letting of holiday homes; 
• ECJ decides on VAT taxation of in-house transport services provided by a travel agent; 
• Austrian Supreme Court: domain "hotel.eu" registered in bad faith; 
• German Supreme Court: no compensation from non-EU carrier for delay of connecting fligth departing from non-EU airport; 
• Germany: court decides that airline can ban OTA from access to its booking website; 
• CLIA: new safety policies for global cruise industry; 
• ECJ clarifies time limit for court actions under EU Air Passenger Rights Regulation; 
• ECJ: Rail passengers must be given information on main connecting services, whichever railway undertaking operates them; 
• ECJ decides on airlines' liability for checked baggage pursuant to the Montreal Convention; 
• U.S.-DOT: new rules for charter operators;
• Canada: class action over expiring loyalty program points; 
• USA: DOT fines Travelzoo for violation of Code-Share Disclosure Rules; 
• USA: Federal Trade Commission requires hotels to disclose all mandatory surcharges; 
• EU-Commission updates Airline Blacklist; 
• USA: DOT fines Vision Airlines for charter violations; 
• IFTTA Law Review 3-2012 available online; 
• California: Attorney General files Law Suit against Delta Airlines over mobile app; 
• German Supreme Court: consumer entitled to cancel cruise to the Caribbean because of ash cloud preventing him to fly; 
• USA: airlines to challenge DOT advertising rule before U. S. Supreme Court; 
• USA: DOT collected USD 3.6 M in fines for air passenger rule violations in 2012