The European Court of Justice (ECJ) strengthens the rights of holidaymakers in the event of corona restrictions.
Under certain circumstances, package travelers can request their money back if the trip was thwarted by corona measures.
The ECJ decided on Thursday in Luxembourg.
The background is a case from Germany.
The plaintiffs booked a two-week trip to the Canary Islands in March 2020.
Two days after their arrival there, the beaches were closed and a curfew imposed due to the corona pandemic.
Access to pools and loungers was forbidden in the hotel, and the animation program was completely stopped.
The trip ended after seven days – so much earlier than planned.
The plaintiffs then only wanted to pay 30 percent of the price for the vacation.
The tour operator refused because he didn't have to take responsibility for such a "general life risk".
Under EU law, holidaymakers are entitled to a reduction in the price of the holiday if the package tour fails to conform with the contract - unless the tour operator can prove that the non-conformity was the fault of the traveller.
The ECJ should now clarify whether the corona measures on Gran Canaria were in breach of contract.
The judges made a vacationer-friendly decision: Corona measures can constitute such a breach of contract.
The tour operators must be liable for this, regardless of whether the problems can be attributed to them.
It doesn't matter that similar corona restrictions applied at the same time at home.
The case is now going back to the Munich Regional Court, which must take the ECJ case law into account when making its decision.