The Minister of Transport of Lower Saxony, Bernd Altusmann, made a proposal on implementation of the Pay As You Fly — “pay when you fly” (PAYF), whereby passengers only pay for air tickets at check-in.
According to a report in the German business magazine Handelsblatt, the Federal Ministry for the Environment and Consumer Protection has accepted the proposal. It will be on the agenda of the next government meeting on September 16.
Supporters of the new system believe that its implementation will only lead to minimal additional costs for airlines, but travelers will be spared the headache of refunding money for tickets.
The German Business Travel Association (VDR), which has been promoting the PAYF model since 2021, also welcomed the initiative of the Saxons: “Prepayment for air travel — this is an outdated system that should be replaced by fast electronic payment just before departure, — said VDR President Christophe Carnier. In this way, the bureaucratic procedures associated with canceling bookings and obtaining refunds will be avoided, which means that this step “will be in the real interests of consumers.”
In March 2021, Lufthansa introduced a pre-departure ticket payment system for European businesses -clients. At the same time, tickets under this program had a higher cost.
VDR suggests that other airlines follow the example of Lufthansa and initially provide passengers with an additional payment option at check-in in order to test the pros and cons of such a system before its wide implementation.