Advice on purchasing the Deutschlandticket please?
Kevin S
A You are referring to the greatest travel bargain in Europe: unlimited rail journeys in Germany, as well as urban transport by tram, bus and even ferry, for a fixed price of €58 (£48) for a calendar month. You can buy a Deutschlandticket in the first 10 days of any month; I have just bought one for March.
This not a deal for people in a hurry, since the Deutschlandticket does not allow travel on the fastest IC/ICE (InterCity/InterCityExpress) trains. But if you are prepared to make do with slower InterRegonal Expresses (IRE) and local trains, you can travel thousands of miles for only dozens of pounds. I like to think of it as an Interrail ticket for Germany; as when using that pass elsewhere in Europe, to avoid paying more than the basic monthly subscription, simply avoid the quickest trains.
You may have noticed the word 'subscription'. The Deutschlandticket is aimed squarely at a domestic audience, and specifically German commuters. British leisure travellers are welcome, but most of us do not require more than one month at a time. The best source of the Deutschlandticket is the transport organisation based in Bremen: Verkehrsverbund Bremen/Niedersachsen (VBN). Don't worry – no need to type that into a computer. Just search online for FahrPlaner (yes, only one 'n' in the name). Tap 'Tickets' and then select 'Deutschlandticket'. A few more taps and some personal details, plus credit card details, and you will be all set.
The tricky part is that you have technically bought an open-ended subscription. On completion of the transaction, VBN says: 'From now on, you will automatically receive a new ticket every month.' Fortunately, you can expect within minutes to get an email reading: 'If you would like to cancel your Deutschlandticket at the next possible date, please use the following link.' The link says CANCEL SUBSCRIPTION in big letters. Once completed you should get a confirmation email reassuring you that no further payments will be taken.
Two final notes: even if you are planning to travel in the last week or two of the month, you must buy by the 10th of that month. And if your visit straddles two months, eg March to April, you will need a separate Deutschlandticket for each month.
Q I'm cheesed off that easyJet won't refund pre-booked luggage when I have to cancel a flight. Could you fight this?
Mark S
A 'Once you've booked hold luggage we're unable to offer you a refund should you change your mind': that is the blunt message from easyJet. The airline could easily refund baggage charges to passengers who don't travel. But in common with other carriers, it likes to keep the cash from 'ancillaries'. For example, easyJet's rival Ryanair says: 'You will not be able to remove bags from your booking or get a refund once purchased.' One in 20 easyJet passengers is a 'no-show' according to the latest figures I have from the airline. Since many will have paid in advance for baggage, keeping the sum paid for extras as well as the basic fare is a useful revenue stream.
While I think this policy is unfair, I will not campaign against it because there is a reasonable workaround: do not pay for any supplementary services such as baggage or self-selected seats until you are fully committed to your flight. Yes, you may pay slightly more but in my experience, the difference is just a few pounds – and is better than losing perhaps £50 in pre-payments.
One commendable exception to the 'no money back for prepaid baggage' is British Airways, which 'will refund any pre-payment for extra baggage that is cancelled online before check-in'. Note that you must cancel online – and once you have checked in, the money is gone even if you don't fly. BA has a generous policy of two pieces of hand luggage weighing 23kg each; if you have an advance booking with baggage that you could carry on board, you might want to claim a refund now.
Two more points about payments to easyJet. I never pay for specific seats: in my experience, the airline strives to assign people on the same booking together, even if you choose not to pay. Check in as early as possible (free online, up to a month ahead) to maximise the chance of this happening. And if you can't make a flight, easyJet generously refunds Air Passenger Duty in full, without a fuss. Do this through the airline's contact form; select 'Government Tax Refund' from the drop-down menu.
Q I am a frequent business traveller to Germany, specifically to a pharmaceuticals enterprise near Dusseldorf. The visits are rewarding professionally, and also because of the social side. But my family are concerned at what appears to be a relentless series of attacks on pedestrians. Do you think I should reduce my visits? I would be able to do a fair amount of the work virtually.
Name supplied
A I happen to be responding from Germany, specifically from the city of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg. I have spent a couple of hours wandering through the city centre and its notable sights. Naturally my thoughts were with the victims of another tragic attack in Mannheim, south of Frankfurt. It took place on a pedestrianised street in the city, and two people have died. The attack follows similar atrocities last month in Munich, and in December in the city of Magdeburg.
The Foreign Office is currently saying: 'We are aware that a car was driven into a crowd today in Mannheim. If you're in the immediate area you should follow the advice of the local authorities and monitor local media.'
Understandably, everyone (including my family) is concerned about this string of attacks and what it might mean for their loved ones. Doubtless some people will reconsider their travel plans, and also assess their behaviour in the light of the increasing incidents of men intent on mass murder driving vehicles into crowds. Doubtless also the German authorities are redoubling their efforts to protect pedestrians – just as their counterparts in London did following the killings on Westminster and London Bridges.
It is desperately sad to say, but random killing is a phenomenon of our times. Relative to other risks the chances of being caught up in such a tragedy remain extremely unlikely. I will not change my plans, though I will be more conscious of my surroundings. As you evidently enjoy your visits, I suggest you do the same.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
7 hours ago
- The Independent
‘We're stranded in Croatia with a sick mother and 18-month-old baby after UK air traffic systems meltdown'
A family of nine which included an 18-month-old baby and a woman with a heart condition have been left stranded in Croatia after an air traffic systems failure caused widespread chaos across UK airports. Lauren Harding, 36, and her partner had been saving 'for years' for her brother's 40th celebration in Dubrovnik, which was going to be a chance for the wider family to come together on holiday. After travelling to the airport on Wednesday evening, they were left dismayed to receive an email cancelling their 10.30pm EasyJet flight - an hour after it had been due to depart. 'The most horrific part of this situation has been the fact that there was no representation from EasyJet at Dubrovnik airport to relay any information to us regarding the disruption and what this would entail for customers. 'We were unable to book a flight home until 2 August and were then informed by the app that there were no hotels available and we would need to try and find our own accommodation.' Adding to their distress, Mrs Harding's 66-year-old mother suffered a serious heart attack last January, and is now dependent on medication to stabilise her condition. 'As you can imagine, we are extremely upset and anxious,' she said. 'It's bad enough to be delayed, but it's the lack of help and information available that has made this whole ending a complete nightmare. We still have had zero contact and cannot seem to make contact with anyone either.' Due to the limited accommodation in the area, they have now managed to book a room at a three-star hotel, which does not have a cot for their baby. Despite emailing the CEO of EasyJet and their customer services, they are unsure if they will be able to reclaim their lost finances through the airline or through insurance. 'It has been so stressful and exhausting! We're still worried about trying to get medication for mum so not being able to talk to anyone from easyJet has been so unnerving,' she said. 'The children are so worried about the Nan and I know mum is trying to put on a brave face but it feels like she's in a dire situation and not knowing if this could potentially turn into a critical matter. It's horrifying.' The family are now due to return to London Gatwick on Saturday morning, but have now had to budget for an additional three nights. They are not the only passengers to be left disgruntled on Thursday, with Karyn Harris and her husband left waiting at Gatwick for over nine hours to board their flight to Arrecife. They had been due to depart at 6.10am for a summer getaway, but were left with little information throughout the morning, and only given £12 each for the delay from the airline. Another woman has been left devastated after being forced to miss a friend's wedding because her flight was cancelled on Thursday. Monica Clare, 68, from Brentford, west London, was onboard an Aer Lingus plane preparing to take off from Heathrow for Shannon, Ireland, when the problem began. She said the plane remained on the tarmac for about three hours before the captain announced his 'shift was going to finish' so the passengers would need to return to the terminal. The retired maintenance manager returned home after being told Aer Lingus had no available seats on flights which would enable her to attend her friend's wedding in Limerick on Friday. She said other routes, such as travelling to a port and taking a ferry, were impractical and too expensive after already paying out for flights. Ms Clare said: 'I'm absolutely numb. I'm so upset. I'm heartbroken. 'It's disgraceful. I think it's absolutely unbelievable in this day and age that something that went down for 20 minutes has caused havoc like that all over the country. Officials have said a 'radar-related issue' caused the air traffic control (ATC) failure that grounded flights across the UK on Wednesday. National Air Traffic Services (Nats) chief executive Martin Rolfe was summoned to speak with transport secretary Heidi Alexander on Thursday morning, a day after thousands of passengers were disrupted by the technical problem which forced the cancellation of more than 150 flights. A spokesperson for Nats said: 'This was a radar-related issue which was resolved by quickly switching to the back-up system during which time we reduced traffic to ensure safety. 'There is no evidence that this was cyber related.'
Daily Mail
16 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Stranded Brits in chaos after all flights leaving the UK were grounded
Thousands of holidaymakers are experiencing travel chaos after a 'technical issue' caused all flights out of the UK to be grounded. Several major airports were forced to halt operations due to a technical glitch at a National Air Traffic Services (NATS) control centre that left scores of planes stranded on the tarmac. NATS refused to rule out that hostile foreign action or hackers could be behind the incident, adding it was a 'radar-related issue' that was resolved by quickly switching to a back-up system. By the time the system was 'fully operational' again, thousands of passengers were already facing delays of up to five hours, while more than 150 flights to and from the UK were cancelled. Furious passengers were forced to put their holidays on hold after months of planning, while others feared missing out on their loved ones' weddings as a result of the unknown issue. Some desperate Brits are also now facing a nightmarish dilemma of sleeping in airports or splashing out hundreds of pounds on overnight accommodation after being 'dumped' by their airlines at home and overseas. One unhappy holidaymaker, who asked to remain anonymous, was among several Brits stranded in Croatia with his wife and two children on Wednesday night after easyJet cancelled their flight home. 'My wife and two children are now faced with sleeping in Dubrovnik airport along with several other families after easyJet cancelled our flight literally at the last minute,' the father-of-two told the Mail. 'They have been a disgrace and dumped dozens of families, many with young kids, with absolutely no support at all. No rearranged flight or accommodation - their staff made a swift exit after we were told to "download the easyJet app and use that". Needless to say, the app hasn't helped anyone.' He also echoed calls - made by Ryanair's chief operating officer Neal McMahon - for NATS' chief executive Martin Rolfe to resign following the outage. 'I never thought I'd agree with a Ryanair executive, but they are right about this one: NATS chief executive Martin Rolfe is utterly incompetent and needs to be fired - preferably out of a passenger jet engine,' the disgruntled Brit added. John Carr, a chiropodist from Stourbridge, was one of thousands of stranded Brits left in limbo after his flight from Heathrow to Norway was cancelled at the last minute. He and a group of friends were on their way to his brother's wedding, for which he is best man, when he found out after checking in that his flight was cancelled. The 35-year-old told said: 'I'm pretty gutted. We've got loads of stuff in the suitcases to set up the venue, because we're obviously flying to Norway. We've got the wedding rehearsal to do. It's quite stressful.' He said they did not receive any warning of the cancellation before it happened. We had no idea. There was nothing that the airport had said out on the speaker phones, or anything like that,' Mr Carr said. 'There was no warning from them or the airline that said it was cancelled. It's rubbish. There's nothing we can do. We don't know what we're going to do tonight in terms of accommodation. We have put our cars in special car compounds for the next six days.' His friend James Hedges, also from Stourbridge, said the group was in the departures lounge when they were told the flight was cancelled. 'We'd already checked in and gone through the security checks,' he said. Meanwhile Asha, 18, from Manchester, said the chaos had ruined her first holiday interrailing. She told the BBC her 3.10pm easyJet flight to Amsterdam had actually departed and was in the air for 50 minutes – before turning around. Hours later, she said she was still 'stuck' on the tarmac at the city's airport. Another passenger, Jane Ainsworth, told the Daily Mail her flight from Kos back to Birmingham had been forced to land in Brussels. Monica Clare, 68, from London, also had her hopes of watching her loved one walk down the isle thrown into disarray after her Aer Lingus flight from Heathrow to the Republic of Ireland was cancelled. She was flying out to attend the wedding in Limerick at 2.40pm today, but was stranded on the runway for almost three hours, after which passengers were told the flight was cancelled. 'The wedding is in Limerick on Friday but a hotel and hire car are awaiting us tonight, At 5.30pm the captain told us their shift had finished so Aer Lingus HQ in Dublin cancelled the flight,' she told The Telegraph. 'We were told to wait for a phone update about a flight tomorrow but others were told all flights tomorrow are already full. It's totally awful. We probably have to go home and wait to see when the next available flight is. It looks like we're missing the wedding.' Durand Meachem, 49, from North Carolina, was also expecting to fly out of Heathrow on Wednesday with his partner and two daughters to celebrate his 50th birthday. They had hoped to embark continue enjoying a 'trip of a lifetime', encompassing New York, London, Dubai and Thailand, before being caught up in the travel chaos. Chris Birch and his family faced similar turmoil after their flight out to attend a wedding was cancelled due to a shortage of cabin crew. 'At Gatwick for 5 hours for a delayed flight due to crew not being available. Now the flight and holiday is cancelled,' he wrote on X. 'We have been waiting another hour to collect luggage, that has still not appeared. No prams or escalators so parents carrying babies throughout. Our plane was on the tarmac, and luggage on board, we were simply waiting on a crew. We are going to a wedding and we were not given the option of a re-route. This breaks UK law.' Cockpit crews across the country were told the NATS centre in Swanwick, Southampton, had experienced a 'radar failure' at 2.30pm. 'We would appreciate your patience whilst we work through this unforeseen disruption,' they were told, according to The Sun. By 4.43pm, NATS said the issue was resolved but knock-delays will continue, with passengers advised to check with their airline. A statement read: 'Our engineers have now restored the system that was affected this afternoon. 'We are in the process of resuming normal operations in the London area. We continue to work closely with airline and airport customers to minimise disruption.' While the issue was ongoing, British Airways (BA) said the problem was 'affecting the vast majority of our flights', while Birmingham airport said 'departing flights from many UK airports have been suspended'. In an update, BA later said that the number of its inbound and outbound flights at Heathrow is restricted to a total of 32 per hour until 7.15pm before the flow rate returns to the usual level of 45 per hour. A total of 84 departures across all UK airports were cancelled as a result of the incident, while 71 arrivals into Britain were also scrapped, aviation analytics firm Cirium said at 10pm last night. Consumer organisation Which? advised that passengers who have suffered delays or cancellations could have rights to food or a hotel stay. 'If your flight is cancelled or delayed, you're unlikely to be owed compensation by the airline as the technical issue is considered an 'extraordinary circumstance' and out of the airline's control,' its deputy editor Naomi Leach said. 'However, you do have a right to food or a hotel stay depending on the length of the delay but be sure you keep the receipts as you will need to claim this back from the airline.' Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said continued disruption was expected following the restoration of Nats' systems and urged passengers to check with individual airports for advice. A spokesman from the Department for Transport said: 'While passengers should continue to check with individual airports for advice, Nats have confirmed their systems are now fully operational and flights are returning to normal. 'We are working closely with Nats to understand the cause of the technical issue and the implications for the resilience systems in place.' The Mail has contacted easyJet for comment.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
'My wife and kids face a sleepless night on an airport floor': Stranded Brits tell of chaos after ALL flights leaving the UK were grounded - as mystery remains over cause of 'glitch'
Thousands of holidaymakers are experiencing travel chaos after a 'technical issue' caused all flights out of the UK to be temporarily grounded. Several major airports were forced to halt operations due to a technical glitch at a National Air Traffic Services (NATS) control centre that left dozens of planes stranded on the tarmac. NATS refused to rule out that hostile foreign action or hackers could be behind the incident, adding it was a 'radar-related issue' that was resolved by quickly switching to a back-up system. By the time the system was 'fully operational' again, thousands of passengers were already facing delays of up to five hours, while more than 150 flights to and from the UK were cancelled. Furious passengers were forced to put their holidays on hold after months of planning, while others feared missing out on their loved ones' weddings as a result of the unknown issue. Some desperate Brits are also now facing a nightmarish dilemma of sleeping in airports or splashing out hundreds of pounds on overnight accommodation after being 'dumped' by their airlines at home and overseas. One unhappy holidaymaker, who asked to remain anonymous, was among several Brits stranded in Croatia with his wife and two children on Wednesday night after easyJet cancelled their flight home from a family holiday. 'My wife and two children are now faced with sleeping in Dubrovnik airport along with several other families after easyJet cancelled our flight literally at the last minute,' the father-of-two told the Mail. 'They have been a disgrace and dumped dozens of families, many with young kids, with absolutely no support at all. 'No rearranged flight or accommodation - their staff made a swift exit after we were told to "download the easyJet app and use that". Needless to say, the app hasn't helped anyone.' He also echoed calls - made by Ryanair's chief operating officer Neal McMahon - for NATS' chief executive Martin Rolfe to resign following the outage. 'I never thought I'd agree with a Ryanair executive, but they are right about this one: NATS chief executive Martin Rolfe is utterly incompetent and needs to be fired - preferably out of a passenger jet engine,' the disgruntled Brit added. John Carr, a chiropodist from Stourbridge, was one of thousands of stranded Brits left in limbo after his flight from Heathrow to Norway was cancelled at the last minute. He and a group of friends were on their way to his brother's wedding, for which he is best man, when he found out after checking in that his flight was cancelled. The 35-year-old told said: 'I'm pretty gutted. We've got loads of stuff in the suitcases to set up the venue, because we're obviously flying to Norway. We've got the wedding rehearsal to do. It's quite stressful.' He said they did not receive any warning of the cancellation before it happened. 'We had no idea. There was nothing that the airport had said out on the speaker phones, or anything like that,' Mr Carr said. Passengers wait in line at Heathrow Airport after a radar failure led to the suspension of outbound flights across the UK 'There was no warning from them or the airline that said it was cancelled. It's rubbish. There's nothing we can do. 'We don't know what we're going to do tonight in terms of accommodation. We have put our cars in special car compounds for the next six days.' His friend James Hedges, also from Stourbridge, said the group was in the departures lounge when they were told the flight was cancelled. 'We'd already checked in and gone through the security checks,' he said. Meanwhile Asha, 18, from Manchester, said the chaos had ruined her first holiday interrailing. She told the BBC her 3.10pm easyJet flight to Amsterdam had actually departed and was in the air for 50 minutes – before turning around. Hours later, she said she was still 'stuck' on the tarmac at the city's airport. Another passenger, Jane Ainsworth, told the Daily Mail her flight from Kos back to Birmingham had been forced to land in Brussels. Monica Clare, 68, from London, also had her hopes of watching her loved one walk down the isle thrown into disarray after her Aer Lingus flight from Heathrow to the Republic of Ireland was cancelled. She was flying out to attend the wedding in Limerick at 2.40pm today, but was stranded on the runway for almost three hours, after which passengers were told the flight was cancelled. Another frustrated passenger travelling from Heathrow to Jersey has been sat on the plane since 2:35pm 'The wedding is in Limerick on Friday but a hotel and hire car are awaiting us tonight, At 5.30pm the captain told us their shift had finished so Aer Lingus HQ in Dublin cancelled the flight,' she told The Telegraph. 'We were told to wait for a phone update about a flight tomorrow but others were told all flights tomorrow are already full. It's totally awful. We probably have to go home and wait to see when the next available flight is. It looks like we're missing the wedding.' Durand Meachem, 49, from North Carolina, was also expecting to fly out of Heathrow on Wednesday with his partner and two daughters to celebrate his 50th birthday. They had hoped to embark continue enjoying a 'trip of a lifetime', encompassing New York, London, Dubai and Thailand, before being caught up in the travel chaos. Chris Birch and his family faced similar turmoil after their flight out to attend a wedding was cancelled due to a shortage of cabin crew. 'At Gatwick for 5 hours for a delayed flight due to crew not being available. Now the flight and holiday is cancelled,' he wrote on X. 'We have been waiting another hour to collect luggage, that has still not appeared. No prams or escalators so parents carrying babies throughout. 'Our plane was on the tarmac, and luggage on board, we were simply waiting on a crew. We are going to a wedding and we were not given the option of a re-route. This breaks UK law.' Passengers begin to board a RyanAir plane in Stansted after an air-traffic control 'technical issue' disrupted flights across the country Cockpit crews across the country were told the NATS centre in Swanwick, Southampton, had experienced a 'radar failure' at 2.30pm. 'We would appreciate your patience whilst we work through this unforeseen disruption,' they were told, according to The Sun. By 4.43pm, NATS said the issue was resolved but knock-delays will continue, with passengers advised to check with their airline. A statement read: 'Our engineers have now restored the system that was affected this afternoon. 'We are in the process of resuming normal operations in the London area. We continue to work closely with airline and airport customers to minimise disruption.' While the issue was ongoing, British Airways (BA) said the problem was 'affecting the vast majority of our flights', while Birmingham airport said 'departing flights from many UK airports have been suspended'. In an update, BA later said that the number of its inbound and outbound flights at Heathrow is restricted to a total of 32 per hour until 7.15pm before the flow rate returns to the usual level of 45 per hour. One person on X reported a Heathrow bound flight is currently circling Ben Nevis while unable to land safely A total of 84 departures across all UK airports were cancelled as a result of the incident, while 71 arrivals into Britain were also scrapped, aviation analytics firm Cirium said at 10pm last night. Consumer organisation Which? advised that passengers who have suffered delays or cancellations could have rights to food or a hotel stay. 'If your flight is cancelled or delayed, you're unlikely to be owed compensation by the airline as the technical issue is considered an 'extraordinary circumstance' and out of the airline's control,' its deputy editor Naomi Leach said. 'However, you do have a right to food or a hotel stay depending on the length of the delay but be sure you keep the receipts as you will need to claim this back from the airline.' Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said continued disruption was expected following the restoration of Nats' systems and urged passengers to check with individual airports for advice. A spokesman from the Department for Transport said: 'While passengers should continue to check with individual airports for advice, Nats have confirmed their systems are now fully operational and flights are returning to normal. 'We are working closely with Nats to understand the cause of the technical issue and the implications for the resilience systems in place.'
