Thoughts on Spanair’s downfall

Spanair aircraft steps on the tarmac in ArrecifeIt was Saturday morning when I first learnt that Spanair had ceased operations on Friday night.  Thankfully it appears that many people who were on holiday were able to get flights home at special prices with other airlines.  One year earlier and I would have been getting pretty worried myself, or at least trying to get a refund on the flights that were already booked.

But while much of the reporting has focused on the lack of funds that Spanair had, I think it’s worth asking why they got into that situation in the first place.

Over the past four years when I have flown with them, I freely admit it was because I wanted to get from A to B and they were usually the cheapest, and sometimes the most convenient option.  I was even impressed by the fact, that in-flight refreshments were still included in the price of the flight between Frankfurt and Madrid. [Read more…]

ZM – The Zusammenfassende Meldung

One of the lesser known parts of the German tax system is simply called the “ZM”, which stands for “Zusammenfassende Meldung”.  For anyone running a business in Germany, it is another form to fill in on a regular basis.

It all has to do with the VAT (Value Added Tax) system within the European Union.  Put quite simply, if you buy something in a shop or pay for a service, then you pay VAT.  For consumers, that’s the end of the story.  The shop owner or service provider pays the VAT on to the tax office.

But if the customer is a business as well, they usually have a way to claim that tax back again from their local tax office (although there are some exceptions). [Read more…]

Meine erste Erfahrung mit dem Fundbüro im Flughafen Arrecife

Check-in Schalter im Arrecife Flughafen

Bei meiner letzten Reise nach Lanzarote habe ich es geschafft etwas dort zu lassen – meine Deutsche SIM-Karte, die ich gegen eine andere ausgetauscht hatte, um günstiger ins Internet zu gehen.  Entweder ist sie in der Ferienwohnung liegengeblieben, oder sie ist im Flughafen aus meinem Handgepäck gefallen.  Jedenfalls habe ich den Verlust erst in Deutschland bemerkt.

Nachdem ich die Karte gesperrt und einen Ersatz bestellt hatte, wollte ich trotzdem wissen, ob ich sie im Flughafen in Arrecife verloren hatte und versuchte dort im Fundbüro anzurufen.

[Read more…]

Please click on ACCEPT to give us permission to set cookies [more information]

This website uses cookies to give you the best browsing experience possible. Cookies are small text files that are stored by the web browser on your computer. Most of the cookies that we use are so-called “Session cookies”. These are automatically deleted after your visit. The cookies do not damage your computer system or contain viruses. Please read our privacy information page for more details or to revoke permission.

Close