Jurídicos y Administrativos

🛫 ACAVe, CEAV, FETAVE, and UNAV have urged the Spanish Ministry of Interior to exclude travel agencies from the scope of Royal Decree 933/2021, which requires them to report clients' accommodation and car rental data, payment methods, and personal details from October. A Ministerial Order is needed to limit the rule's application, as travel agencies face excessive workload and technical issues with the ministry's data reporting platform. The Ministry refused to extend the October 1st adaptation deadline but will review the organizations' claims.

💸 Spain's CNMC fined Booking.com €413 million on July 30, 2024, for abusing its dominant position and breaching competition laws. Booking's market share in Spain ranged from 70% to 90% during the investigation period. The fine addresses two continuous infringements: imposing unfair commercial conditions on Spanish hotels and restricting competition for other online travel agencies. Booking.com, which plans to appeal, had previously set aside $530 million in its 2023 accounts for an anticipated CNMC decision. The fine comprises two penalties of €206.62 million each. The CNMC also imposed behavioral obligations on Booking.com to prevent future similar conduct.

💸 Booking.com has been fined €413 million by Spain's CNMC for abusing its dominant position, violating Competition Law articles and EU Treaty provisions. The initial fine was €486 million, reduced after appeals. The fine splits into two penalties of €206.620 million for each infringement related to unfair commercial conditions on Spanish hotels and competition restriction. The CNMC also mandates behavior obligations to prevent future violations. Booking can appeal within two months to the National High Court. The CNMC initiated proceedings in October 2022.

💸 Incident involving a Level Airbus A330 flying from Buenos Aires to Barcelona. The crew diverted to Gran Canaria urgently due to a passenger's potential stroke after flying east of the Western Sahara airspace. The aircraft landed an hour later in Gran Canaria, aided by Moroccan controllers and Enaire’s control center. The passenger received emergency services, and the flight resumed to Barcelona-El Prat.

🛫 Lufthansa canceled flights from Munich and Frankfurt to Beirut until August 5th, reacting to increased tensions with Hezbollah, similar to Air France's earlier response. Royal Jordanian halted Beirut operations on Monday and Tuesday due to border conflicts between Israel and Lebanon in the Golan Heights. Flights to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport remain operational.

🛡 Juzgado de lo Mercantil nº12 de Barcelona has ordered Ryanair to immediately cease denigrating practices against eDreams, including a campaign of defamation against eDreams and its Prime program. Ryanair spread false claims, violating Article 9 of the Unfair Competition Law. Measures are in response to Ryanair's long-term smear tactics, designed to promote Ryanair.com. The court prohibited the use of terms like "scam," "deceit," and pirate-themed images. This follows a previous ruling by Spain's Supreme Court against Ryanair's denigration and anti-competitive behavior towards eDreams Odigeo. The airline's strategy is coercive, aimed at signing anti-competitive distribution agreements, distracting from their own abusive practices and investigations across Europe. eDreams' legal victories include a case against Ryanair's market dominance abuse in Italy and a recent German ruling against their deceptive consumer practices, despite a separate German legal win for Ryanair. Spanish authorities fined Ryanair approximately €100 million for anti-consumer practices, and French courts penalized them for passenger rights violations. eDreams has not signed a collaboration agreement with Ryanair, unlike other online travel agencies (OTAs), straining their relationship.

💸 On July 29, 2024, the article outlines the significance of commercial invoices in international exports and logistics management. These documents, also known as international or customs invoices, hold legal importance and assist companies with foreign operations. The commercial invoice is a legal document reflecting international export transactions data and is used to apply customs duties. Compliance with invoicing regulations, including the new billing regulations, is emphasized. The article advises using an ERP software like Solmicro ERP from Zucchetti Spain for accurate invoice management and automation to prevent shipping delays and customs issues. Essential invoice information includes import and export data, product values, currency, payment terms, and shipment details. Templates for commercial invoices are available, but the article suggests using specialized ERP software for error reduction and efficient management.

✈ Air Europa's future is uncertain as its ability to generate enough profit to cover its debts is crucial, yet its EBITDA of €100-200 million is threatened by financial interests of around 7% on nearly €1,000 million in debt, or about €70 million annually. Possible buyers, including Air France-KLM and Lufthansa, may find an acquisition unattractive compared to Iberia, and the European Commission risks being blamed if it vetoes IAG's integration and Air Europa's situation worsens.

🏠 Businesses and tourist attractions in Japan have started charging foreign visitors higher prices due to record travel numbers, drawn by the weak yen. A dual pricing system raises concerns about undermining the government's goal to attract 60 million tourists annually by 2030. Tamatebako, a buffet in Shibuya, charges foreigners 1,100 yen more since April. Himeji Castle plans to quadruple admission for tourists. Twelve municipalities levy an accommodation tax on foreign guests, and over forty are considering it. A 1,000 yen departure tax was introduced in 2019. Osaka and Okinawa are contemplating a foreign visitor tax, while Miyajima has begun charging an entry fee of 100 yen. During the first half of 2024, Japan welcomed 17.77 million tourists, with 35 million expected for the whole year.

✈️ Boeing se ha declarado culpable de "conspiración para defraudar a los Estados Unidos", evitando juicio por fraude criminal tras un acuerdo con el DOJ. Representantes de las víctimas de los accidentes de Lion Air (2018) y Ethiopian Airlines (2019) podrían pedir el rechazo del acuerdo. Boeing pagará una sanción penal de $487.2 millones, invertirá al menos $455 millones en seguridad y cumplimiento, y pagará restitución indeterminada a las familias de las víctimas. Durante tres años, un monitor independiente supervisará el cumplimiento de Boeing.