Materna has implemented a seamless online application process linked to the Federal Government’s e-file system

The Online Access Act (OZG) stipulates that administrative processes must be conducted entirely digitally, from the submission of an application through to the notification of a decision. The Administrative Arbitration Board for Air Transport at the Federal Office of Justice (BfJ) has now introduced such a process. Passengers can submit their claims for compensation entirely online: due to overbooking, flight cancellations, delays, downgrading of passengers to a lower class, damage to luggage, and breaches of duty in the carriage of disabled passengers or passengers with reduced mobility. The IT consultancy firm Materna Information & Communications SE designed the nationwide project for the seamless online application process in collaboration with the BfJ and implemented a form management solution. The application is operated by ITZBund, the central IT service provider for the German federal administration.

The digital online application replaces the previous PDF application. A major advantage for the BfJ is that plausibility checks are carried out as soon as data is entered, ensuring that only valid data is processed further. For example, citizens can only select, from a drop-down list, the airline in question that falls within the remit of the BfJ’s arbitration board. If this is not the case, a corresponding message is displayed to indicate this. The online application has been implemented with a modern, responsive design and intuitive user guidance to facilitate use on mobile devices such as tablets.

The online application is based on the federal government’s FMS (Form Management System) core component, which is built on the Lucom Interaction Platform®. All completed online applications are transferred seamlessly to the specialist department’s e-file. All metadata and content data are automatically transferred. Staff at the BfJ’s conciliation board can process all applications directly within the Federal E-File in a user-friendly manner.

The BfJ’s solution is based on standards and, in full accordance with the OZG, utilises various federal core components, including integration with the federal electronic file (E-Akte Bund) and the federal Content Management System (CMS), the Government Site Builder (GSB). “In this project, we are demonstrating for the first time how the three core federal components – GSB, FMS and the Federal E-File – enable both citizens and the administration to benefit from digitalisation, whilst making administrative processes significantly faster, more efficient and more user-friendly,” says Johannes Rosenboom, Head of Sales, Marketing and Business Development in the Public Sector division at Materna.

Air Transport Arbitration Board

The official “Air Transport Arbitration Board” at the Federal Office of Justice is responsible for arbitration in complaint proceedings involving well over 100 airlines that are not affiliated with any recognised arbitration body organised under private law. Consumers can involve the independent arbitration board in cases concerning claims for payment arising from overbooking, flight cancellations, delays, the downgrading of passengers to a lower class, damage to luggage, and breaches of duty in the carriage of disabled passengers or passengers with reduced mobility.

Click here for the online application form.