After more than a decade of negotiations, the European Parliament and EU members reached an agreement on reforming air passenger rights this week, beating the June 15th deadline before expiry. The rules had not been updated since 2004.
The new air passenger rights deal protects passengers against travel disruptions, such as denied boarding and delayed or cancelled flights.
The reform reinforces existing rights for passengers facing denied boarding, cancellations and delays, while it improves clarity, assistance, and access to compensation. It also aims simplify handling claims and improve transparency.
Key elements of the agreement include:
- Compensation thresholds and levels:passengers become eligible for compensation from 3 hours’ delay or cancellations less than 14 days before departure. Payouts will generally depend on flight distance: €250 for journeys up to 1,500 km, €400 for journeys between 1,500 km and 3,500 km, and €600 for all longer journeys.
- Faster claims handling:airlines must acknowledge claims immediately, respond within 30 days, and inform passengers electronically within 96 hours after arrival in eligible delay cases.
- Stronger assistance rights:mandatory provision of meals, refreshments, communication access, and hotel accommodation if necessary, with reimbursement if passengers must arrange their own care.
- Rerouting obligations:airlines must offer alternative travel within three hours, potentially via other carriers or transport modes, at no extra cost. If they fail, passengers may rebook themselves and claim reimbursement up to 400% of the ticket price.
- Greater transparency:clearer information on rights, disruption causes, and inclusion of hand baggage in upfront fare display to improve price comparability.
- Special protections:reinforced rights for passengers with reduced mobility, children, pregnant travellers, and unaccompanied minors, including seating guarantees and compensation in certain cases.
- Clarification of “extraordinary circumstances”:a more structured definition limits when airlines can avoid compensation and reinforces the burden of proof on carriers.
- Next review clause:the European Commission will assess within three years whether the rules should be extended further, including to third-country operators.
Airlines will be able to avoid paying compensation if the delay or cancellation was caused by events beyond their control. Such extraordinary circumstances can include natural disasters, war, weather conditions, unruly passengers, or strikes involving airports, air navigation services, or ground-handling providers.
Passengers will have nine months to file a claim, while airlines will have 30 days to pay compensation or invoke extraordinary circumstances, explain why compensation is not due, and refer travellers to complaint procedures.
The new rules also ensure that families travelling with children are not separated. Airlines will be required to seat any person accompanying a child under the age of 14 in an adjacent seat at no extra charge. The same right will apply to passengers with disabilities and reduced mobility, as well as pregnant women.
The agreement has drawn strong criticism from the airline industry. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said the outcome “misses the mark,” because it fails to address the structural drivers of delay and does not meaningfully reform the compensation regime. It claims that the new rules add complexity without significant improvements to the passenger outcome.
The provisional agreement must be approved by both Parliament and the Council within the next six weeks, with the possibility of a further two-week extension. The European Parliament is expected to vote on the agreement during its July plenary session. The text will then be officially published and will become effective 20 days later.
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