Newsroom
By Alexandra Voudouri
After more than a decade of negotiations, a long-running dispute over air passenger rights in the European Union is expected to finally conclude today in Brussels, with an agreement on updating the rules for air travelers.
The deal, which stems from a European Commission proposal first tabled in 2012, largely preserves existing passenger rights while introducing new obligations for airlines, particularly on pricing transparency and protections for families and passengers with reduced mobility.
The most important outcome for travelers is that compensation rules for flight delays and cancellations remain unchanged. Despite pressure from several member states to ease airline obligations, passengers will still be entitled to compensation ranging from €250 to €600, depending on flight distance and length of delay.
Equally significant is the retention of the current three-hour threshold for compensation eligibility. Some governments had pushed to raise this to four hours, but that proposal was ultimately rejected.
The issue of compensation proved to be the main point of contention between the European Parliament and member states in the final stages of negotiations. Countries including France and Germany had attempted to increase the delay threshold, arguing that the existing system places excessive financial pressure on airlines. The European Parliament, however, succeeded in maintaining the current framework, presenting it as a win for passengers.
The agreement also introduces stronger transparency rules on ticket pricing. Airlines will be required to display the full cost of a ticket from the beginning of the booking process, including cabin hand luggage.
In practice, this means low-cost carriers will no longer be able to advertise very low base fares and then add mandatory fees for cabin baggage during the booking process. Instead, the full basic price must be shown upfront, while discounts may still be offered to passengers who choose to travel without hand luggage.
New safeguards are also introduced for families traveling with children. Airlines will no longer be allowed to charge extra fees for parents to sit next to their children. Excessive charges for correcting minor passenger name errors will also be limited, while rights for passengers with reduced mobility are strengthened.
Another important change concerns passengers who miss their return flight because they did not use the first leg of their journey. Under the new agreement, airlines will no longer be allowed to automatically cancel return tickets in such cases.
However, not all proposals backed by consumer groups and the European Parliament made it into the final deal. Plans to make compensation claims easier and more automated were dropped. Airlines will instead only be required to clearly inform passengers about how to submit claims.
In any case, after 13 years, today’s formal approval effectively closes one of the longest-running legislative files in the EU. Passenger rights are largely maintained, while new rules are introduced to curb controversial practices, particularly among low-cost airlines.
