Flight delays over three hours will still trigger compensation. Families will no longer pay extra to sit together. And free hand luggage becomes a right. EU rules on air passenger rights are getting an update.
The deal, struck between the European Parliament and the Council on Monday evening, is the first overhaul of EU air passenger rights since 2004. The rules predate online check-in, low-cost baggage fees, and app-based boarding passes.
The agreement preserves the compensation scheme that airlines had long sought to weaken. Passengers facing delays, cancellations, or overbooking will know exactly what they are entitled to.
Holding the three-hour line
Parliament’s negotiators resisted pressure to water down passenger protections. The agreement preserves the right to compensation for delays of more than three hours, cancellations within 14 days, and denied boarding, as well as the right to be rerouted or reimbursed.
Compensation amounts remain unchanged: €250 for flights under 1,500 km, €400 for flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km, and €600 for flights over 3,500 km. On long-haul routes, airlines can cut that by 50 per cent if they offer rerouting that delays arrival by less than four hours.
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Airlines are not required to pay compensation if the delay or cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances beyond their control. The new rules introduce a so-called ‘open list’ of such circumstances, which courts can expand. It already includes natural disasters, war, severe weather, abusive passengers, and strikes at airports or ground-handling services.
In all cases, airlines must look after stranded passengers. That means refreshments every two hours, a meal after three hours, and hotel accommodation for up to three nights if an overnight stay becomes necessary.
New rights, clearer rules
Airlines must tell passengers electronically how to claim compensation for a delayed or cancelled flight. The notification, sent by message or email, must reach them within four days of the end of the journey. Passengers will not need an account or an app to file a claim. They have up to nine months to do so. Airlines must then pay within 30 days or, if they invoke extraordinary circumstances, explain why and refer the passenger to a complaints body.
Passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility will also be protected. If an airport fails to help them reach the gate on time and they miss their flight, they are entitled to compensation, rerouting, and assistance from the airline. Anyone travelling with a child under 14 must be seated next to them free of charge. The same applies to passengers with disabilities, reduced mobility, and pregnant women.
Passengers also gain the right to bring a small bag or backpack on board free of charge. Airlines, intermediaries, and search portals must display the full fare, including hand luggage, from the first step of booking. Airlines may still offer lower fares to passengers who choose to travel without hand luggage. Passengers will no longer pay extra to correct a name spelling error or to print a boarding pass after checking in.
Winners and losers
Virginijus Sinkevičius (Greens/EFA/LTU), vice-chair of the European Parliament’s Transport and Tourism Committee, said the deal delivered on both counts. “Today Europe is delivering for air passengers. We have protected the rights people already have, added new safeguards, and brought greater clarity when things go wrong,” he said.
We fought for people, not for statistics. Because behind every delay and every cancellation there are real lives. — Andrey Novakov, Rapporteur, Transport and Tourism Committee, European Parliament (EPP/BGR)
Rapporteur Andrey Novakov (EPP/BGR) was equally direct. “We fought for people, not for statistics. Because behind every delay and every cancellation there are real lives,” he said.
The European Regions Airline Association (ERA) was less enthusiastic. It called the deal a missed opportunity, warning that the compromise adds costs and complexity for airlines operating thin routes and services to peripheral communities, while offering limited relief only on some long-haul flights.
ERA Director General Montserrat Barriga warned the deal would bring “no winners”. Higher costs and rigid compensation rules, she said, risk pushing up fares and weakening air links for millions of Europeans.
The deal still needs formal approval. The European Parliament is set to vote on the final text during its July plenary.
