Find out what amounts are awarded in compensation
The European Parliament and the Council of the EU reached an agreement this Monday, after 12 years of negotiations, on new rights for air passengers, which provide compensation for delays of more than three hours and the right to carry a backpack.
The agreement reached revises passenger rights rules, which had not been updated since 2004 and were being negotiated for 12 years, and now needs to be approved by the European Parliament (EP) and the Council of the European Union (EU) before it can come into force.
Among the measures agreed today by the two European institutions is compensation for delays of more than three hours, a measure that already exists, but which the EU Council wanted to review so that it only applied to delays of more than four hours.
The compensation amounts remain exactly the same as they are currently in force: R$250 for trips of up to 1,500 kilometers, R$400 for trips between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometers and R$600 for longer trips.
As is currently the case, passengers will also continue to be entitled to compensation if the flight is canceled less than 14 days before it takes place.
“However, if the delay or cancellation is due to events beyond the control of the airlines, they will be able to avoid paying compensation. The new rules include an open list of these extraordinary circumstances: for example, natural disasters, wars, weather conditions, unruly passengers or strikes”, says the European Parliament.
The new rules also provide that, in the event of a cancellation or delay, “air carriers must send passengers experiencing disruptions clear instructions on how to make a compensation claim.”
“These instructions must be sent electronically within four days of the end of the journey,” states the EP, with the EU Council adding that as soon as a passenger submits a claim for compensation, airlines become “obliged to immediately acknowledge receipt.”
“And, subsequently, respond within 14 days, paying the due compensation or presenting a clear justification for the refusal”, indicates the institution.
Among the new rules envisaged is “the prohibition of refusing boarding to a passenger because he or she has not taken a previous flight” – as in cases where, on a round trip, one ends up using only the return flight -, or “the right to carry on board, without additional fee, a personal item, such as a small bag or backpack”.
