The limbo is over. At last. Traveling by plane through Europe in the most uncomfortable and unprotected ways has its hours numbered in the Twenty-Seven. After an agonizing and historic tug of war that has lasted no less than 13 years, the European Union (EU) has officially adopted the reform of the regulations on air passenger rights. A radical facelift to obsolete laws that have not been touched since 2004 – another world – and that, in the words of the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, seeks to make travel “more fair and transparent.” Hopefully.
The provisional agreement, unanimously supported by the European Parliament’s delegation in the Conciliation Committee after the approval of the 27 partners (although with Spain and Latvia voting against), promises to make airlines firm in the face of delays, cancellations and daily fare abuses. However, the fine print leaves a less sweet taste: the airlines have managed to save their biggest gold mine.
In El HuffPost We try to explain the key news to you:
The blow to delays: mandatory compensation
If you are one of those who has spent hours lying in the terminal with a stale sandwich paid for out of your pocket (very expensive, by the way), this will interest you. The new regulations protect financial compensation if your flight is delayed more than three hours, if it is canceled with less than 14 days’ notice or if you are denied boarding (the dreaded overbooking).
Compensation does not change from the current thresholds but now its claims procedure becomes much stricter and more transparent:
- 250 euros for short flights (up to 1,500 kilometers).
- 400 euros for routes within the EU and journeys between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometers.
- 600 euros for long-haul flights (more than 3,500 kilometers).
How will airlines avoid cheating on these requests? The rule requires them to electronically send clear instructions on how to claim within a maximum period of four days after the trip.
They will have 30 days to pay or formally justify if the delay was due to a cause of force majeure (catastrophes, controller strikes or extreme weather conditions). If there is no excuse, payment must be immediate.
A boy looks out the window of his plane before taking off, in an archive image.
The right to eat (no longer paying to go with your child)
The tricks to squeeze the pockets of families and the most vulnerable passengers are also over. From now on, airlines will be strictly prohibited from charging a supplement to ensure that children under 14 years of age sit next to their parents. Something that seems like common sense but now you have to pay and pay, everything is an extra.
This right to free adjacent seats also extends to pregnant women and people with reduced mobility.
Furthermore, the right to ground assistance has been calculated to the millimeter. If you are left stranded at the airport, the airline will be required by law to give you a snack every two hours, a full meal after a three-hour delay (and another every five hours thereafter, with a maximum of three a day), internet access and two calls.
That the delay extends into the night? Free hotel and round-trip transportation. If the company acts Swedish, the user will be able to pay out of pocket and demand a full refund.
You will also never be able to be charged again for a spelling error in your name on your ticket or for printing your boarding pass at the counter.
A passenger with his hand luggage at the airport, with a Ryanair plane in the background, in a file image
The lame victory against the ‘low cost’
Despite the celebrations in Brussels, which are partly understandable, the final text that has passed the process in the European Parliament hides a capitulation that will directly affect the pockets of consumers: the EU has renounced legally protecting the right to travel with a free cabin bag.
Despite pressure from the European Parliament and previous rulings from the EU Court of Justice, the airline lobby has got its way. Passengers will have the right to take a “personal item” (a small backpack or bag that fits under the seat) on board for free, but companies may continue to charge extra for the classic ten-kilo carry-on suitcase.
In return, Brussels has imposed a “commercial transparency” measure. From now on, search engines, intermediaries and the airlines themselves will be obliged to show from the first second of the reservation process the price of the ticket that includes the carry-on suitcase.
There will be no unpleasant surprises or phantom surcharges in the last click of the purchase.
When will it come into effect?
There is still one last formal step. Under the third reading procedure, the provisional agreement reached in the Conciliation Committee must be confirmed by both Parliament and the Council within the next six weeks, with the possibility of extending this period for another two weeks.
Both institutions will now vote separately on the joint text after its legal-linguistic review. The European Parliament plans to vote on the agreement during its plenary session in July, the EP indicates in a press release. Once it is published in the Official Journal of the European Union, Member States will have a period of 12 months to transpose the directive into their national legislation.
“Europe finally delivers for passengers,” said Lithuanian Virginijus Sinkevičius, vice president of the Transport Commission of the community chamber.
