Airlines will no longer be able to charge passengers to sit next to their children, and travellers will retain the current right to compensation for delays of more than three hours, under a provisional deal backed by EU national representatives after 13 years of talks.
The agreement, reached on Friday, still requires formal approval from the European Parliament’s negotiators on the conciliation committee on 15 June – the final legal deadline before the reform is shelved.
Thirteen years after the EU executive proposed updating passenger rights for the era of no-frills flying, Parliament’s lead negotiators appear to have succeeded in forcing governments to back down.
European capitals had sided with airlines in calling for lower levels of statutory compensation, which they said should only become due after even lengthier delays, with carriers warning more robust protection for passengers would drive up ticket prices.
In addition to retaining existing rights to compensation, disgruntled passengers should in future expect a clear email from their carrier explaining how they can claim the money to which they are entitled.
“We didn’t give up,” Parliament lead negotiator Andrey Novakov said on X, pointing to what he said were Parliament’s main gains.
No free luggage
“No deal is ever perfect,” said Green MEP Virginijus Sinkevičius, a former EU environment commissioner and member of the negotiating team, in a social media post that nevertheless highlighted several clear wins for Parliament.
“Clearer passenger rights, free family seating, stronger protections for people with disabilities, fairer vouchers & better protection of return tickets,” Sinkevičius wrote.
He and his fellow MEPs failed, however, to secure the right for passengers to bring a 7kg piece of cabin luggage on board without additional charge, alongside a free small bag.
Airlines for Europe, a lobby group representing the EU’s largest carriers, swiftly criticised the compromise.
“The endless political back-and-forth is now resulting in bad law that infringes existing EU consumer protection rules without fixing the real issues of reducing delays and cancellations,” director Ourania Georgoutsakou said.
All but four governments backed the deal, sources told Euractiv: Latvia and Spain voted against, while Austria and Finland abstained.
The provisional agreement now needs formal approval from Parliament’s negotiating team on Monday.
It will then need a rubber stamp from both Parliament – on 9 July, one source said – and government ministers before entering into force.
(rh, aw)
