EU Agrees on New Air Passenger Rights After Long Delays and Cancellations
After 13 years of negotiations, European Union member states have reached a broad agreement to strengthen air passenger rights and increase oversight of airlines. The reform is one of the biggest changes to EU aviation rules since passenger rights regulations took effect in 2004, and it is aimed at making compensation easier to understand and claim.
Under the new rules, airlines will have to proactively tell passengers when they may be entitled to compensation after a delay or cancellation, explain how to file a claim, and answer requests within 30 days. The compensation amounts will largely stay the same, up to 250 euros for short flights of up to 1,500 kilometers, 400 euros for some medium-haul flights, and 600 euros for long-haul flights, when a delay exceeds three hours or a flight is canceled less than 14 days before departure.
The deal also expands assistance during disruptions. Passengers facing long delays would be entitled to refreshments, meals, internet access, phone calls, hotel accommodation, and transport, depending on the circumstances. It also limits the airline practice known as “no-show,” where missing one leg of a journey can automatically cancel the rest of the booking. The agreement says passengers should not be automatically penalized for missing an earlier segment on the same itinerary.
Additional protections would cover people with disabilities, passengers with reduced mobility, pregnant women, children, and unaccompanied minors. Families and companions would be able to sit together without paying extra for adjacent seats. In cancellations or denied boarding cases, airlines would have to offer an alternative flight within three hours if possible, and if they fail to do so, passengers could buy a replacement ticket themselves and seek reimbursement. The agreement still needs final approval from the European Parliament, but if adopted it will affect millions of travelers within the EU, departing from EU airports, or flying with European airlines, even if they are not EU citizens. The article also notes that in Israel, under the Aviation Services Law, passengers already receive tiered compensation and assistance, including compensation of 1,460 to 4,390 shekels in some cases.
