By a stunning vote of 632 to 15, the popularly-elected European Parliament threw a spike into cuts in airline passenger protection that their national leaders and the EU Commission had agreed to.
The changes in the regulations, known as EU261, would have allowed longer delays before compensation was due and lowered some compensation. The rules cover flights within and from Europe by any airline, and to flights to Europe by EU airlines.
The Parliament vote also called for airlines to be required to include carry-on luggage in the price of tickets and to set children with their parents without a fee.
The proposed changes did include a few passenger-friendly changes, including requiring that compensation be automatic and enhanced re-routing rights. The changes were pushed by airlines and had been approved by the Council, consisting of representatives of EU’s 27 governments and the European Commission, its executive arm.
The next step calls for a “conciliation committee” that will be convened to see if it is possible to draw a plan that will be acceptable to all parties; if not, the current regulation will stand. Many members of Parliament have expressed that they are not open to any changes that reduce compensation.
