The European Union’s passenger compensation and other air travel rights, known as EU261, will remain intact, and actually be strengthened under a deal agreed by parliament and the European Commission. The new agreement includes free carry-on baggage and family seating rules.
In recent months there had been speculation about cutbacks in the compensation rules, as demanded by the airlines. Negotiations have taken up nearly ten years, and will now be finalized in July votes by the Parliament and the European Council, representing member states.
Existing rules provide compensation when flights are delayed more than three hours, or canceled less than 14 days ahead, depending on distance. The amounts range from €250 to €600, but can be reduced if the carrier is able to get passengers to their final destination within four hours of the original schedule.
The biggest change, and one strongly opposed by the airlines, requires that a carry-on bag of up to 7kg be included in the upfront pricing of flights; it’s intended as a transparency measure that goes with a mandate that all unavoidable charges be included upfront to allow reasonable comparisons. It doesn’t stop airlines from offering a cheaper price if passengers decline the bag.
Fees for seating families with children under 14 together are banned, as are fees for seating a companion with a passenger requiring assistance. The rules also provide greater specific detail of what airlines must provide delayed passengers in terms of meals, communication and if needed hotel stays. The new deal also bans an airline from automatically canceling the rest of an itinerary if a passenger misses another flight in the itinerary.
As before, the rules apply to intra-Europe flights, flights to Europe on EU carriers and flights from the EU operated by any carrier. Under the agreement, the Commission is tasked with assessing within three years whether the regulations could be extended to cover flights to Europe on non-EU airlines.
