The European Parliament and the Council of the EU reached a deal last Monday to strengthen air passenger rights across Europe, agreeing free adjacent seating for children, families and passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility, alongside faster compensation procedures and greater transparency on ticket pricing.
What changes for passengers
- Free adjacent seats for children under 14 and their accompanying adult, with the same right extended to passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility, and to pregnant women
- Retention of the existing right to compensation for delays of three hours or more
- Greater transparency in airline ticket pricing
Compensation will be set at:
- 250 euros for flights of up to 1,500 km
- 400 euros for flights between 1,500 km and 3,500 km
- 600 euros for flights over 3,500 km
The new rules also provide for faster compensation procedures and an obligation on airlines to provide care for passengers during long delays.
The agreement is considered particularly significant for the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, having been a difficult file that no previous presidency had managed to either tackle or resolve, after 13 years of negotiations between Parliament and the Council.
The European People’s Party led the negotiating effort on behalf of the European Parliament. DISY and EPP MEP Loucas Fourlas told Phileleftheros the agreement, reached after 13 years of negotiations with the Council, was “a historic victory for European citizens.”
He said that with the EPP leading Parliament’s negotiating team, they secured significant improvements strengthening protection for passengers, and families in particular, including Parliament’s push to preserve compensation rights for delays of three hours or more, secure a free seat next to parents for children under 14, and strengthen the rights of passengers with disabilities and reduced mobility.
Fourlas added that although not all of Parliament’s demands were met, the agreement represents a historic step and the best possible compromise between the two institutions for millions of passengers across Europe. He said he was “especially proud” of the EPP, which he said had once again stepped up to assert European citizens’ rights with determination.
Among the most significant changes is the guaranteed right to carry one personal item, such as a small bag or backpack, free of charge, while airlines, intermediaries and booking platforms will be required to display the final ticket price from the outset.