EU countries have backed a plan to allow airlines to incur longer flight delays before having to compensate passengers — a contested move intended to be offset by several new passenger rights.
At present, passengers in Europe have a right to between 250 and 600 euros ($285-685) in compensation, depending on flight distance, for delays of three hours or more.
But airlines complain that leaves them a hefty bill, and often leads them to cancel flights rather than run them with a long delay, due to knock-on effects on flight schedules.
A majority of EU states agreed late Thursday to change the rules, overcoming opposition from Germany in particular, following hours of painstaking negotiations in Luxembourg.
Under the new system, the compensation threshold would increase to four hours for flights of up to 3,500 kilometres (2,175 miles), or connecting cities inside the European Union, with its amount set at 300 euros.
For longer flights, the right to compensation of 500 euros would kick in after a six-hour delay.
The European Consumer Organisation BEUC slammed the plan, saying the “new eligibility thresholds will deprive the majority of passengers from their compensation rights”, as most delays are between two and four hours.
It urged European lawmakers — who have yet to approve the text — to uphold passengers’ rights.
The compromise did not satisfy airlines either, with the umbrella group Airlines for Europe (A4E) — which includes Air France-KLM, Lufthansa, Ryanair and easyJet — complaining that it “introduced even more complexity” than the initial European Commission plan.
But a spokesperson for the French aviation industry federation called it a “step forward” for consumers.
The rules changes “clarify the law and will avoid many recurrent court disputes,” said the spokesperson, Laurent Timset.
Poland’s infrastructure minister Dariusz Klimczak, whose country currently holds the EU presidency, meanwhile cheered the creation of “over 30 new rights” for passengers, in a statement announcing the deal.
Those include a “right to be rerouted” at the earliest opportunity, including through flights operated by other carriers or alternative transport modes.
The plan also creates a system for passengers to be automatically compensated for flights cancelled within 14 days of departure.
And it spells out the right to assistance — refreshments, food, accommodation — when travel is disrupted.
France’s transport minister Philippe Tabarot declared himself satisfied with the compromise.
“The text could have been more ambitious, but it’s an important step towards improving the quality of service offered to air passengers,” he wrote on X.
