Latest news with #airpassengerrights
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
The EU is overhauling air passengers' rights. Here's what you should know
EU Regulation 261 transformed air passenger rights in Europe in 2004, mandating a duty of care and compensation for flight disruptions. Airlines often ignored the rules, leading to an industry of claims handlers who fought for compensation on behalf of passengers. Test cases resulted in rulings such as a three-hour delay warranting the same compensation as a cancellation, and airlines being liable for delays caused by unforeseen events like pilot deaths. The EU is revising the regulation to address anomalies, potentially cutting payouts for many passengers except those on the shortest flights, and increasing the delay time over which compensation is paid. Proposed changes include clearer definitions of "extraordinary circumstances" that excuse airlines from compensation, limiting duty of care to three nights' accommodation, and ensuring passengers can still fly return legs even if they miss the outbound flight.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
EU agrees to increase flight delay times before passengers get compensation
EU countries have agreed to increase the amount of time aircraft passengers are delayed before they can qualify for compensation. Passengers on short-haul flights would have to be delayed by four hours or more before they could claim compensation, under the plans. For long-haul flights delays would have to be six or more hours. Current EU rules dictate that passengers can ask for compensation if their flight is delayed for more than three hours. The EU countries also agreed to increase the amount of compensation for those delayed on short-haul flights from €250 (£211) to €300, but plan to reduce compensation for long-haul flights from €600 to €500. The revision of the EU's air passenger rights was initially proposed in 2013 by the European Commission. It has taken 12 years of negotiations for member states to reach an agreement on changes to the timeframe for compensation, and the plans still have to be negotiated with the European parliament before they become law. The European Consumer Organisation, the BEUC, said the plan would deprive 'the majority of passengers from their compensation rights', as most delays are between two and four hours. The trade body Airlines for Europe (A4E), which represents companies such as Ryanair, easyJet and Lufthansa, also condemned the plan because it wanted delay times to be even longer before compensation payments kick in. Ourania Georgoutsakou, the A4E managing director, said: 'Europe has been waiting for transparent and workable passenger rights for 12 years and member states have fallen at the final hurdle to deliver. 'Rather than providing delay thresholds of five and nine hours that would save up to 70% of rescuable cancelled flights, member states have diluted the European Commission's original proposal and introduced even more complexity.' The European Commission's initial plan included extending the time to five hours for short-haul flights and nine for long-haul. The agreement also includes a 'right to be rerouted' when there are long delays, automating forms for compensation and stronger rights for passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion Philippe Tabarot, the French transport minister, said he was pleased with the agreement. He wrote on X: 'The text could have been more ambitious, but it is an important step towards improving the quality of service offered to air passengers.' Under current rules in the UK, airlines must compensate passengers if their flight arrives at its destination more than three hours late and extraordinary circumstances did not cause the delay. For short-haul flights under 1,500km (932 miles), passengers can be compensated up to £220. This rises to £350 for medium-haul flights between 1,500km and 3,500km. For long-haul flights over 3,500km, delayed passengers can be paid up to £520, although this can be lowered to £260 if the passenger arrives at the destination with a delay of less than four hours.
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Airline passengers face longer delay times before compensation kicks in
EU countries have agreed to increase the amount of time passengers will have to wait before they can claim compensation for a delayed flight after 12 years of negotiations. Passengers will only be able to apply for compensation for short-haul flights if they are delayed for four hours or more, while for long-haul flights they will have to wait six hours, EU transport ministers said on Thursday. Currently, passengers can apply for compensation if any flight is more than three hours delayed. Ministers also agreed, as part of revisions to 31 different air passenger rights, to increase the amount of compensation marginally for those delayed on short-haul flights from €250 to €300, but cut it for long-haul flights from €600 to €500. READ MORE [ Holidaymakers face air traffic delays this summer Opens in new window ] [ Airline passengers got €1.2m in compensation during 2024 Opens in new window ] Other rights agreed included automating forms for compensation, restrictions to grounds for denying reimbursement and putting more responsibility on airlines to provide rerouting and accommodation when there are long delays, as well as strengthened rights for passengers with disabilities. The revision of the EU's air passenger rights was first proposed in 2013 by the European Commission, but it has taken 12 years for EU states to come to an agreement on the time frame for compensation. Airlines argued that mandating a longer delay threshold would give them a 'fighting chance to minimise delays and avoid flight cancellations', the industry body Airlines for Europe (A4E) said in a letter to the German minister for transport this week. A4E represents Europe's major airlines, including Lufthansa, Air France-KLM and Ryanair. It said that 70 per cent of flights that end up being cancelled could be saved at a five-hour threshold 'benefiting up to 10 million passengers per year'. 'Europe has been waiting for transparent and workable passenger rights for 12 years and member states have fallen at the final hurdle to states have diluted the European Commission's original proposal and introduced even more complexity,' A4E said in a statement. The European Commission originally proposed extending the time to five hours for short-haul flights and nine for long-haul. Politicians, however, have veered away from delivering the politically unpalatable message that passengers will have to lose out. Germany was one of the strongest opponents of increasing the limits, along with Spain. In a statement on Thursday, German lawmakers from the European People's Party, Europe's largest political group, said that 'decreasing the rights to compensation for air passengers would be a step in the wrong direction. Reimbursement after a three-hour delay has been standard for many years and should remain so'. 'No politician wants to say more than four hours,' one senior EU diplomat said. The member states will have to negotiate with the European Parliament before the revisions become final law. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited
