{"id":58321,"date":"2026-06-16T06:59:31","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T05:59:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/?p=58321"},"modified":"2026-06-16T06:59:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T05:59:31","slug":"deal-on-air-passenger-rights-meps-secure-improved-traveller-protection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/16\/deal-on-air-passenger-rights-meps-secure-improved-traveller-protection\/","title":{"rendered":"Deal on air passenger rights: MEPs secure improved traveller protection"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ep_gridcolumn ep-m_product\" data-view1200=\"6\" data-view1020=\"6\" data-view750=\"10\" data-view640=\"6\" data-view480=\"8\" data-view320=\"4\">\n<div class=\"ep_gridcolumn-content\">\n<div class=\"ep-a_text ep-layout_chapo\">\n<ul class=\"ep_list\">\n<li>\n<div class=\"ep-p_text\"><span class=\"ep_name\">Three-hour flight delay threshold for compensation<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"ep-p_text\"><span class=\"ep_name\">Clear instructions for passengers on how to claim compensation from airlines<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"ep-p_text\"><span class=\"ep_name\">No seat fee for children under 14 sitting next to accompanying person<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"ep-p_text\"><span class=\"ep_name\">Transparent ticket price that includes hand luggage<\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>MEPs have secured an air passenger rules deal that maintains compensation for three-hour delays, ensures faster reimbursement, fee-free child seating and flight price transparency.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ep_gridcolumn ep-m_product\" data-view1200=\"6\" data-view1020=\"6\" data-view750=\"10\" data-view640=\"6\" data-view480=\"8\" data-view320=\"4\">\n<div class=\"ep_gridcolumn-content\">\n<div class=\"ep-a_text\" data-wysiwyg=\"\">\n<p class=\"ep-wysiwig_paragraph\">On Monday evening, a provisional agreement on a review of air passenger rights rules reached by Parliament and Council negotiators secured unanimous backing from the EP delegation to the so-called\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/olp\/en\/conciliation\/overview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Conciliation Committee<\/a>. The deal seeks to protect passengers against travel disruption, such as denied boarding and delayed or cancelled flights. The rules had not been updated since 2004.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ep-wysiwig_paragraph\">\u201cThe European Parliament has always been the strongest advocate for strong air passenger rights. This agreement will strengthen the rights of air passengers across Europe. It will bring greater transparency and predictability for both consumers and airlines, without creating unnecessary bureaucracy for our industry. Parliament fought hard to make travel fairer and procedures clearer, and this is what we have delivered,\u201d\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/the-president.europarl.europa.eu\/en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament<\/a>, said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ep-wysiwig_paragraph\"><strong>Compensation and duty of care<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"ep-wysiwig_paragraph\">Parliament\u2019s negotiators resisted a push to weaken air passenger rights. Under the deal, air travellers maintain the right to be reimbursed or re-routed in case of cancellation, and to claim compensation if a flight is delayed by more than three hours, if it is cancelled less than 14 days before a flight, or if they are denied boarding.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ep-wysiwig_paragraph\">Compensation for delayed or cancelled flights will depend on flight distance: \u20ac250 for journeys up to 1,500 km, \u20ac400 for journeys between 1,500 km and 3,500 km, and \u20ac600 for all other longer journeys. Air carriers will have the possibility to reduce compensation by 50% for their longest journeys if passengers are offered re-routing to their final destination following travel disruption, or if the delay at arrival does not last more than four hours.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ep-wysiwig_paragraph\">However, airlines will be able to avoid paying compensation, if the delay or cancellation was caused by events beyond their control. The new rules will have an open list of these extraordinary circumstances, including for instance natural disasters, war, weather conditions, unruly passengers, or airport, air navigation or groundhandling service provider strikes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ep-wysiwig_paragraph\">In all cases air operators will have a duty to take care of stranded passengers by providing refreshments every two hours of waiting time, a meal after three hours, and, if needed during long delays, an overnight stay of a maximum of three nights, the agreement says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ep-wysiwig_paragraph\"><strong>Faster and easier reimbursement<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"ep-wysiwig_paragraph\">\n<p class=\"ep-wysiwig_paragraph\">Air carriers will need to electronically provide passengers facing travel disruptions (delay or cancellation) with clear instructions on how to submit a request for compensation within four days of the termination of their journey. MEPs ensured that passengers are not obliged to have a user account or to use a specific application to receive this information. Air passengers will have nine months to file a compensation request, while airlines will have 30 days to pay the compensation or invoke extraordinary circumstances, explain why compensation will not be provided and refer passengers to complaint handling steps, the deal says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ep-wysiwig_paragraph\"><strong>Protecting vulnerable passengers<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"ep-wysiwig_paragraph\">MEPs ensured passengers with disabilities and reduced mobility (PRM) will have the right to compensation, rerouting and assistance by airlines if they miss a flight due to the airport\u2019s failure to help them reach the gate on time. They also made sure that families with kids are not separated during seating, by obliging air carriers to ensure that any person accompanying a child below the age of 14 should be seated on an adjacent seat without paying extra. The same right will apply to passengers with disabilities and reduced mobility, and to pregnant women.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ep-wysiwig_paragraph\"><strong>Upgrading passenger rights<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"ep-wysiwig_paragraph\">\n<p class=\"ep-wysiwig_paragraph\">The new rules now include the right to carry on board, without additional fee, one personal item, such as a small bag or backpack. On the insistence of MEPs price transparency and the comparability of air tickets was increased by obliging airlines, intermediaries and search portals to always display the air fare inclusive of carry-on luggage at the outset of the book process. Negotiators agreed that airlines may offer cheaper tickets for passengers who choose voluntarily to travel without hand luggage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ep-wysiwig_paragraph\">Air passengers will no longer be charged additional fees for correcting name spelling errors or for getting a printed version of a boarding pass if they have already checked in. MEPs also secured passengers the right to obtain boarding passes digitally upon check-in, without any further request or obligation to have a user account or a specific application. In addition, passengers shall not be denied boarding on the grounds that they used their own printed version of a digitally issued boarding pass, the agreement says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ep-wysiwig_paragraph\"><strong>Quotes<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_58321\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"58321\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 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