Cyprus helps steer landmark EU air passenger rights deal

Cyprus helped steer a long-awaited European agreement on air passenger rights this week, with EU officials saying the revised rules will bring clearer compensation procedures, stronger protection for travellers and greater transparency over ticket prices and hand luggage. The provisional agreement, reached by negotiators from the European Parliament and the Council, was unanimously approved on Monday evening by the European Parliament delegation in the conciliation committee. The reform updates rules that had remained largely unchanged since 2004 and seeks to give passengers clearer rights in cases of denied boarding, flight delays and cancellations. It also comes after more than a decade of negotiations, with MEPs saying they resisted efforts to weaken existing passenger protections while securing new safeguards for families, passengers with disabilities and reduced mobility, and travellers affected by disruption. European Parliament president Roberta Metsola said the agreement would strengthen the rights of air travellers and make it easier for passengers to enforce them. “The European Parliament has always been the strongest advocate for strong air passenger rights. This agreement will strengthen the rights of air passengers across Europe,” she said. “It will bring greater transparency and predictability for both consumers and airlines, without creating unnecessary bureaucracy for our industry,” she added. Metsola said Parliament had fought to make travel fairer and procedures clearer, while noting that the deal had required commitment, political will and courage. The undertaking “was not easy at all”, she said, responding to a question. Cyprus transport minister Alexis Vafeades said the agreement marked an important success for the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, after 13 years of discussions on the file. “The agreement is the result of a joint effort, compromise and European cooperation,” he said. He added that the modernised framework would provide predictability and fairness to millions of passengers, while also making the rules clearer, simpler and more practical. “The modernized framework will provide predictability and fairness to millions of passengers,” Vafeades said. For Cyprus and other island states, he added, the regulation carries particular importance, as air connectivity remains central to travel, business, tourism and everyday life. European Commissioner for sustainable transport and tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas also welcomed the agreement, saying the reform was positive both for passengers and for airlines. “Today is a good day for Europe. We have improved passenger rights. The news is also good for air carriers,” he said. He added that the reform maintains the rights passengers already know and value, while simplifying procedures and giving both travellers and air carriers greater clarity. One of the main changes concerns compensation. Under the agreement, passengers will retain the right to reimbursement or re-routing in case of cancellation, and to claim compensation if a flight is delayed by more than three hours, cancelled less than 14 days before departure, or if they are denied boarding. Compensation will continue to depend on distance. Passengers will be entitled to €250 for routes of up to 1,500 kilometres, €400 for flights between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometres, and €600 for longer routes. However, airlines will be able to reduce compensation by 50 per cent on longer routes if passengers are offered re-routing to their final destination after a disruption, or if the delay on arrival does not exceed four hours. At the same time, air carriers will be able to avoid compensation where a delay or cancellation is caused by events beyond their control. According to the European Parliament, the new rules will include an open list of extraordinary circumstances, including natural disasters, war, weather conditions, unruly passengers, and strikes by airport, air navigation or ground-handling service providers. Even then, airlines will still have a duty of care towards passengers. This will include refreshments every two hours of waiting, a meal after three hours and, where necessary during long delays, an overnight stay of up to three nights. The agreement also seeks to make the claims process less confusing and reimbursement faster. Airlines will have to provide passengers affected by delays or cancellations with clear electronic instructions on how to submit a compensation claim within four days of the end of their journey. MEPs also ensured that passengers will not be required to create a user account or use a specific app in order to receive this information. Passengers will have nine months to submit a claim, while airlines will have 30 days to pay compensation or invoke extraordinary circumstances. Where compensation is refused, airlines will have to explain why it will not be paid and refer passengers to the complaints procedure. The reform also strengthens protection for passengers with disabilities and reduced mobility. They will have the right to compensation, re-routing and assistance from airlines if they miss a flight because an airport failed to help them reach the boarding gate on time. Families travelling with children will also receive stronger protection. Airlines will have to ensure that any person accompanying a child under the age of 14 is seated next to them at no extra charge. The same right will apply to passengers with disabilities and reduced mobility, as well as pregnant women. Another central part of the agreement concerns hand luggage and ticket-price transparency. The new rules include the right to carry on board, free of charge, one personal item, such as a small handbag or backpack. At the same time, airlines, intermediaries and search portals will have to display the flight price including hand luggage from the start of the booking process, making fares easier to compare from the outset. Negotiators agreed, however, that airlines may still offer cheaper tickets to passengers who voluntarily choose to travel without hand luggage. EP rapporteur Andrei Novakov said the agreement had finally brought clarity to an issue that affects millions of passengers. “Parliament promised passengers that their rights will be protected. And today we delivered. We fought for people, not for statistics,” he said. “Because behind every delay and every cancellation there are real lives,” he added. Novakov said Parliament had also added clear improvements for families, passengers with reduced mobility and the aviation sector, describing the outcome as “a balanced result that we can all be proud of”. During the press conference, he also said price transparency for hand luggage had been established, adding that “it took us 13 years to reach an agreement, but it will be valid for another 100 years”. Transport and Tourism Committee vice-chair Virginijus Sinkevicius praised Cyprus’ role in reaching the agreement, saying the country had shown real leadership. “Now was Cyprus’ moment, an important European moment,” he said. “Europe speaks with one voice and manages to protect its citizens,” he added. He also said Europe was delivering for air passengers by protecting existing rights, adding new safeguards and providing greater clarity when things go wrong. “Parliament was clear from day one: we wanted to modernise the rules, but we would not let passengers pay the price,” he said. The agreement also removes several charges that have long frustrated passengers. Travellers will no longer be charged extra for correcting spelling errors in their name or for printing a boarding pass if they have already checked in. MEPs also secured passengers’ right to receive boarding passes digitally at check-in, without any further request or obligation to create a user account or use a specific app. In addition, airlines will not be able to deny boarding because a passenger used their own printout of a digitally issued boarding pass. The provisional agreement must now be confirmed by both the European Parliament and the Council within six weeks, with the possibility of extending the deadline by a further two weeks. The two institutions will vote separately on the joint text after its legal-linguistic revision, while the European Parliament is expected to vote on the agreement during its July plenary session.