After 10 months of grueling negotiations, balancing the interests of travelers and the industry, and fending off attempts to weaken passenger rights, the European Parliament (EP) and the Council have reached a historic agreement. 13 years after the first reform attempt, the work over the past year proved decisive for new air passenger rights.
Bulgarian MEP Andrey Novakov from GERB/EPP was chosen as the lead negotiator for the EP and rapporteur for the regulation.
“About a year ago, I took responsibility for this regulation, and my position was clear – passenger rights are not a bargaining chip. When a flight is delayed or canceled, it is not just a statistic. It is a missed family occasion, a job interview, a canceled vacation that no one can bring back. Thanks to today’s success, when citizens board a plane, their rights will not remain on the ground. Ultimately, a simple principle prevailed – we can sell seats, luggage, priority boarding, and all sorts of additional services, but we must not sell humanity, respect, and consideration for passengers,” Novakov stated.
The significance of this legislative file is unprecedented for the mandate of this Parliament. This was precisely why the President of the institution, Roberta Metsola, became directly involved in the negotiation process and attended the trilogues.
“Today’s agreement marks an important step forward for the millions of Europeans who rely on air transport every day. I want to thank our rapporteur Andrey Novakov, the Vice-Chair of the Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) Virginijus Sinkevičius, the entire European Parliament negotiating team, as well as the Cypriot Presidency and Commissioner Tzitzikostas for their efforts to move this process forward and help us reach an acceptable agreement,” stated Roberta Metsola.
The deal between the EP and the Council has led to several unprecedented changes in favor of travelers. Despite strong pressure from the industry and some member states, passengers will receive compensation for delays of three hours. Compensation amounts are also maintained so that consumers are not disadvantaged. If a flight is canceled or delayed by more than 3 hours, the airline is now legally required to inform passengers about how to receive compensation, without them having to seek out their rights themselves.
Parents will no longer pay an extra fee to sit next to their children on board, and strollers can be used right up to the aircraft door and returned immediately after landing, instead of parents having to look for them at the baggage carousel.
People with reduced mobility will be able to seek compensation if they miss a flight due to a lack of necessary assistance at the airport.
Another positive development is that the price of a plane ticket will include carry-on baggage by default, allowing for a real comparison between different airline offers. If a passenger does not need a small cabin suitcase, they can opt out and pay less for their ticket. Fees for administrative corrections of a name or a spelling error on the ticket are also eliminated. If the first flight of a round-trip ticket is not used, the airline will no longer be able to automatically cancel the return flight or charge additional fees.
The new regulation achieves the necessary balance – protecting passenger rights while providing predictability and legal clarity to the European aviation sector. For the first time, an exhaustive list of force majeure circumstances is introduced, under which carriers are not liable for delays or canceled flights.
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