EU agrees changes to air passenger rights
Negotiators from the European Parliament and EU member states have reached a compromise on the reform of air passenger rights. The main points concern compensation for delays, cabin baggage, children’s seating and the “no-show” rule. The changes are not yet in force; final legislative approval and publication are still required.
The three-hour threshold stays
The central part of the deal concerns compensation for delayed and cancelled flights. The European Parliament resisted the Council’s earlier position, which would have moved the compensation threshold to four or six hours, depending on flight distance.
According to media reports from Brussels, the compromise keeps the rule that passengers may claim compensation after a delay of more than three hours. Compensation is expected to remain in the EUR 250–600 range, with an extra distinction for the longest routes: EUR 300 for delays of three to four hours and EUR 600 for delays above four hours.
That means the core mechanism of Regulation 261/2004 remains in place. The exact thresholds still need to be checked against the final legal text.
Cabin bag included by default
The compromise also changes how airlines display fares with cabin baggage. Airlines are expected to show a fare that includes standard cabin baggage, while passengers would still be able to choose a cheaper ticket without a trolley bag.
This is not a full ban on selling fares with only a small personal item. The change is more about transparency: the price with a cabin bag should be visible from the start, while removing the bag should reduce the fare.
For passengers, this should reduce the risk that the final trip cost rises late in the booking process.
Parents seated next to children
The new rules are expected to ban charges for seating a child under 14 next to an accompanying adult. The change targets a practice in which airlines sell a seat selection product to the parent, even though the child needs to sit next to the adult.
The package also includes the right to choose between a digital and paper boarding pass. Airlines would not be able to require only an electronic boarding pass at the gate.
Reports from the negotiations also point to a ban on fees for correcting minor spelling errors in passenger names. This concerns typos, not changing the passenger named on the ticket.
A weaker no-show rule
The reform limits the practice of cancelling later parts of a journey when a passenger does not use the first flight in a return or connecting ticket. In practice, an airline would not be able to deny boarding on the return flight only because the passenger missed the outbound sector.
This matters for multi-sector trips, including corporate bookings. The final text will show how lawmakers distinguish passenger protection from deliberate hidden-city ticketing or skipped segments used to obtain a lower fare.
Claims process still needs the final text
The least clear element is the level of automation in claims handling. The European Parliament wanted airlines to send passengers a pre-filled form after a cancellation or long delay.
Available reports suggest a weaker compromise. Airlines would have to contact passengers quickly and directly, informing them of their rights and how to file a claim. Whether that means a link, a form or full instructions in the message still needs confirmation in the final document.
A clearer claims path matters in practice. Today, many passengers abandon claims because procedures are scattered across airline websites.
Corporate policy and claims
For managed travel programs, the main effects concern basic fare purchasing, cabin baggage accounting and post-disruption claims handling. Until the new rules apply, compensation remains governed by the current system.
The no-show change will also matter for companies. In multi-sector itineraries, weaker automatic cancellation of later segments may reduce the risk of losing a return flight after a change of plan.
