Members of the European Parliament’s Transport and Tourism Committee have voted to uphold and strengthen EU air passenger rights, rejecting proposals by member states to water down existing protections.
In a vote held on Monday, MEPs backed keeping the current rule that allows passengers to claim compensation if flights are delayed by more than three hours, cancelled, or if boarding is denied. This contrasts with the Council’s position, which would raise the compensation threshold to between four and six hours depending on flight distance.
The committee also opposed reducing compensation amounts, proposing they remain between €300 and €600 based on distance, rather than the lower caps suggested by EU ministers.
MEPs agreed that airlines should only be liable for disruptions within their control and called for a clear, exhaustive list of “extraordinary circumstances”, such as natural disasters, war, severe weather or unforeseen labour disputes, that would exempt carriers from paying compensation.
Passenger rights to care during delays would also remain unchanged, including refreshments every two hours, meals after three hours, and hotel accommodation for up to three nights in cases of long disruption.
On baggage, the committee supports allowing passengers to carry one personal item and one small piece of hand luggage free of charge, with a maximum combined size of 100 cm and a weight limit of 7 kg. MEPs also want to ban fees for correcting name spelling errors or for check-in, and ensure passengers can choose between digital and paper boarding passes.
Additional protections were proposed for vulnerable travellers, including people with reduced mobility, pregnant women and children. Accompanying persons would be entitled to adjacent seating at no extra cost, while priority boarding would be mandatory.
To simplify compensation claims, airlines would be required to send passengers a pre-filled reimbursement form within 48 hours of cancellations or long delays. Passengers would have up to one year to submit claims.
The committee’s vote forms the European Parliament’s draft position ahead of negotiations with EU governments on updating air passenger rights legislation first introduced in 2004.
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