The European Parliament has voted to improve airline passenger rights for compensation, seating fees and hand luggage, making fares more transparent and maintaining the threshold for financial protection.
The provisional agreement was reached on Monday and will be confirmed by both the European Parliament and the Council within the next six to eight weeks. It is the first time airline passenger rights have been updated in Europe since 2004, when Regulation EU261 was written into law. At that time, the rules also applied to passengers in the UK when it was part of the EU.
The UK adopted EU261 after Brexit, which covers compensation for flight delays and disruptions. It has not yet been updated in the UK, but it is understood that this is being considered by the Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander.
The new legislation will benefit British passengers departing from any European airport, or arriving at a European airport with a European airline, such as Air France, Iberia, Transavia, Lufthansa, Norwegian, SAS, Finnair, and Air Baltic. UK law continues to apply to European airlines with UK subsidiaries, such as Ryanair and Wizz Air.
Here’s how passengers will benefit from the new European rules, which have been more than a decade in the making…
