The EU has reached a deal on compensation for delayed flights and carry-on luggage, as part of efforts to update the bloc’s rules on air-passenger rights and airline liability, which started back in 2013.
Air traffic has expanded quickly since recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, which brought travel to a prolonged standstill. Only in 2024 did air travel in the EU reach 1.1 billion passengers.
But the rights of air travellers haven’t been updated since 2004.
The deal, reached in mid-June, comes after years of lobbying against an improvement of passengers’ rights amid fears of costly compensation for delays and cancellations, with lobby groups pushing for higher compensation thresholds and weaker passenger protections.
“Consumers can be happy overall with this reform. The deal consolidates in the law key air passenger rights while thankfully putting an end to unfair practices,” said Agustín Reyna, director at BEUC, the Brussels-based consumer rights organisation.
