After several months of reflection and pressure, notably from the aviation lobbies, the European Parliament has ultimately not given in. It has just confirmed, and even strengthened, the EU's air passenger protection rights, much to the dismay of air carriers.
The mobilisation was significant from both consumers and parliamentarians, when a new bill from the European Commission was presented to Parliament on air passenger rights. In June 2025, the EU transport ministers had proposed a reform of EU261 legislation, governing air passenger rights in the event of delays or cancellations. Notably by proposing stricter refund conditions. The new Commission legislation envisaged, in particular, increasing the minimum delay from 3 to 4 hours for short/medium-haul flights; and from 3 to 6 hours for long-haul flights.
A year of discussion for the European Parliament to finally retain the current achievements, and even strengthen them. The decision was made on the night of Monday, June 15th, just in time before the reform expired.
" Parliament has always been the strongest champion of air passenger rights. This agreement will strengthen air passenger rights across Europe. It will bring more transparency and predictability for both consumers and airlines, without creating unnecessary administrative burdens for our industry. Parliament has fought hard to make travel fairer and procedures clearer, and that is what we have managed to achieve.", stated Roberta Metsola, President of Parliament, at the conclusion of the vote.
" We avoided the major U-turn pushed by the Council and the aviation lobby on the level of compensation. Parliament has even secured new advances for passenger rights: cabin baggage included in the ticket price, an end to denied boarding, free boarding passes, and free seats next to children. explain, in a statement, François Kalfon, MEP and shadow rapporteur for the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament.
In fact, the European Parliament has agreed on the following rules:
Compensation retained
Compensation for delayed or cancelled flights depends on the flight distance: €250 for journeys of up to 1,500 km, €400 for journeys between 1,500 km and 3,500 km, and €600 for all other longer journeys. Air carriers will be able to reduce compensation by 50% for their longest journeys if passengers are offered re-routing to their final destination following disruptions or if the delay on arrival does not exceed four hours.
However, airlines will be able to avoid paying compensation if the delay or cancellation was caused by events beyond their control. The new rules set out an open list of these extraordinary circumstances, such as natural disasters, war, bad weather conditions, passenger indiscipline, strikes by air traffic control or ground handling service providers.
In all cases, air carriers will have a duty of care towards stranded passengers, providing them with refreshments every two hours of waiting, a meal after three hours, and, if necessary during long delays, accommodation for a maximum of three nights, the agreement states.
Faster and easier refunds
Airlines will be required to provide passengers affected by travel disruptions (delays or cancellations) with clear instructions on how to claim compensation, sent electronically within four days of the end of their journey. MEPs have ensured that passengers are not required to have a user account or use a specific app to receive this information. Air passengers will have nine months to submit a claim for compensation, whilst airlines will have 30 days to pay the compensation.
Protecting vulnerable passengers
MEPs have ensured that passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility (PRM) are entitled to compensation, re-routing and assistance from airlines if they miss their flight because the airport has not allowed them to reach the boarding gate in time. They have also ensured that families with children are not separated when seats are allocated. The same right will apply to passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility, as well as to pregnant women.
Improving passenger rights
The new rules now include the right to bring a personal item, such as a small bag or backpack, on board at no extra charge.Editor's note: a measure already applied in practice]. MEPs’ emphasis on price transparency and the comparability of flight fares has been reinforced by requiring airlines, intermediaries and search engines to always display the total fare, including hand luggage, at the start of the booking process.
Negotiators have agreed that airlines can offer cheaper tickets to passengers who voluntarily choose to travel without hand luggage.
Air passengers will no longer be charged extra for correcting spelling mistakes in their names or for obtaining a printed copy of a boarding pass if they have already checked in.
Deputies also guaranteed passengers the right to obtain boarding passes in digital format during check-in, without any further request or obligation to have a user account or a specific app. Furthermore, passengers must not be denied boarding on the grounds that they have used their own printed version of a digitally issued boarding pass, the agreement states.
The provisional agreement reached within the conciliation committee must be confirmed by Parliament and the Council within the next six weeks during a third reading, with the possibility of extending this deadline by an additional two weeks. Parliament plans to vote on the agreement during its July plenary session. The text is expected to enter into force 20 days later.
