EU Parliament Approves Air Passenger Rights Reform with Broad Majority

Free Seats for Families

Another key change concerns families. In the future, the rule applies that "parents can reserve seats next to their children free of charge." The regulation aims to ensure that smaller children in particular no longer have to sit alone in a row while parents are seated on the other side of the plane. The change is intended to noticeably make travel easier for families.

More Transparent Prices for Hand Luggage

In addition, price structures for flight tickets are to become more honest. "The prices for hand luggage will become more transparent" – this is how the draft puts it. Hidden or difficult-to-understand surcharges for hand luggage items are thus to become a thing of the past.

Formal Approval of the EU Council Still Pending

Before the new provisions can enter into force, however, one formal step is still missing: "For the new law to enter into force, the approval of the European Council is still required." According to the Parliament's assessment, this approval is considered a mere formality. "It is considered a formality," it says from Strasbourg.

The reform is part of a series of initiatives with which the EU aims to strengthen the rights of consumers in air travel. The members of Parliament pointed out that the existing regulations date from 2004 and need to be adapted to today's reality of travel.

With the vote, however, the years-long debate over a modernization of air passenger rights is not yet concluded. Individual points, such as the question of how strict the requirements for compensation for longer delays will ultimately be, were disputed among the member states until the end. The package now adopted is considered a compromise.

For the airline industry, the reform means new obligations regarding the information of customers. Representatives of the airlines had warned beforehand of additional bureaucratic effort. Consumer advocates, on the other hand, welcomed the clearer deadlines and the family regulation as a long-overdue step.

The European Parliament had previously announced that it would put the draft to the vote on Tuesday from 12:00 p.m. With the vote now achieved, the parliamentary hurdle has been cleared – the ball is now in the European Council's court.