After more than thirteen years of delays, compromises, and dossiers that remained on track without ever really taking off, the European Union has given the final green light to the reform of air passenger rights.
The new text maintains the right to compensation for delays exceeding three hours, makes refund procedures faster and less convoluted, and introduces new protections for hand luggage, free seats for children, boarding passes, and assistance for passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility.
The reform updates Regulation 261/2004, in force for over twenty years, and Regulation 2027/97 on the liability of the air carrier for passengers and baggage. It is a technical step only in appearance: in reality, it intervenes at the most concrete point of the relationship between citizens and airlines, that is, what happens when a flight is canceled, departs late, causes a missed connection, or turns the refund into an obstacle course. The new rules will come into force 20 days after publication in the EU Official Journal, while Member States and airlines will have one year to comply.
Compensations
They remain anchored to the three-hour threshold. Passengers will still be able to claim compensation when they arrive at their destination more than three hours late, when the flight is canceled less than 14 days in advance, or when boarding is denied without a valid reason. The amounts remain the same: 250 euros for routes up to 1,500 kilometers, 400 euros for intra-EU flights over 1,500 kilometers and for other routes between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometers, 600 euros for longer connections. For longer-distance trips, however, there remains some flexibility for airlines. Compensation may be reduced by 50% if the carrier offers re-routing to the final destination after the interruption or if the arrival delay does not exceed four hours. Airlines will not be required to pay compensation when the delay or cancellation depends on events beyond their control. The list, not exhaustive, includes natural disasters, wars, weather conditions incompatible with flight, unruly passengers, or strikes at the airport operator, air navigation service providers, or ground handling service providers.
Refunds and complaints
The reform establishes that passengers who choose a refund instead of re-routing must receive it automatically. In case of trip interruption, airlines must provide clear instructions on how to submit a compensation claim within four days after the end of the trip. This information must be accessible without requiring the passenger to create a user account or download a specific app. The passenger will have nine months to submit the claim. From that moment, the airline will have 30 days to pay the amount due or to reject the claim, explaining why it believes no compensation is due and indicating the available complaint procedures.
It is a step designed to provide certainty on timing and to reduce the practice, well known to many travelers, of slow or evasive responses. The right to assistance during the wait remains firm. Airlines must continue to provide refreshments every two hours, a meal after three hours, and, if necessary, overnight accommodation in case of prolonged delays. When the interruption is caused by factors beyond the carrier’s control, hotel accommodation may be limited to a maximum of three nights. However, the limit cannot be applied indiscriminately to the most vulnerable passengers, for whom the text provides specific guarantees. The new rules also strengthen the possibility of independently arranging re-routing, under certain conditions, when the carrier does not offer adequate solutions within a reasonable time.
Vulnerable passengers and families
Among the most visible novelties is that concerning seating. Airlines must offer, at no additional cost, a seat adjacent to the person accompanying a minor under 14 years of age. The same protection will apply to passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility and to pregnant women. Seat selection has become a source of revenue for many airlines, but the EU Parliament wanted to set a limit: sitting next to a child or a person who needs assistance cannot be treated as a premium option. The reform also strengthens the rights of passengers with disabilities and reduced mobility when they miss a flight due to the airport’s inability to help them reach the gate in time. In these cases, they will be entitled to compensation, re-routing, and assistance from the airline. The text also addresses the issue of mobility equipment and assistance dogs, providing tools to ensure fuller protection in case of loss, damage, or destruction.
Hand luggage, prices, and boarding passes
The reform establishes the right to bring on board, at no additional cost, a personal item such as a small bag or backpack. But the most delicate point concerns price transparency. Airlines, intermediaries, and search portals must show from the start of the booking process the fare including hand luggage. Carriers may still offer cheaper fares to those traveling without a trolley, but the passenger must be able to compare offers more clearly.
The text does not abolish the differentiated fare model but tries to prevent its most opaque effects. In a market where the ticket is often broken down into multiple elements, transparency becomes a form of protection: it does not tell airlines how much to charge, but asks that the passenger understands beforehand what they are buying. New guarantees also come regarding boarding passes and administrative costs.
No additional charges may be applied to correct spelling errors in the name, provided the correction does not involve a change of passenger, date, time, or itinerary. No extra costs may be applied for using the printed version of a boarding pass if the passenger has already checked in. Furthermore, the digital boarding pass must be provided at check-in without further requests, without mandatory apps, and without dedicated accounts. The rules for round-trip tickets also change. Under the new rules, those who purchase a round-trip ticket may use the return flight even if they have not taken the outbound leg, without having to pay extra fees.
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