site.btaEuropean Parliament Stands Behind Air Passenger Rights

On Wednesday, European Parliament adopted its position (632 votes to 15 and with nine abstentions) on a revision of EU air passenger rights rules changes suggested by EU Member States in June 2025. Parliament wants passengers to have the right to carry with them onto the airplane, at no additional cost, one personal item (such as a handbag, backpack or laptop) and one small piece of hand luggage with maximum dimensions of 100 cm (combined length, width and height) and seven kilograms.

MEPs voted against a push by EU ministers to weaken air passenger rights, which have been in force since 2004 and the purpose of which are to ensure passengers are sufficiently protected against travel disruption.

MEPs want to maintain the right for air travellers to be reimbursed or re-routed and to claim compensation if a flight is delayed by more than three hours, if it is cancelled, or if they are denied boarding. The Council is pushing for compensation to apply only after a four-to-six-hour delay, depending on the flight distance.

Parliament is also against decreasing the current compensation amounts for flight disruptions and suggests they should be set at between EUR 300 and EUR 600 depending on the flight distance. Member state governments want to set compensation at between EUR 300 and EUR 500.

MEPs also want to scrap the additional fees travellers are sometimes forced to pay for correcting passenger name errors or for checking into their flight. Passengers should retain the right to choose between digital and paper boarding passes, they add.

Rapporteur Andrey Novakov (EPP/GERB) said: ''Parliament is ready to continue the fight for clearer and more predictable rules for airlines and a stronger aviation sector, but not at the expense of passengers. Our baseline is clear: we are determined to improve rather than dilute air passenger rights. We insist that reducing delays has significant overall benefits for Europe’s economy. Therefore, the three-hour threshold for compensation, the existing compensation levels, pre-filled forms and enforceable safeguards remain our red lines. We are counting on EU transport ministers to reconsider their position so that together we may find a mutually acceptable outcome. Citizens expect us to deliver."

Under the second reading procedure Parliament’s position will be sent to the Council. If the Council does not accept all of Parliament’s amendments, a so-called “Conciliation Committee” will be convened to find an agreement on the final shape of the bill.