If you’ve ever had your flight cancelled, and weren’t adequately compensated for your losses and inconvenience, you’ll appreciate the latest announcement made by the European Commission.
New proposals from the European Commission would reinforce consumer protections for travelers who face flight cancellations. The European Union (E.U.) is already the only place in the world with a passenger rights framework that extends to all modes of transportation—but, it’s not without its issues.
While the E.U.’s existing passenger rights legislation is laudable, travelers often run into problems stemming from inadequate implementation and enforcement. The newly proposed updates to existing mobility legislation aim to fortify enforcement mechanisms and improve reimbursement rules for air travelers.
The planned revisions to the E.U.’s Passengers Rights Regulation and 2015 Package Travel Directive include improved provisions for:
- Persons With Disabilities: If an airline requires a passenger with disabilities to travel accompanied, their companion would fly free of charge.
- Intermediary Ticket Purchases: Passengers buying air tickets through intermediaries, such as travel advisors, will have more clarity on reimbursement responsibilities—whether it lies with the transport operator or the intermediary.
- Multimodal Journeys: Travelers using various modes of transport to complete their journey will be entitled to better information and protection.
- Travel Package Prepayments: Limiting prepayments made at the time of booking, or “downpayments”, would be limited to a maximum of 25 percent of the package price until 28 days before departure.
- Refunds Through Vouchers: Automatic refunds would be issued if travel vouchers aren’t used by their expiration date. New consumer protection against travel company insolvency would also be added.
- 14-Day Refund Window: Reaffirmation of the right to receive refunds for cancelled bookings within 14 days.
In addition to the changes mentioned above, the Commission hopes to create a “common European mobility data space” to facilitate better access to and sharing of transport data, both for travel businesses and passengers.
The new rules aim to prompt Member States (countries included in the E.U. bloc) to proactively monitor travel issues, like flight cancellations, instead of taking action on when complaints are filed.
If the proposed amendments pass into legislation, it would enable the Commission to request that Member States investigate such issues and take action when it’s called for. If enacted, these proposals would substantially bolster the E.U.’s existing passenger rights framework, and foster a more responsive and accountable European travel ecosystem.
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