The compromise, aimed at striking a better balance between airlines’ interests and passenger rights, preserves several key elements of the current framework, including the three-hour delay threshold that grants the right to compensation and compensation levels ranging from €250 to €600 depending on the length of the flight.
It also introduces an obligation for airlines to provide passengers whose flights are canceled or delayed by at least three hours with “clear instructions on how to submit a request” for compensation. The provision is intended to increase awareness of passenger rights among travelers, most of whom currently do not claim compensation.
However, co-legislators decided not to introduce an obligation for airlines to send passengers either a pre-filled compensation form or a direct link to a claim form — two proposals that were pushed by MEPs and were part of previous drafts, but failed to secure sufficient support among member countries.
The reform was originally introduced in 2013, but years of wrangling between EU institutions, growing mistrust and competing industry interests led to numerous delays.