BRUSSELS — After months of wrangling over EU air passenger rights reform, negotiators appear set to leave the most contentious issue — compensation for delays and cancellations — largely unchanged, five people involved in the negotiations told POLITICO.
The Cyprus presidency of the Council confirmed that member country ambassadors will meet on Friday at 6 p.m. to discuss the latest package proposal covering all outstanding issues in the reform. The compromise follows marathon negotiations with the European Parliament after talks on Tuesday ended without a deal.
The compromise proposal retains the current three-hour delay threshold. Compensation would stay at €250 for flights of up to 1,500 kilometers and €400 for those between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometers.
It also clarifies the rules for flights over 3,500 kilometers, saying passengers would receive €300 for delays of between three and four hours, rising to €600 for delays exceeding four hours or for cancellations.
Negotiators from the European Parliament and the Council did agree on a new obligation requiring airlines to send passengers a link to a compensation claim form within 48 hours of the scheduled arrival time of a delayed or canceled flight. That aims to make it easier to file claims.
Airlines would also be required to provide the reasons for the disruption, including specifying any extraordinary circumstance invoked when seeking exemption from compensation payments. The link would have to be sent via a “durable medium,” such as email, rather than through app notifications that passengers might struggle to keep track of.
Once a passenger submits a compensation request, the airline would have 30 days to pay or justify a refusal. The deadline could be extended for claims submitted on paper.
This process would replace the earlier idea of giving passengers pre-completed forms previously discussed by negotiators.
Negotiators also reached a deal earlier this week on another contentious issue. Airlines will have to display ticket prices that include carry-on bags, and not just smaller under-seat bags. Passengers would still be able to opt out of the trolley bag in return for a discount.
If ambassadors approve the draft, the final deal then needs to be adopted by the conciliation committee — which includes both MEPs and member state representatives — by June 15.
