On 24th June, the transport and tourism committee of the European Union Parliament recommended changes to the EU passenger rights rules specific to air travel. The proposal included a common reimbursement form, no fee for selecting a child seat, free on-board personal items and small hand luggage, and better assistance and safety for vulnerable travellers.
Cancellation/long delays
The proposal aims to clarify the function of intermediaries, the ticket vendors or retailers, in the case of cancellation, long delays or denied boarding. Companies will be required to inform the passengers about the full cost of the air ticket and the service fees, including the reimbursement process, which should not take more than 14 days. In the case of a failure to do so, the air carrier shall be responsible for reimbursing the amount within seven days.
One form for all the requests
The Members of the European Parliament proposed to introduce a common form in the cases of compensation and reimbursement requests. A provision is to be added, asking air carriers to send passengers the pre-filled forms in order to process the alternative automatic communication channels, within 48 hours.
Extraordinary circumstances
The transport and tourism committee proposed to have a defined list of exceptions, including: labour disputes, weather conditions, natural disasters and war, to minimise the interpretation as to what is included in the case of extraordinary circumstances during air travel.
Hand Luggage and other rights for travellers
In the draft, MEPs have proposed to enable air travel by presenting common dimensions for hand luggage. Passengers should have the right to carry one personal item, a handbag or a laptop and one small hand luggage, without any additional fees.
In addition to this, children below the age of 12 shall be seated next to their accompanying guardian, without any additional fee. To support persons with reduced mobility, the accompanying person will be allowed to travel free of charge. In the case of loss or damage to the mobility equipment, compensation and assistance shall be provided.
Multimodal Journey made easier for vulnerable travellers
The transport MEPs proposed a new draft in a separate vote, related to the EU rules on passenger rights in multimodal journeys. Journeys comprising at least two modes of transport, like plane-bus, train-bus-plane, are categorised as a multimodal journey. If a passenger buys a single multimodal ticket from a certain operator, switching between the modes of transport shall not result in losing protection in case of a missed connection. In case of a missed connection, the passenger shall be provided with offered meals, refreshments and a hotel, free of charge.
If implemented, this new proposal could make air travel more reliable, easier and more accessible for vulnerable travellers.
What do you think about this new proposal? Let us know in the comments below!
