Passengers should be entitled to both a small bag and a piece of hand luggage at no extra cost on EU flights, the European Parliament’s transport committee agreed on Monday in a vote set to raise the temperature at upcoming talks with national governments.
And this was one just one area where MEPs of all stripes took a firm stance on strengthening customer rights, in a negotiating mandate adopted by 34 votes to none, with just two abstentions.
“We have several red lines to fight for, and we are not going to step down from them,” the lead lawmaker on the file Andrey Novakov said at a press conference after the vote.
Alongside what some airlines will doubtless see as a maximalist position on free carry-on baggage, MEPs are also preparing for a battle with the EU Council over rules on compensation for delays.
The Parliament’s first red line, Novakov said, is that “we are not going to accept more than three hours of delay after which the passenger is entitled to receive compensation.”
Overwhelming support
That means sticking with the current threshold for late arrivals. The Council has proposed extending the acceptable delay to four or six hours, depending on distance, in what would mark a major setback for air passenger rights in Europe.
For the European Parliament, distance should be a factor only in deciding the level of compensation, with lawmakers agreeing a range of €300 to €600.
Taking another shot at what some carriers treat as optional extras, the committee agreed parents should have the right to sit next any children younger than 14 years old without paying a seat booking fee.
Members also proposed banning airlines from charging customers what are sometimes exorbitant check-in fees if they make a spelling mistake while booking online.
After eleven years awaiting EU governments’ position on the air passenger rights reform, the MEPs are set to go head-to-head with national delegates on 15 October, with backroom talks bundling negotiations on other EU legislation on passenger rights.
(rh, aw)