Deal on better passenger rights protection 

Under a preliminary agreement sealed by Parliament and Council negotiators on Thursday, travellers using air, rail, sea, inland waterways and bus transport will find it easier to enjoy the rights they have before, during and after a journey. These include the right to receive information at various stages of travel, the right to contract fulfilment and compensation, and the right to prompt handling of complaints.

Air travel intermediaries

The preliminary deal clarifies the role of intermediaries (ticket vendors or retailers) in reimbursing air passengers for the full price of the ticket in cases of travel disruption (cancellation, a long delay or denied boarding). These companies will have to inform passengers at the time of booking about any additional intermediation, administrative, service or cancellation fees and about the reimbursement process, the text says. Reimbursement of the full price of the ticket and intermediary fee, if charged, should reach the passenger within 14 days. Should an intermediary fail to respect this deadline, it would be up to the air carrier to process the reimbursement within the seven days after receiving the necessary payment details for the reimbursement.

Common form to facilitate reimbursement

To streamline reimbursement processes, the negotiators agreed to introduce a common form that sea, air and bus passengers will be able to use to file compensation or reimbursement requests (this form already exists for rail travel). The Commission will make it available in all EU languages on its website. This would be one way to request reimbursement, as transport carriers will still be free to direct stranded passenger to their own electronic form, a paper form or a mobile application, the deal says.

The Parliament and Council negotiators had already agreed earlier on a more precise system for air passengers, asking air carriers to send passengers facing travel disruption clear instructions electronically on how to submit a compensation request within four days of the termination of their journey.

Vulnerable travellers

The preliminary agreement improves protection for passengers with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility by making sure an accompanying person can travel with them free of charge by plane if their presence is necessary, as is already the case for travel by bus, train or ship.

Enforcement agencies

To monitor compliance closely and deter operators from infringing the passenger rights rules, negotiators agreed to strengthen national enforcement and complaint handling bodies. These bodies will not need to wait for passenger complaints to start investigating possible breaches, but will be able to initiate audits, inspections or interviews of carriers proactively, the deal adds. Furthermore, the negotiators agreed that sea and bus passengers will have three months from the incident to file a complaint to carriers, as is already the case for rail travels. If they do not receive a reply or if the complaint was rejected, the passengers will have a right to submit it to an official complaints body.

Quote

Parliament rapporteur Matteo Ricci (S&D, IT) said: “Rights cannot exist without effective enforcement. With today’s agreement, we complete the passenger rights package by establishing a clear framework of rules to protect and enforce the rights of European passengers across all modes of transport, including through the introduction of transparent and effective complaint and redress mechanisms. Stronger measures in support of persons with reduced mobility and a new regulatory framework governing the purchase of tickets through intermediaries further enhance the protection of European passengers.”

Next steps

The preliminary deal still needs to be approved formally by Parliament and Council.

Background information

In 2023, Commission suggested updating and improving the EU rules on the rights of passengers when travelling by air, rail, sea, inland waterway, bus or coach. Parliament and Council have already reached a provisional agreement on air passenger rights, which will be put to a vote in the July plenary.