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EU lawmakers continue to pay compensation for delayed flights

The European Parliament agreed Monday that the EU should keep the current three hour flight delay threshold as the compensation threshold in its next set of airline passenger's rights. This agreement ended a decade-long debate.

On 'Friday, the 27 member states agreed to maintain the current level compensation for airlines in case of delay.

More than a decade before, the European Commission, which is the EU executive branch, proposed to reduce the amount passengers are entitled to. This issue pitted airlines who demanded greater flexibility in order to "remain competitive" against consumer protection organizations. Both sides have lobbied EU Institutions for many years.

According to rules that have been in place since 2004, passengers who are delayed more than three hours may be entitled to compensation ranging from EUR250 ($290.05),?upto EUR600, depending upon the length of their flight.

After years of debate the EU countries and European Parliament agreed to the status quo.

The member states and the parliament have agreed that airlines can charge for large bags as long as they offer free small bags. They also agree to include the fee for cabin baggage in the basic ticket price. Consumers who choose to opt out of the agreement will receive discounts. The aim of the measure is to increase 'price transparency and comparison.

These fees were widely criticized by consumer rights associations across the EU. This sparked a political fight in 2024 when the Spanish Consumer Rights Ministry fined low-cost airlines EUR179,000,000 for charging them. The airlines have appealed against the fine.

These countries have also enacted rules allowing an accompanying adult?to sit near a child?without paying a fee, and forcing airlines to provide?more services in the event of missed connections.

The law also prohibited airlines from forcing their passengers to download an app on their mobile phones to obtain a boarding card, a practice Ryanair began in November.

(source: Reuters)