Under the new rules, travellers keep the right to compensation when a flight arrives more than three hours late
The same protection applies if it is cancelled less than two weeks before departure, or if a passenger is denied boarding due to overbooking.
In all these cases, passengers can still choose between a refund or an alternative flight.
The reform also aims to make claiming compensation easier.
Airlines will have to process refund requests more quickly, and where a passenger is entitled to compensation, the carrier itself must notify them and explain how to apply.
Booking rules are changing too.
Airlines, travel agents and comparison sites will need to display the full ticket price, including hand luggage, from the outset.
Parents or guardians travelling with children under 14 will be guaranteed a free seat next to them.
Airlines will also be banned from charging extra to print a boarding pass, or from refusing boarding to passengers using their own printout of a digital pass.
The new rules mark the end of negotiations between the Parliament and EU member states that lasted more than a decade.
Once formally approved, the rules will be published and take effect across the EU.
(ał)
Source: IAR