The Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament are not satisfied by many of the conditions in the revised EU legislation on air passengers' rights unblocked by the Council following 12 years of stalemate by EUmember states. According to the S&D Group, the compromise reached in the Council allows for airline companies to have longer delays with no compensation to passengers, contrary to the current rules. The Socialists and Democrats are convincedthat the rules in the air industry must be updated. They also believe that an end should be put to the stalemate in the Council after the legislative proposal of the European Commission in 2013, but this should not come at people’s expense.
The majority of flights are delayed by about three hours and, according to current rules,passengers are entitled to compensation varying from €250 to €600. The S&D Group feels thatthe new rules clearlyfavour airlines as compensation would only be paid if the delay is more than fourhours for journeys under 3500 km within the EU. Things are even worse for long-haul flights (journeys of over 3500 km) where passengers must suffer a delay of minimum 6 hours to be entitled to compensation.
Mohammed Chahim, S&D vice-president for the Green Deal for Industry, Energy and Climate and Financing the Just Transition, said:
“For our Group, people must always come first before profit, and this is no exception. On top of this, people are not asking air companies for a favour – they pay good money for the services and when these services are not delivered people deserve propertreatment and reasonable compensation. The new rules will mean that passengers have less rights, because the conditions for compensation have been made more stringent. It leaves travellers with less certainty, and gives more leniency to airlines – which is a totally wrong set of priorities. The S&D Group remains committed to ensuring and strengthening customer rights.”
Johan Danielsson, S&D coordinator in the European Parliament's committee on transport and tourism, said:
“We, the Socialists and Democrats, welcome the Council’s move to require pre-filled compensation forms for cancelled flights – a long-awaited improvement after over a decade of legislative standstill. But while this eases the process for cancellations, it does not solve the core issue for delays: passengers still have to fight airlines to get what they are owed. That’s why we will push for automatic compensation – no forms, no hassle. If your flight is delayed, the money should be in your account within days, not months. Crucially, we want to reverse the burden of proof so that airlines must justify why compensation is denied, not the other way around. Automatic compensation is essential for real enforcement – something the current rules have failed to deliver.”
