Europe’s lawmakers have drawn a clear line in the sand on flight delays, rejecting efforts by EU governments to dilute compensation rules that millions of passengers rely on. By defending the existing three-hour delay trigger and cash payouts, the European Parliament has signalled that any reform of air passenger rights must start from today’s protections, not roll them back.
At the same time, Members of the European Parliament are pushing to simplify how travellers claim what they are owed and to clarify airlines’ responsibilities when journeys go wrong. The result is a high-stakes negotiation with EU ministers over whether consumer safeguards remain intact or are traded away in the name of industry flexibility.
Three-hour threshold survives a coordinated push to weaken payouts
At the heart of the clash is the rule that entitles passengers to compensation when they reach their final destination three hours or more after schedule. Earlier this week, the European Parliament voted to keep that three-hour delay threshold and to preserve compensation at its current level, explicitly setting out that any attempt to lower payouts or lengthen waiting times crosses its red lines. That stance is spelled out in a detailed position on air passenger rights that confirms MEPs want to stand behind existing safeguards rather than reopen them for cuts.
National ministers had pushed for a more lenient regime for airlines, arguing that compensation should only kick in after longer delays and that payouts should be reduced. According to reporting from By Julia Payne, the Parliament rejected that approach and instead backed a text that keeps the current structure of Regulation 261/2004, under which compensation ranges from €250 to €600 depending on the flight length. Under existing rules in place since 2004, passengers whose flights are significantly delayed, cancelled or overbooked can claim cash, rerouting or reimbursement, a framework that remains intact for now.
Parliament’s “red lines”: compensation, care and vulnerable passengers
MEPs have not only defended the three-hour trigger, they have also spelled out a broader set of non-negotiables. In their negotiating mandate, they insist that passengers must retain the right to reimbursement or rerouting and to claim compensation when flights are delayed, cancelled or boarding is denied, and they want a pre-filled claim form to make that process easier. The official summary of the file stresses that lawmakers intend to Keep the current level of protection, including assistance at the airport and clear information when disruption hits.
That approach is framed as a balance between consumer protection and legal certainty for carriers. Parliament’s own briefing notes that the rules in force since 2004 define passengers’ rights in cases of long delays, cancellations or denied boarding, and that the institution now wants to draw red lines that combine strong protection with predictability for airlines. A separate account of the vote highlights that the European Parliament is standing firm on those principles, underlining that the rules have been in place for more than a decade and a half and that any change must not erode the core entitlements that travellers have come to expect from EU law.
How much money is at stake for delayed travellers
Behind the political language sits a very concrete question for passengers: how much cash can they claim when things go wrong. Currently, European air travellers are entitled to compensation of between €250 and €600 if a flight is heavily delayed, cancelled or overbooked, with the exact amount depending on distance. National governments had floated a system that would have cut those sums for many journeys, but the European Parliament has now opposed changes that would reduce compensation to between €300 and €500, a range described in detail by The Sofia Globe as part of ministers’ proposal.
For travellers, the difference is not academic. One account of the Parliament’s decision notes that The European Parliament has defended the right for air passengers to receive compensation of between €300 and €500 for long delays, spelling out that lawmakers refused to sign off on a deal that would have lowered those figures for many routes. That same report, illustrated with a Photo from Depositphotos, underlines that The European Parliament sees these amounts as a core part of the EU’s consumer protection model. Another travel industry summary echoes that view, pointing out that the European Parliament opposes changes that would have altered the current scale of €250 to €600 depending on flight distance, a position set out in detail by European Parliament watchers.
Blocking the Council’s “watered-down” deal
The confrontation is not just about numbers, it is also about institutional power. The Council, representing national governments, had failed to agree on a revision of air passenger rights for more than a decade, with compensation thresholds and extraordinary circumstances among the main points of contention, as a background note from The Council file explains. When ministers finally came forward with a compromise, MEPs judged it too weak and moved to postpone the European Council’s changes to passenger rights, insisting that the existing high level of protection must be preserved.
One detailed account of the vote notes that The European Parliament has postponed the European Council’s changes to passenger rights and that MEPs want to keep strong compensation, simpler procedures and free hand luggage as part of any future deal, a stance set out in the travel business press. Another analysis describes how The European Parliament has backed plans to keep key EU air passenger rights unchanged, including compensation after delays of more than three hours and support for vulnerable passengers, rejecting what many in Brussels saw as a watered-down package, as reported in detail by The European Parliament briefings.
What changes for passengers: claims, hand luggage and redress
While Parliament is defending the core of Regulation 261, it is also pushing for practical improvements that passengers will notice. Lawmakers want a pre-filled form for compensation and reimbursement claims, clearer deadlines for airlines to respond and a requirement that carriers inform travellers of their rights at every stage of disruption, measures that are spelled out in the official press release. They also call for national enforcement bodies to be strengthened and for the European Commission to update the list of extraordinary circumstances regularly, so that both passengers and airlines know when compensation is due.
On top of that, MEPs have backed the right to carry free hand luggage, including a small cabin bag with a weight of up to 7kg, as part of the standard ticket price, a detail highlighted in coverage of Compensation and baggage rules. A separate analysis notes that, in parallel with the EU debate, there is a bipartisan proposal to strengthen protections that would guarantee families the right to sit together at no extra cost, an idea that has been linked to the European Parliament’s milestone vote in coverage that begins with the phrase But in the meantime.
