The EU’s first major overhaul of air passenger rights in more than twenty years is close to becoming law, after Parliament and the Council reached a political agreement on 15 June 2026. The deal on air passenger rights settles a long fight over how late a flight must be before airlines owe compensation. Parliament won, because the three-hour delay threshold stays in place.
The Council had proposed raising the threshold to between four and six hours, a change that would have removed compensation for many travellers. Parliament refused, and the dispute went to the Conciliation Committee, the last-resort forum that brings both institutions together. The final text keeps the existing amounts of €250 for flights up to 1,500 kilometres, €400 for flights between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometres, and €600 for longer routes.
Airlines gain one concession. On the longest routes, they may cut the compensation by 50 percent if they offer re-routing or if the delay on arrival stays under four hours. Passenger groups would have preferred no reduction at all, yet the rule is far narrower than the Council’s original proposal for air passenger rights.
The agreement also changes what travellers see when they book. One personal item, such as a small bag or backpack, must be allowed free of charge. Hand luggage must be included in the ticket price shown from the start of the booking process, and airlines may offer a discount to passengers who give up their hand luggage allowance. Fees for correcting a spelling mistake in a name or for printing a boarding pass are banned.
Families and vulnerable travellers receive new guarantees under the revised air passenger rights. Children under 14 must sit next to an accompanying adult at no extra charge, and the same seating guarantee covers passengers with disabilities, passengers with reduced mobility and pregnant women. Parliament’s rapporteur, Andrey Novakov, has said the negotiators fought to preserve the high level of protection that European air passengers enjoy.
Enforcement of air passenger rights gets attention too. Passengers will have nine months to submit a compensation claim, and airlines will have 30 days to respond. Carriers must also send electronic instructions within four days of the end of a journey, which should make the process easier for people who today struggle to find the right form.
Formal approval was the next step. Parliament scheduled its vote for July 2026, and the Council then had six weeks, with a possible two-week extension, to approve the text after legal-linguistic review. The regulation then enters into force one year after publication in the Official Journal of the European Union, so travellers will not feel the changes until 2027 at the earliest.
The reform of air passenger rights also tackles extraordinary circumstances, the exemption that lets airlines avoid paying when strikes, accidents, security threats or natural disasters cause disruption. The new text sets out clearer rules on what counts, which should reduce the legal disputes that clog national courts.
Airlines will now adapt their terms and pricing policies, and consumer groups will watch the final adoption closely. For millions of passengers, the strongest message of the deal is that air passenger rights survived a serious attempt at dilution, and that the three-hour rule remains the core of the system.
