The air passenger rights overhaul agreed by the European Parliament and EU governments is the first update to the rules since 2004, and it leaves the headline compensation levels exactly where they were. Parliament approved the deal by 646 votes to 12 on 7 July 2026, ending a deadlock that started when the Commission tabled its proposal in 2013.

Compensation stays at €250 for flights under 1,500 kilometres, €400 for flights between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometres, and €600 beyond that. The three-hour delay threshold also survives. That outcome matters because member states had pushed to raise the threshold to five hours and to cut the payout to as little as €83. Parliament refused, and the final text keeps the bands that travellers already know.

Airlines do win one concession. They can halve the payout on the longest routes if they reroute the passenger or limit the arrival delay to four hours. Carriers argue that this flexibility in the air passenger rights text reflects the real cost of disruption, while consumer groups see it as a modest dilution of a right that applies to millions of journeys every year.

The larger gains sit in the new air passenger rights provisions on everyday travel. Families with children under 14 will no longer pay extra to sit together, and every online ticket price must include one free personal item. Airlines must also stop cancelling a return flight when a passenger misses the outbound leg, a practice the text now bans outright.

Enforcement receives equal attention under the air passenger rights package. Airlines must contact passengers proactively about compensation they may owe, answer claims within 30 days, and accept claims filed within nine months. Digital boarding passes must work without an account or an app. During long delays, carriers owe refreshments every two hours and meals after three hours.

Parliament’s lead negotiator, Andrey Novakov of the EPP group, called the agreement the biggest improvement in passenger rights since the start of the century. The European Regions Airline Association was more guarded and concluded that the deal leaves no winners. Its members worry that flat compensation bands weigh heavily on regional carriers that operate shorter, thinner routes.

The timetable now runs through the Council and the Official Journal. Council confirmation was expected in early August 2026, after which the regulation enters into force 20 days after publication. Airlines then get a year to prepare, so most of the new rules will reach travellers in 2027. Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the Commissioner for Sustainable Transport, will oversee the rollout alongside national enforcement bodies.

For passengers booking winter and summer trips now, little changes today, and the existing EU261 rules still apply to any delay or cancellation. The practical advice is to keep records of every disruption and to file claims early. Once the new air passenger rights apply, the claim window, the 30-day response duty and the clearer carry-on rules should make disputes with airlines shorter and easier to win.