Strasbourg: The Council and the European Parliament reached a landmark agreement to strengthen EU air passenger rights on 15 June 2026, breaking a 13-year deadlock over rules that have governed delays, cancellations and denied boarding since 2004. The deal promises clearer compensation, faster claims and new protections for millions of travellers, and will apply 12 months after formal adoption.

What the deal changes

The reform keeps the headline compensation structure intact while making EU air passenger rights easier to use in practice. Passengers can still claim when a flight arrives more than three hours late or is cancelled less than 14 days before departure, at these levels:

• 250 euro for flights of 1,500 km or less;
• 400 euro for intra-EU flights or those between 1,500 and 3,500 km;
• 600 euro for all longer routes.

Crucially, airlines must now inform passengers electronically within 96 hours of arrival, acknowledge a claim immediately, and either pay or justify a refusal within 14 days.

New rights for travellers

The agreement adds several protections that did not exist before. A piece of hand baggage must be included in the displayed fare by default, ending some separate cabin-bag fees and easing price comparison. So-called “no-show” rules are banned, so an airline can no longer cancel a return leg because a passenger skipped the outbound flight.

Families and persons with reduced mobility gain the right to sit together at no extra cost, and travellers with disabilities win reinforced assistance and free replacement of damaged mobility equipment. If an airline fails to reroute within three hours, passengers may arrange their own travel and reclaim up to 400% of the ticket price.

Official reaction

Cyprus, which holds the rotating Council presidency, hailed the breakthrough.

I’m proud that, after 13 years of negotiations, we reached a landmark agreement to strengthen EU air passenger rights. This modernised framework will deliver certainty, fairness and stronger protection for millions of European air passengers.

The remarks came from Alexis Vafeades, the Cypriot transport minister, after the talks concluded.

The catch for passengers

Not every element favours travellers. The text sharpens the definition of “extraordinary circumstances” — the events that let airlines avoid paying — and includes a non-exhaustive list of them. Consumer groups had pushed to lower the three-hour delay threshold for compensation, but that demand did not survive the final compromise.

Background

The current rules date from 2004, and the European Commission first proposed an overhaul back in 2013, only for it to stall amid disputes between member states and the Parliament. The June 2026 agreement finally cleared that logjam, helped by a conciliation procedure between the two institutions.

What happens next

The deal still needs formal sign-off by both the Parliament and the Council after legal-linguistic revision. Once published in the Official Journal, the new EU air passenger rights will take effect 12 months later, and the Commission will review within three years whether to extend the rules further to non-EU carriers.