Several airlines and industry associations took advantage of the calm of the summer break to call for an end to the high compensation paid to passengers for delays in early August. This comes after the Czech Presidency of the EU Council - which began its term in July - had hinted that it intended to relaunch discussions on the revision of compensation rules.
“I think everyone would agree that if you pay €50 for the ticket, then you get €300 back, that’s not right”, Thomas Reynaert, Managing Director of Airlines for Europe, told Politico on 5 August.
In 2013, the European Commission had proposed to review the existing rules, assuming a window of five hours of delay before compensation is possible. The European Commission had also proposed a list of ‘extraordinary circumstances’ that allow companies to be exempted from paying compensation. However, the problem is that no real consensus has yet been reached on the definition of ‘extraordinary circumstances’.
For their part, consumer rights associations are keeping a watchful eye out. “If claim agencies are there, it’s because there is no enforcement; if airlines respect passenger rights, then there would be no market for this”, Steven Berger, a lawyer with the European Consumers’ Organisation (BEUC), told Politico.
For BEUC, the regulation should not be “watered down” and compensation should be automatic.
It remains to be seen whether the Czech Presidency will be able to find a compromise on this issue during its term of office, as discussions have been stalled for several years, notably due to a territorial dispute between Spain and the United Kingdom over Gibraltar. (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)