Negotiations on the revision of air passengers’ rights (see EUROPE 13879/7) stalled on Tuesday 2 June, without reaching an agreement.
After nearly 16 hours of talks, negotiators from the Council and the European Parliament failed to reach a final compromise and decided to resume discussions on Wednesday. However, a provisional compromise was found on hand luggage. The principle is as follows: when an airline charges an additional fee for carrying such luggage, fares including this allowance should now be displayed by default at the start of the booking procedure.
Dramatic turn of events. A deadlock remains on the most delicate point in the text, namely compensation amounts. According to a statement by the Association of Passenger Rights Advocates (APRA) and Euroconsumers, Member States reportedly pushed for the adoption of a €200 ceiling for compensation, catching the European Parliament’s negotiators off guard.
A source contacted by Agence Europe refuted that information. The Council is said to have proposed a fixed amount, without giving precise figures, only if a progressive mechanism for increasing compensation were abandoned (see EUROPE 13876/6).
‘No deal’ becomes reality. Significantly, airlines and organisations representing passengers now appear to agree on one point: at this stage, rejecting the agreement is better than a bad agreement.
“Compromises that are driven by giving each negotiating party something they can claim a victory, rather than creating a framework that reduces delays and cancellations and keeps the cost manageable, will benefit neither the passenger nor connectivity”, Airlines for Europe (A4E) warned in a statement published on Wednesday.
“There is no public demand to weaken passenger protection and no political need to reach an agreement at any price”, wrote, for their part, APRA and Euroconsumers.
Given the scheduling constraints of the various negotiators, discussions will continue intermittently in the coming days, indicated the Cyprus Presidency of the EU Council. A meeting is scheduled for Thursday morning. (Original version in French by Juliette Verdes)