Fasten your seatbelts: the EU has finally updated its air passenger rights rules. The deal means airlines must show the true cost of a ticket upfront, can’t add additional charges for carry-on luggage, and owe you more if your flight is delayed.
It took 13 years of negotiations — longer than most Ryanair delays, to be fair — but the EU has finally updated rules that hadn’t changed since 2004.
On Monday, the European Parliament announced that they promise increased transparency, consumer protection, and emphasis on the duty of care.
No additional fees for hand luggage
The new deal secures the right to carry a personal item on board without an additional fee, while also increasing transparency by requiring that carry-on luggage be included in the advertised flight price to improve comparability.
This means that once you buy that plane ticket, you shouldn’t have to pay extra just to bring your belongings with you.
So, what luggage will be included in the ticket price?
A personal item: Measuring up to 40 by 30 by 15 cm — your typical “Ryanair bag.”
Carry-on luggage: a small wheeled suitcase with a maximum weight of 7 kg.
However, passengers may choose to opt out of travelling with hand luggage. This would then reduce the cost of their ticket.
Up to €600 for delayed or cancelled flights
But that’s not the only good news for travellers.
Under the new agreement, compensation for delays of over three hours or cancelled flights depends on the flight distance, starting at €250 for journeys up to 1,500 km and rising to €600 for journeys longer than 3,500 km.
Most low-cost carriers in the EU, such as Ryanair and Easyjet — notorious for delays and hidden fees — have an average route length of 1,233km.
There’s a catch, though: airlines can still dodge compensation if they blame the delay on something outside of their control. Think weather, air traffic issues, or that one passenger who always makes things weird.
The list isn’t exhaustive either, so expect creative excuses.
Free name corrections and printed boarding passes
Does that ‘ or accent in your name constantly lead to misspellings? Passengers also gain the right to request corrections to name spelling errors and to obtain a printed boarding pass after check-in, both free of charge.
Currently, budget carrier Ryanair charges for name changes starting at €115 online.
The deal still needs formal approval from both Parliament and Council, with ratification scheduled for Tuesday, reports NOS.
What do you think of these changes? Let us know in the comments.
