The Czech Presidency is considering reducing airline passengers’ claims for compensation in the event of delays.
Brussels/Vienna. In this summer of delays, flight cancellations and lost bags, passengers in the European Union are probably particularly grateful for the protection that EU law gives them. After tough negotiations in the early 2000s, Regulation 261/2004 came into force in 2005, giving airlines clear (and enforceable) requirements for compensation in the event of delays and cancellations. The most important deadline is three hours – if a flight within the EU or to or from the territory of the Union is delayed by more than three hours, the passengers concerned are entitled to levy charges ranging from 250 to 600 euros, depending on the distance.
These severance payments, which have caused resentment among airlines since the regulation came into force, have become a substantial cost factor over the past two and a half years. According to estimates by the airline umbrella organization Iata, the compensation paid to customers in the EU and Great Britain in the first three months of the corona pandemic in spring 2020 totaled more than nine billion euros. And there are still no serious estimates of the amount of the claims that the airlines are now facing. However, it is relatively clear that the previous cuts in resources, which are responsible for the current chaos, were initiated by the airlines – and therefore do not fall under the “extraordinary circumstances” clause, which exempts companies from the obligation to compensate.