A CHANGE to a European travel rule will mean that Brits will get less compensation if their flight is delayed.
Currently, legislation called EU261 means that European air passengers are entitled to compensation if their flight is delayed by over three hours or cancelled.
Legislation called EU261, means that European air passengers are entitled to compensation if their flight is delayed[/caption]
And despite leaving the European Union in 2020, the UK decided to adopt this regulation into law – meaning that British travellers benefit from the same rule as European travellers.
The regulation however went under review in Brussels back in April and it has now been decided that the amount of time a flight is delayed by before getting compensation has increased.
Currently, Brits can get compensation if their flight is delayed for three hours or more, for short-haul flights under 3,500km.
However, the new rules mean this will be increased to four hours – so anything less than this won’t be eligible for compensation.
For longer flights (over 3,500km), airlines will now pay compensation if flights land at least six hours late – up from the current four-hour standard.
And how much compensation can be given has changed as well.
Under the new rules, €300 (£252.75) compensation will apply for delays of more than four hours, rather than €400.
And €500 (£421.25) compensation will apply to delays of more than six hours involving flights of more than 3,500km, rather than €600.
However, the agreement to extend delay times and cut compensation has been met with some opposition, including from Spain and Germany.
Despite this, the Council bypassed discussions with the European Parliament and made its decision legally binding using a process that has not been used in more than a decade.
The European Parliament, however, can still make changes to the new rules.
From now, it has four months to respond to the suggested new riles with a proposal that must be backed by a majority of 361 MEPS.
If approved, the current EU Air Passenger Rights Regulation rules – where passengers can claim between €250 (£210.62) and €600 (£505.50) in compensation if a flight is delayed by at least three hours, if the delay is the fault of the airline – will be scrapped.
Other compensation rules will remain unchanged.
If the delay or cancellation is due to an ‘extraordinary circumstance’, compensation will not be paid.
These circumstances usually include extreme weather, political instability, security risks or issues with air traffic control.
Strikes are usually not considered to be extraordinary circumstances and the same with routine mechanical issues or staff shortages.
Whilst this rule covers airlines that are registered in the EU or flights taking off from and EU or Schengen zone country, since Brexit the British government has pretty much copied the rules into UK legislation.
This means, that if the new rules are also not opposed by European Parliament, it looks likely that the UK government would also enshrine it into legislation.
This week, Brits have also been stranded in Spain as easyJet cancels scores of flights over ATC restrictions.
Plus, an urgent summer holiday warning has been issued, as thousands of Brits brace for worst flight delays in 25 YEARS.
The new rules could increase the minimum delay threshold[/caption]
