Airlines will be banned from charging parents to get seats next to their children under an EU reform of passenger rights agreed on Friday that stopped short of more divisive changes, diplomats said.
EU countries had wanted to trim the compensation air carriers currently have to pay out for cancelled flights and long delays. But the plans were ditched after months of negotiations, having met fierce resistance from European lawmakers.
A parliamentary push to ban flight operators from charging for carry-on luggage was similarly abandoned in favour of a provision compelling websites selling tickets to display prices including hand luggage.
“We have successfully defended air passenger rights,” Jan-Christoph Oetjen, a German lawmaker involved in the talks, said.
More than a decade in the making, the reform leaves in place Europe’s current compensation system.
This gives passengers a right to between €250-€600 ($291-$699), depending on flight distance, for delays of three hours or more.
Airlines had complained that leaves them with a hefty bill and often leads them to cancel flights rather than run them with a long delay, due to knock-on effects on flight schedules.
That view was espoused by the bloc’s 27 member states, which last year tried to ram through changes allowing for longer delays and lower payouts with a rarely-used expedited procedure.
But that sparked a cross-party opposition from lawmakers whose buy-in was needed to approve the changes.
With only days left to strike a compromise, EU countries representatives opted to drop the matter at a Friday meeting.
They agreed on a text that is broadly supported by lawmakers, paving the way for its provisional approval on Monday.
This will usher in other changes such as a ban on airlines charging fees for rectifying spelling mistakes in bookings and for seating children under 14 next to their parents.
The reform will then need to be formally adopted by member states and lawmakers before coming into force.
