Overview

• MEPs in the Transport and Tourism Committee approved negotiating guidelines by 34 votes with two abstentions that keep compensation eligible after delays of three hours.
• The position preserves reimbursement or rerouting rights and sets distance-based compensation between €300 and €600 for delays, cancellations, and denied boarding.
• Lawmakers propose a guaranteed free personal item plus one small cabin bag up to 100 cm in combined dimensions and 7 kg, with a choice of paper or digital boarding passes and bans on certain check‑in fees.
• The text defines a closed list of extraordinary circumstances aligned with EU court rulings that would exempt airlines from payouts, explicitly excluding strikes by an airline’s own staff.
• Airline groups including A4E criticized the proposals and the Council and Commission have pushed higher delay thresholds of four to six hours, underscoring sharp differences as negotiations start.