Est-il possible d'équilibrer les intérêts des passagers aériens et des compagnies aériennes ?
La réforme juridique des droits des passagers aériens dans l'UE suscite la controverse. Les modifications apportées aux règlements introduisent de nouvelles mesures, telles que l'autorisation pour les compagnies aériennes de facturer les bagages à main.
00:30UDECODE explains what to expect when traveling by air in the EU.
01:00The European Parliament will now examine the proposed update and decide to amend it or reject it.
01:07Let's hear what Europeans think of the possible changes.
01:13I don't think it's so important. Three hours, four hours, one hour or more.
01:19I don't think it's so important. Three hours, four hours, one hour or more.
01:31I'll put more in my big bag and I won't take a small bag.
01:37It doesn't bother me anymore.
01:39I won't make a lot of progress and I should repay it.
01:43If we decide to continue like this, soon we will have to pay for our own price.
01:48It's bad, but it's more about transparency.
01:51Because when we are doing reserves, there are huge options and we never know how much price will be.
02:00Euronews reporter Gregor Lory has covered this process.
02:04What can we expect from the European Parliament regarding the review of passengers' rights,
02:10notably the right to compensation for delays?
02:14It's going to be tough. The first group in the chamber, the EPP, warns that there is no way they should water down passengers' rights.
02:22So for the centre-right party, extending the delay to get compensation is a step in the wrong direction.
02:30The second group in the chamber, the S&D, is on the same direction.
02:35The group feels that the new rules favour airliners and they ask also for automatic compensation,
02:44which means that passengers would get reimbursed within days and not within months.
02:50There are other amendments that are less controversial, the right to assistance, to information.
02:57What else could change?
02:58So the right of assistance is the right to get refreshment, food accommodation,
03:03in case of delay or consolation. Airlines should provide this.
03:08If airlines fail to provide this, then passengers can make their own arrangement and get reimbursed afterwards.
03:15There's also the rerouting right. Airlines should provide the earliest opportunity for a rerouting for passengers,
03:23which means that maybe this rerouting will happen through another courier or even another transport mode.
03:31Furthermore, airlines should act as swiftly as possible within three hours of a disruption.
03:39Otherwise, a passenger could make its own arrangement and ask for compensation,
03:45which could be up to 400% of the original cost.
03:50There was not enough to block these amendments during the vote at the EU Council of Ministers,
03:56but four countries refused them. It's Germany, Slovenia, Portugal and Spain. What were the main arguments?
04:05So Spain is asking for legal precise wording to avoid, you know, technical issues that would allow airliners to avoid compensating passengers.
04:15And Madrid is particularly vocal on that question. The government fined in November five companies for abusive practices,
04:23not linked with compensation, but with charging and luggage in cabins, for instance.
04:28Germany also considers that it's going to reduce the level of protection of consumers,
04:33so we can expect Germany to be front runner during the negotiation that is going to take place.
04:39The review also addresses abusive practices, notably the so-called no-show policy.
04:44Passengers cannot be denied boarding on a return flight simply because they did not use the outbound flight.
04:50In the event of cancellation less than 14 days before departure, airlines must provide prefilled forms for payment of compensation.
04:58Our guest is Agustin Reina, Director General of the European Consumer Organization, an entity that has produced a position paper on this review.
05:10Your immediate reaction to the ministerial agreement was to say, and I quote,
05:16there's been a substantial reversal of fundamental rights. Let's start with the financial compensation for delays.
05:24What is the impact of changing from three to four hours in order to get that compensation?
05:29So member states' agreement to go from three hours to four hours in compensation would imply that roughly 50% of people that today are entitled to get compensation in case of a delay,
05:44they will not have this right anymore.
05:46Three hours have been identified also by the Court of Justice as the appropriate threshold.
05:51And consumers are used to this parameter in order to assess whether they can claim compensation or not.
06:00So therefore increasing that threshold gives more flexibility to the airlines,
06:06but also means that consumers will end up waiting for much longer in order not only to get their flight eventually,
06:12but also to claim compensation.
06:14Regarding the payment for cabin luggage, your organization has issued several warnings that decisions by the European Court of Justice are being disregarded. How so?
06:26The practice of charging consumers for their carry-on luggage on board, especially by low-cost carriers, is illegal.
06:34It's illegal under EU law and it's also illegal under the case law of the European Court of Justice.
06:40So one of the problems that we have identified in the texts that have been agreed by the member states is that now they're legitimizing that practice.
06:49And bringing a carry-on luggage doesn't have an extra cost for the airline.
06:53In this case there is no additional cost for an airline.
06:57So basically the practice of charging consumers is just basically to extract more money from their customers.
07:03Do you think this review could encourage airlines to go even further in charging for other services, especially the flagship airlines that tend to be less restrictive than the low-cost ones?
07:17We don't have a crystal ball, but the reality is that now this position of the member states leaves the door open.
07:23So we could see these business models evolving in the future.
07:27So there is a matter of ensuring that there is a minimum level of quality when European consumers take a flight.
07:34Airlines for Europe welcomed the government's position.
07:37This organization, which represents 80% of European air traffic, said that the review will allow for companies to offer the best possible package for consumers.
07:48However, depending on the European Parliament, the decade-long review may take some more time to reach conclusion.
