Είναι δυνατή η εξισορρόπηση των συμφερόντων των επιβατών αεροσκαφών και των αεροπορικών εταιρειών;
Η νομική μεταρρύθμιση των δικαιωμάτων των επιβατών αεροσκαφών στην ΕΕ προκαλεί αντιδράσεις. Οι αλλαγές στους κανονισμούς εισάγουν νέα μέτρα, όπως το να επιτρέπεται στις αεροπορικές εταιρείες να χρεώνουν τις χειραποσκευές. Αυτό το επεισόδιο εξηγεί τι πρέπει να περιμένει κανείς όταν πετά εντός της ΕΕ.
01:59Euronews reporter Grego Arlori has covered this process.
02:03What can we expect from the European Parliament regarding the review of passengers' rights, notably the right to compensation for delays?
02:13It'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 SND, is on the same direction.
02:35The group feels that the new rules favour airliners and they ask also for automatic compensation, which means that passengers would get reimbursed within days and not within months.
02:49There are other amendments that are less controversial. The right to assistance, to information. What else could change?
02:58So the right of assistance is the right to get refreshment, food accommodation, in case of delay or consolation.
03:06Airlines should provide this. If airlines fail to provide this, then passengers can make their own arrangement and get reimbursed afterwards.
03:14There's also the re-routing right. Airlines should provide the earliest opportunity for a re-routing for passengers, which means that maybe this re-routing will happen through another courier or even another transport mode.
03:30Furthermore, airlines should act as swiftly as possible within three hours of a disruption.
03:38Otherwise, a passenger could make its own arrangement and ask for a compensation, which could be up to 400% of the original cost.
03:49There was not enough to block these amendments during the vote at the EU Council of Ministers, but four countries refused them.
03:59It'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, not linked with compensation, but with charging and luggage in cabin, 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 frontrunner during the negotiation that is going to take place.
04:39The review also addresses abusive practices, notably the so-called no-show policy.
04:45Passengers 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 pre-filled forms for payment of compensation.
04:59Our guest is Agustin Reina, Director General of the European Consumer Organization, an entity that has produced a position paper on this review.
05:09Your immediate reaction to the ministerial agreement was to say, and I quote,
05:16there's been a substantial reversal of fundamental rights.
05:20Let'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
06:20that decisions by the European Court of Justice are being disregarded.
06:25How so?
06:26The practice of charging consumers for their carry-on luggage on board, especially by low-cost carriers, is illegal.
06:33It'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
06:46is that now they're legitimizing that practice.
06:48And bringing a carry-on luggage doesn't have an extra cost for the airline.
06:52In this case, there is no additional cost for an airline.
06:56So basically, the practice of charging consumers is just basically to extract more money from their customers.
07:02Do you think this review could encourage airlines to go even further in charging for other services,
07:10especially the flagship airlines that tend to be less restrictive than the low-cost ones?
07:16We 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,
07:42said that the review will allow for companies to offer the best possible package for consumers.
07:49However, depending on the European Parliament,
07:52the decade-long review may take some more time to reach conclusion.
