Flight delay compensation: Europe plans to update the rules

Tengrinews.kz — A flight delay in Europe can still cost airlines hundreds of euros. Despite proposals to tighten the rules, the European Parliament has decided to preserve key passenger rights. Tengrinews.kz explains what may change — and what will remain the same.
What has been decided
According to the European Parliament’s website, lawmakers rejected a proposal to increase the minimum delay required for compensation to 4–6 hours.A total of 632 members voted to keep the current rules, 15 voted against, and the rest abstained.
This means that, for now, the rules remain unchanged: passengers are entitled to compensation if a flight is delayed by three hours or more.
Current compensation amounts in the EU

from €250 for short-haul flights;
up to €600 for long-haul flights.

The exact amount depends on the flight distance and the cause of the delay.
What changes are being discussed
Discussions on reform are ongoing, and EU institutions do not yet share a unified position. For example, the Council of the European Union has proposed paying compensation only if a flight is delayed by 4–6 hours, depending on distance.
The European Parliament, however, supports maintaining compensation starting from a three-hour delay and keeping payouts in the range of €300 to €600. EU governments, meanwhile, are suggesting slightly lower amounts — from €300 to €500.
Additional proposals under consideration
Members of the European Parliament have also put forward several additional measures:

regularly updating the list of situations in which a delay is considered the airline’s responsibility;
requiring airlines to initiate the compensation process themselves within 48 hours, while passengers would have up to one year to claim compensation;
guaranteeing free carriage of one personal item (such as a handbag, backpack, or laptop) and one small piece of cabin luggage weighing up to 7 kilograms;
abolishing fees for correcting name errors on tickets and for check-in, while allowing passengers to choose between digital or paper boarding passes;
ensuring vulnerable passengers — including those traveling with children, pregnant women, and passengers with disabilities — are seated next to their companions free of charge;
providing assistance, compensation, and rerouting for passengers with special medical needs if they miss a flight because the airport failed to transport them to the boarding gate in time.

When the new rules may be adopted
As noted on the Parliament’s website, no final decision has been made yet.
The draft law must pass a second reading. The European Parliament’s position will first be sent to the Council of the EU. If the two sides fail to reach agreement on all points, a Conciliation Committee will be convened to prepare a compromise version of the document.
Until then, the current compensation rules remain in force across Europe.