The European Union has adopted new rules strengthening air passenger rights, these cover all aspects, from baggage and boarding passes to delays, cancellations, refunds, and compensation.
These changes will come into effect on October 23, 2027.
Details below:
https://news.gtp.gr/2026/10/06/eu-adopts-new-air-passenger-rights-what-travelers-need-to-know/
And yet here in the Good Ol US of A our passenger rights have been eroded:
https://www.reuters.com/world/us-drops-biden-plan-require-passenger-compensation-delayed-flights-2025-11-14/
NOTE TO WHOMEVER: Not politics, just facts.
The new passenger rights read wonderful, but if anyone thinks these won't cause higher airfares in the future, we are kidding ourselves. Airlines are businesses who will just recover these costs in another manner, either through higher fares are less services provided.
Yes,
more government interference, higher rates.
I mostly fly Delta and when flights have been delayed or we had to stay overnight in a hotel, we have ALWAYS been taken care of from Delta.
Threadwear, Geo.... many dont think through things. Delta and a few of the others benefit by the lack of legislation by using their delay compensation policies as a marketing tool. Thats beautiful.
What the article doesnt say is that domestic after 3 hours and international after 6 hours (check me on the hours) the airline is required to give you a full cash refund if you dont want to wait.
Have you ever been stuck in traffic for 3 hours? Did the highway department give you $500?
You could hope a little better. But in general terms, this is the way it should work. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/transportation/report-on-delta-customer-service-regarding-delayed-flight
I’m in favor of consumer protection laws. Left unchecked corporations will do whatever they think is possible to make a buck.
For example:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_United_Express_passenger_removal
In the process of removing him, the security officers struck his face against an armrest, then dragged him – bloodied, bruised, and unconscious – by his arms down the aircraft aisle, past rows of onlooking passengers.[3][4][5] The incident is widely characterized by critics – and later by United Airlines itself – as an example of mishandled customer service.
“Mishandled customer service” ????
... the new rules will cover flights departing from EU airports regardless of the airline’s country of origin, as well as flights departing from non-EU countries for the EU when operated by an EU carrier,
Perhaps a good reason to fly an EU carrier exclusively to and from Europe. Just thinking.
Its a great idea, just doesnt work for someone like me. In the last 400 or so flights i've had one substantial delay, no fault of the carrier and they still put me in a hotel for the night. So if this added only $1 to the ticket cost, I still lose so I bet I make out better on US airlines.
One thing i would support is making airlines and every business that falls back on terms and conditions of the sale to print in simple language a summary of the 5 most impactful terms and post it on every advertisement and before paying on any website. That would make free market more powerful for the consumer. But I am dreaming.
Very good news but my trip in 2027 will precede these impending changes...am glad that these changes are set to go into effect, if I choose to fly Lufthansa to FRA or Air France again back to Paris instead of United.
