Commission bids to boost airline passengers’ rights

Date: 27/01/2000

By Renée Cordes

EU AIRLINE passengers would find it easier to get compensation for cancellations, delays or overbooking under ambitious plans drawn up by the European Commission.

The move is part of a raft of measures being suggested by Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio to bolster travellers' rights, following complaints that airline passengers do not always get a fair deal under existing Union legislation.

The proposed package includes measures to help would-be travellers find the lowest fares on any given route, ensure they are properly protected when airlines go bankrupt, lay down new rules to govern commercial practices such as code-sharing and frequent-flyer programmes, and improve the level of service provided by airports and airlines. It also suggests that better training is needed to help cabin crew deal with cases of 'air rage' when, for example, drunken passengers attack fellow travellers or staff.

The proposals are contained in a 27-page consultation paper which has been sent out to airlines and consumer groups for comment, and is due to be followed later in the year by concrete plans for legislation.

In the paper, De Palacio argues the case for a radical overhaul of the rules to clarify and strengthen consumers' rights. "We believe there are grounds for keeping a constant eye on consumer protection in air transport and for making sure that a balance is maintained between a large and successful industry on one hand and individual consumers on the other," states her report.

Although much EU consumer protection legislation already applies to air transport, and proposals have been made in the past to tackle specific problems such as compensation for 'denied boarding', this is the first time the Commission has called for a fundamental overhaul of the rules in one fell swoop. This would be done by drawing up a passenger rights charter, although it remains unclear how this would be enforced.

Among other things, the plan seeks to clarify consumers' rights when buying airline tickets - a move prompted by concerns that carriers often confuse customers by offering a wide range of prices for the same class of seats on a particular route or by joining forces with other airlines to offer a combined service without telling passengers what this will mean in practice.

The Belgian airline Sabena, for example, sells the same economy class seat at three rates ranging from €314 to €1,400 for a Brussels-Chicago round trip. It also runs joint services with low-cost carrier Virgin on several of its European routes.

In her paper, De Palacio also suggests that the Commission and the Airports Council International should launch a joint study into the feasibility of setting EU-wide minimum-service quality standards and examine the scope for making airports liable for compensation in cases where those standards were not met.

The ideas outlined in the report have been applauded by consumer groups, who say such measures are long overdue. "At some airports, passengers are treated as if they are just a disturbance," said Hans Krakauer, a spokesman for the International Air Passenger Association, which represents more than 380,000 frequent-flyer and business travellers.

But although airlines have cautiously welcomed some of the Commission's plans, many in the industry are concerned that the proposed changes might impose a heavy financial burden on airlines and warn that most of the additional costs would have to be passed on to passengers.

EU airline passengers would find it easier to get compensation for cancellations, delays or overbooking under ambitious plans drawn up by the European Commission. The move is part of a raft of measures being suggested by Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio to bolster travellers' rights, following complaints that airline passengers do not always get a fair deal under existing Union legislation.