The European Parliament gave its final approval on Monday to the first major overhaul of EU air passenger rights since 2004, voting 646 to 12 to enshrine faster compensation for delays, mandatory inclusion of hand luggage in base fares, and stronger protections for families and passengers with disabilities. The regulation, already negotiated with the Council of the EU, will enter into force 20 days after publication in the Official Journal, with member states and carriers given one year to comply. According to the Parliament, passengers will be entitled to compensation of between €250 and €600 for delays exceeding three hours, cancellations notified less than two weeks before departure, or denied boarding, with the amount scaled by flight distance.

Under the new rules, airlines must process claims within 30 days and passengers have nine months to file them. Carriers can avoid payouts only when disruption stems from “extraordinary circumstances” beyond their control, a list that now explicitly includes natural disasters, war, severe weather, unruly passengers, and strikes by airport or ground-handling staff. The text also obliges airlines to display a base fare that includes a cabin bag, though they may still offer cheaper tickets for travellers carrying only a small personal item. Seating children under 14 next to accompanying adults at no extra cost becomes a requirement, and passengers with reduced mobility gain the right to assistance if they miss a connection due to delays in airport escort services.

In a separate development, a Brazilian appeals court in the Federal District ordered Air France to pay R$2,500 (approximately €460) in moral damages to each of three passengers who flew from Paris to São Paulo in February 2025 in premium-economy seats that would not recline. The court found that the malfunction negated the main benefit of the higher fare on a long-haul route and that crew members had acknowledged the defect, offering only pillows or a downgrade. The judges rejected a claim for partial ticket reimbursement, noting the passengers still enjoyed other premium-class advantages such as extra legroom, priority boarding, and lounge access. The ruling, viewed from Brasília, illustrates how national consumer-protection frameworks continue to generate liability for carriers even as the EU updates its own supranational regime.

Meanwhile, the European Commission is confronting operational strain at several regional airports caused by the Entry/Exit System (EES), the automated passport control for non-EU nationals that became fully operational in October 2025. Industry group ACI Europe reported that wait times at some gates have reached five hours, with low-cost carrier Ryanair singling out airports including Milan Bergamo, Tenerife South, and Kraków. A Commission spokesperson said the executive is working with national authorities to identify bottlenecks, deploy Frontex staff, and expand automatic gates, while also reminding states that they may lawfully suspend the electronic checks and revert to manual stamping when queues become excessive. A formal decision on a temporary suspension until September is expected before the August travel peak, according to EU officials, as the Council of the EU prepares to confirm the new passenger-rights regulation in the coming days.