EU countries green light charges for cabin baggage despite Spanish and German resistance

Proposals to let charging aerial passengers for carry-on compartment baggage were green-lit by EU carrier ministers connected Thursday arsenic portion of wider reforms of EU aerial rider rights, contempt guidance from Germany, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain. 

As Euronews reported, nan connection would create a caller free manus luggage item, 1 that tin beryllium slipped nether nan seat, leaving different stowed compartment bags exposed to charges.

The agreed proposals would mean airlines must reroute passengers astatine nan earliest opportunity, including done different carriers aliases carrier modes erstwhile appropriate.

If rerouting isn’t offered wrong 3 hours, passengers whitethorn book their ain recreation and declare up to 400% of nan original summons costs successful reimbursement.

Delays of complete 4 hours connected short and intra-EU flights (under 3,500 km) will trigger €300 successful compensation. 

Long-haul flights (over 3,500 km) will warrant €500 aft six hours of delay. 

Airlines would nary longer beryllium permitted to invoke "extraordinary circumstances" unless they beryllium each reasonable measures were taken to debar disruption. Airlines would besides beryllium explicitly required to supply food, drinks, and accommodation during delays. If they neglect to do so, passengers whitethorn put these themselves and declare costs back. 

To bolster enforcement, nan rules enforce stricter accusation requirements. Airlines must intelligibly pass passengers of their authorities astatine booking and during title handling. 

New timelines are foreseen: passengers would person up to six months to taxable a claim, and airlines must respond wrong 14 days.

“The position yet adopted coming answers to an urgent telephone by aerial passengers and airlines for up-to-date, clearer and much straightforward rules," Dariusz Klimczak, Minister of Infrastructure of Poland, whose state holds nan presidency of nan European Council, told reporters.

"The revised rules will bring complete 30 caller authorities to nan aerial passengers, applicable from nan infinitesimal erstwhile they bargain a ticket, until they get astatine their destination, and successful immoderate cases moreover beyond. It is simply a humanities milestone arsenic an statement couldn’t person been reached successful nan past 12 years,” Klimczak explained.

Consumer group opposed to compartment baggage proposals

European user organisation BEUC criticised nan position adopted by personnel states, saying it  “substantially decreases respective cardinal rights”.

“Although nan woody improved immoderate authorities connected paper, giving consumers improved entree to accusation successful lawsuit of disruption, attraction and assistance, it represents a important rollback of different cardinal rights," Agustín Reyna, BEUC's head general, said aft nan vote.

Take compensation for instance. The caller eligibility thresholds will deprive nan mostly of passengers from their compensation authorities arsenic astir delays are between two and 4 hours,” Reyna explained.

“Consumer groups person already pointed retired that airlines should extremity charging passengers for their manus luggage by lodging a title pinch nan user protection authorities and nan European Commission past May."

"Such practices are contrary to EU rules and EU apical tribunal lawsuit rule which states that manus luggage is an basal facet of passengers’ carriage. On nan contrary, nan matter adopted by nan Council legitimises charging for reasonably sized manus luggage,” nan head added.

Now it is nan move of nan European Parliament to adopt its position connected nan file. If it does so, nan matter will participate interinstitutional negotiations pinch personnel states, nan Parliament and nan European Commission to find a communal position connected nan caller rules.

BEUC lamented nan truth that nan revision is being conducted done an expedited process that gives shorter deadlines successful nan Parliament, which will only request to o.k. nan connection by an absolute majority.