Brussels, Belgium. The European Council and European Parliament have reached an agreement on passenger compensation for flight delays and cabin baggage rules, closing a legislative file that had remained open for a decade. The deal was sealed on Friday by EU ambassadors and the Cypriot presidency of the Council.
Formal approval process
The European Parliament is expected to send formal confirmation and a joint letter of support to the presidency on Monday, according to Euronews.
Delay compensation
Passengers will be entitled to financial compensation if their flight is delayed by at least three hours, a key demand of the European Parliament that several EU member states had opposed.
Compensation amounts remain unchanged from the levels in place for the past 20 years. European travellers are already entitled to between €250 and €600 in the event of a cancellation or a delay of more than three hours.
Under the new agreement, airlines will pay €300 for flights of more than 3,500 kilometres and €600 if the delay exceeds four hours or the flight is ultimately cancelled.
Cabin baggage rules
The agreement ends the practice of charging fees for carry-on luggage, which had been used by low-cost carriers such as Ryanair and EasyJet.
Passengers will be entitled to one free personal item measuring 40x30x15cm and one small wheeled item with a maximum combined dimension of 100cm and a weight of up to 7kg.
Implementation timeline
Once the new rules take effect in 2027, airlines will be required to include a small personal item and a larger carry-on bag in the standard ticket price.
