The European Commission will reinforce existing mobility legislation by improving reimbursement rules for passengers, as well as strengthening enforcement mechanisms designed to hold operators and suppliers to account.
Under the revised Passenger Rights Regulation and the 2015 Package Travel Directive, travellers who buy their tickets through travel agents will have more clarity on who will reimburse them, while passengers accompanying people with disabilities will travel free of charge.
Reaffirming the right to a refund within 14 days, limiting the down payment for travel packages to 25% of the total price and refunding unused vouchers are part of the proposals too.
Vouchers will be automatically refunded if not used by the end of their validity period, and will be protected in the event the travel company that issued them becomes insolvent.
Another core proposal is strengthening passengers’ right to better information and protection when travelling via different forms of transport, such as combining air and rail – so-called "multimodal journeys".
The commission is also working on a “common European mobility data space”, making it easier to access and share transport data for both businesses and passengers.
“The new suggested rules will encourage member states to proactively monitor travel issues and not only respond when complaints are there,” the EC has said in a statement. “If enacted, the commission would be able to ask EU countries to investigate and take action where necessary.”
The UK government, in mid-October, refreshed its air travel guide for passengers to help them understand their rights when they fly, including advice on what to do if services are cancelled or delayed, or if bags are missing.
In addition, the UK government is also working on reforming the Package Travel Regulations, which initially stemmed from the EU’s Package Travel Directive – something with which the UK no longer needs to comply following Brexit.
