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Right on time at the start of the summer holidays and the most popular travel season of most Europeans, the Commission started an information campaign on 29th June to make passengers in the EU aware of their rights. Under the motto “Your passenger rights at hand“, posters and information leaflets, translated into 23 languages, are promoting the campaign at airports and railway stations across the EU and at travel and tourism fairs. Relevant short and informative video clips can also be watched on various TV channels and online. Apart from that, the Commission has created a website to inform EU citizens about their rights as railway and air passengers. The campaign will run for two ears.

Over the past years, rights for air and rail passengers have not only been significantly improved, but also unified throughout the EU. Although national legislation already existed, a Europe-wide minimum standard is now guaranteed. This was the result of the Third Railway Package 2007, which determined the opening of the market for cross-border passenger transport market and a new Passenger Rights Regulation,  and also of the Air Passenger Rights Regulation (Regulation (EC) 261/2004), which has been in effect since 2005. However, if EU citizens are not aware of these changes, they are not able to assert their rights.

Among others, the new regulations protect disabled passengers and people with restricted mobility, for example elderly persons, against discrimination and provide them with free assistance. In case of irregularities or special circumstances, passengers also have a right to refunds or certain compensation payments. The website also provides information on rights in a wide range of situations, for example delays, cancellations, loss of baggage, overbookings or rail accidents.

Such a situation for example would be the volcanic eruption in Iceland, which had been the cause of many flight cancellations or postponements during the past months. Even under these exceptional circumstances the airlines were obliged to provide stranded passengers with the following services:

  • Information
  • Support, i.e. meals or accommodation
  • Refunding of airfares or providing another means of transport to the destination

However, additional financial compensation is not possible in cases, which have been triggered by external circumstances (such as volcanic eruption or political unrest).

In order to ensure that the rights of passengers are indeed respected, each Member State has an independent supervisory authority (NEB – National Enforcement Body), which punishes infringements against EU regulations. The Commission lists the relevant addresses on its website (see below).  

If their rights are not respected within the EU, air and rail passengers will have various options to complain and assert them. Relevant information can also be found on the website of the Commission.

The Commission now also intends to improve passenger rights for international and domestic sea passengers and for bus passengers. Relevant proposals were already voted by the European Parliament this week.

Further information:

Addresses of supervisory authorities

Press release of the European Commission on campaign to inform passengers about their rights

Air Passenger rights

Rail Passenger Rights

Passenger rights in exceptional situations

European Consumer Centres' Network