THE International Air Transport Association (IATA) has expressed “disappointment” over the European Commission’s (EC) proposed changes to its passenger rights legislation.
Under the proposals put forward by the EC, passengers have to be reimbursed after a five-hour delay for all intra-EU flights and short international flights of less than 3,500km; after nine hours for flights of less than 6,000km; and after 12 hours for flights of more than 6,000km. The same applies to passengers who miss a connecting flight because their first flight was late.
Airlines are required to offer alternative routes via other carriers or transport methods where it cannot provide rerouting on its own services within 12 hours.
IATA highlighted three areas of concern in a statement:
- The new proposal regarding compensation for passengers who miss a connecting flight, which puts the burden for compensation on the operator of the first flight, would amount to a breach of the Montreal Convention and discourage European carriers from offering connections to longhaul destinations. They would also be impossible to enforce for journeys with connecting flights outside Europe.
- Diversions are treated the same way as cancellations by mandating significant compensation to passengers, although most diversions are made for safety reasons. Tony Tyler, director general and CEO, IATA, said: “It is perverse for regulators to second guess and potentially impose penalties for a captain’s decision made in the interest of the health and safety of passengers and crew.”
- There is no limit on cost or class of service when offering passengers alternative routes of transport given that an airline has no seats on its own services. “If your Bic pen doesn’t work, you don’t expect to get a Mont Blanc as compensation,” said Tyler.
The new proposals are subject to the approval of all EU member states and the European parliament, and are due to come into effect in 2015, reported the UK’s The Telegraph.
