In 2024, more than 287 million passengers in Europe were affected by delays or cancellations of flights, according to data from AirHelp, a technology company specializing in air passenger rights.
Despite the fact that the Regulation governing air passenger rights in the EU is currently one of the most comprehensive and best protects travelers worldwide, forecasts indicate that this number will continue to increase.
Not to mention that, "according to an EU proposal, in the future, compensation for flight delays may only be paid after delays of five, nine, or twelve hours, instead of three hours as before," Airhelp warns.
The legal department of Airhelp explained to La Voz that "the European Parliament drafted a report based on this proposal in 2013, but it stalled in the European Council. The current Polish presidency has included the revision on the agenda again."
"The origin of these measures dates back to a regulatory review proposal presented in 2013. The underlying objective is to alleviate the financial burden on airlines, even if this means significantly reducing consumer protection," Airhelp explains in its statement to the media.
"Recently, the Danish Minister of Transport spoke in favor of reducing passenger rights, supported by Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). A fact that, since Denmark will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from July 2025, makes the situation much more alarming," the company adds.
The aviation sector claims that the cost of compensation is high, but the data says otherwise: according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the sector's revenues in 2024 amounted to 940,000 million euros, 6.2% more than the previous year. In contrast, the estimated cost of compensation under European regulations is between 0.58 to 1.17 euros per passenger.
"No airline has demonstrated that the current system is economically unsustainable. Restricting passenger rights to alleviate the accounts of an airline in crisis is neither fair nor reasonable," concludes the CEO of AirHelp.
In addition, the three-hour rule also generates operational and environmental benefits: it forces airlines to improve the management of stopovers, maintenance, and crew availability, which optimizes the use of infrastructure and reduces additional flights - which would increase CO₂ emissions -.
For more than 20 years, the Regulation that protects passengers in the EU has served as a model for countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Brazil, or even the United States, which have based their regulations on this standard.
