Flight Delay Compensation May Change Under New EU Proposal

Charlie News & Events 4 April 2025 | Updated On April 7, 2025 | 0

Airline passengers in the European Union may soon find it harder to claim compensation for delayed flights.

Right now, EU rules say that if your flight is delayed by three hours or more, you could be entitled to €250 to €600, depending on how far you're flying and how long the delay lasts. These rules have been in place since 2005.

But Poland, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, wants to raise the delay threshold from three hours to five hours before passengers become eligible for compensation.

The new proposal suggests raising this threshold to:

5 hours for short-haul flights
9 hours for medium-haul flights
12 hours for long-haul flights

The proposed changes have sparked strong debate in Brussels, and talks are expected to continue in the coming months.

Why the Change?

Airlines have been pushing for changes to the compensation system. They argue that the current rules are confusing and lead to many court cases, since different judges in different countries interpret the rules in different ways.

According to the airline group Airlines for Europe (A4E)—which represents major airlines like Air France-KLM, Lufthansa, Ryanair, easyJet, and Volotea—the current system is both too strict and too vague. They say it results in huge costs, with airlines paying about €3 billion a year in compensation.

Last year alone, over 287 million passengers in Europe were affected by flight delays or cancellations.

What Do Passenger Rights Groups Say?

Consumer rights groups, including the claims service AirHelp, strongly oppose the changes.

They believe the new rules would:

Benefit airlines financially
Make it easier for airlines to delay or cancel flights without being held responsible
Result in fewer passengers receiving compensation—possibly up to 80% fewer claims

AirHelp says this move prioritises airline profits over the rights and well-being of travellers.

There’s no clear timeline for when or if these changes will happen. Although Poland supports the proposal, all EU member states would need to agree on a final version. After that, the European Parliament would have to approve it before it becomes law.

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