Overview
- MEPs voted by a broad majority on Jan. 21 to keep the three-hour trigger for compensation and to preserve flat-rate payouts for airline-caused delays and cancellations.
- The Council’s stance favors raising the trigger to four hours for most intra‑EU and shorter routes and to six hours for long-haul flights outside the EU, with lower payment levels.
- The next step is a conciliation committee of member-state representatives and 27 MEPs, which has an eight-week window to strike a deal; a start date has not been fixed.
- Parliament’s text also backs everyday protections such as a free small hand luggage allowance with set size and weight, no check‑in fees, guaranteed seating for children next to parents, and prefilled claim forms after delays.
- Airlines argue longer thresholds would cut cancellations by giving more time to arrange replacements, while consumer groups warn that many passengers would lose eligibility because most delays fall between two and four hours.