Europe wants to better protect people traveling within the Union

Air traffic has picked up again after the pandemic, and the Covid crisis has led to some dysfunctions in the assistance and guarantees offered. There was a bit of cleaning up to be done in consumer protection procedures, whether tourists or business travelers. Every year in Europe, thirteen billion passengers use transport, all modes combined. Forecasts speak of twenty billion per year in 2050.

Generally speaking, future rules will create new rights and strengthen others. This ranges from reimbursement deadlines, in the event of postponement or cancellation of trips, to the limitation of deposits, including clearer rules for online reservations. But there are as many possible disputes as there are travelers. Therefore, can the European Commission take all situations into account? Brussels looked at the main cases.

Reservations via a tour operator

Let’s take the case of package travelers, those who book combined trips on a single contract with a tour operator. In this specific case, the European Commission wants to set a limit of 25% of the total price of deposits paid when booking. And then a clarification of the rights of travelers who book their tickets via intermediaries such as Booking or Opodo.com. So no more intermediaries and airlines passing the buck and leaving travelers at the end of the line when it comes to compensating them.

These performance obligations required of all players in the travel chain are welcome for customers. Brussels would like to see these measures applied from the summer of 2024, but the European Commission’s proposals must first be validated on a political level by the European Council and Parliament, which always takes some time.