00:00Sous-titrage Société Radio-Canada
00:30UDECODE explains what to expect when traveling by air in the EU.
01:00The European Parliament will now examine the proposed update and decide to amend it or reject it.
01:07Let's hear what Europeans think of the possible changes.
01:13I don't think it's so important. Three hours, four hours, one hour or more.
01:19I don't think it's so important. Three hours, four hours, one hour or more.
01:31I'll put more in my big bag and I won't take a small bag.
01:37It doesn't bother me anymore.
01:39I won't make a lot of progress and I should repay it.
01:43If we decide to continue like this, soon we will have to pay for our own price.
01:48It's bad, but it's more about transparency.
01:51Because when we are doing reserves, there are huge options and we never know how much price will be.
02:00Euronews reporter Gregor Lory has covered this process.
02:04What can we expect from the European Parliament regarding the review of passengers' rights,
02:10notably the right to compensation for delays?
02:14It's going to be tough. The first group in the chamber, the EPP, warns that there is no way they should water down passengers' rights.
02:22So for the centre-right party, extending the delay to get compensation is a step in the wrong direction.
02:30The second group in the chamber, the S&D, is on the same direction.
02:35The group feels that the new rules favour airliners and they ask also for automatic compensation,
02:44which means that passengers would get reimbursed within days and not within months.
02:50There are other amendments that are less controversial, the right to assistance, to information.
02:57What else could change?
02:58So the right of assistance is the right to get refreshment, food accommodation,
03:03in case of delay or consolation. Airlines should provide this.
03:08If airlines fail to provide this, then passengers can make their own arrangement and get reimbursed afterwards.
03:15There's also the rerouting right. Airlines should provide the earliest opportunity for a rerouting for passengers,
03:23which means that maybe this rerouting will happen through another courier or even another transport mode.
03:31Furthermore, airlines should act as swiftly as possible within three hours of a disruption.
03:39Otherwise, a passenger could make its own arrangement and ask for compensation,
03:45which could be up to 400% of the original cost.
03:50There was not enough to block these amendments during the vote at the EU Council of Ministers,
03:56but four countries refused them. It's Germany, Slovenia, Portugal and Spain. What were the main arguments?
04:05So Spain is asking for legal precise wording to avoid, you know, technical issues that would allow airliners to avoid compensating passengers.
04:15And Madrid is particularly vocal on that question. The government fined in November five companies for abusive practices,
04:23not linked with compensation, but with charging and luggage in cabins, for instance.
04:28Germany also considers that it's going to reduce the level of protection of consumers,
04:33so we can expect Germany to be front runner during the negotiation that is going to take place.
04:39The review also addresses abusive practices, notably the so-called no-show policy.
04:44Passengers cannot be denied boarding on a return flight simply because they did not use the outbound flight.
04:50In the event of cancellation less than 14 days before departure, airlines must provide prefilled forms for payment of compensation.
04:58Our guest is Agustin Reina, Director General of the European Consumer Organization, an entity that has produced a position paper on this review.
05:10Your immediate reaction to the ministerial agreement was to say, and I quote,
05:16there's been a substantial reversal of fundamental rights. Let's start with the financial compensation for delays.
05:24What is the impact of changing from three to four hours in order to get that compensation?
05:29So member states' agreement to go from three hours to four hours in compensation would imply that roughly 50% of people that today are entitled to get compensation in case of a delay,
05:44they will not have this right anymore.
05:46Three hours have been identified also by the Court of Justice as the appropriate threshold.
05:51And consumers are used to this parameter in order to assess whether they can claim compensation or not.
06:00So therefore increasing that threshold gives more flexibility to the airlines,
06:06but also means that consumers will end up waiting for much longer in order not only to get their flight eventually,
06:12but also to claim compensation.
06:14Regarding the payment for cabin luggage, your organization has issued several warnings that decisions by the European Court of Justice are being disregarded. How so?
06:26The practice of charging consumers for their carry-on luggage on board, especially by low-cost carriers, is illegal.
06:34It's illegal under EU law and it's also illegal under the case law of the European Court of Justice.
06:40So one of the problems that we have identified in the texts that have been agreed by the member states is that now they're legitimizing that practice.
06:49And bringing a carry-on luggage doesn't have an extra cost for the airline.
06:53In this case there is no additional cost for an airline.
06:57So basically the practice of charging consumers is just basically to extract more money from their customers.
07:03Do you think this review could encourage airlines to go even further in charging for other services, especially the flagship airlines that tend to be less restrictive than the low-cost ones?
07:17We don't have a crystal ball, but the reality is that now this position of the member states leaves the door open.
07:23So we could see these business models evolving in the future.
07:27So there is a matter of ensuring that there is a minimum level of quality when European consumers take a flight.
07:34Airlines for Europe welcomed the government's position.
07:37This organization, which represents 80% of European air traffic, said that the review will allow for companies to offer the best possible package for consumers.
07:48However, depending on the European Parliament, the decade-long review may take some more time to reach conclusion.
Commentaires