Activites

• 2001/12/11 Additional information
• 2001/12/11 End of procedure in Parliament
• #2364
• 2001/06/27 Council Meeting
• 1999/09/16 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T5-0015/1999 summary

    The European Parliament confirmed its first reading in the context of the codecision procedure of the text that it adopted on 17.07.1998 concerning this proposal for a regulation. �

• 1999/07/28 Committee report tabled for plenary confirming Parliament's position
  • A5-0005/1999
• 1999/07/28 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
• #2142
• 1998/11/30 Council Meeting
  • 2142
• 1998/10/19 Modified legislative proposal published
  • COM(1998)0580 summary

    The Commission's amended proposal incorporates, in part or in full, the 18 amendments adopted by the European Parliament at first reading. These amendments seek mainly to: - ensure that passengers receive equal protection where flights are cancelled for commercial reasons or due to overbooking; - include persons accompanying or assisting disabled persons; - ensure that Member States refer to denied boarding compensation rules in permits issued to third country air carriers using Community airports, given that these rules also concern them; - stipulate that tickets issued under a loyalty programme are covered by the compensation scheme in the event of boarding being denied; - replace the deadline proposed by the Commission (which has already expired) by a neutral procedure relating to the final date of adoption of the proposal; - confirm that airlines are listed in the reports and ensure that the information collected by the Member States on cases of denied boarding due to overbooking are also made available to consumer associations; - improve the information supplied to the consumer; - stipulate that load limitations may be imposed for safety reasons; - extend the field of application to Community carriers leaving third countries; - stipulate that it is up to the airline company to identify the passengers still in the queue when the check-in closes; - invite the airline companies to disseminate denied boarding compensation rules to travel agencies; - simplify the procedures for adjusting the amount of compensation by replacing a new committee with an existing committee; - propose means of additional payment.

• #2119
• 1998/10/01 Council Meeting
  • 2119
• 1998/07/17 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T4-0455/1998 summary

    In adopting the report by Mr Antonio GONZALEZ TRIVINO (ARE, E) Parliament proposed measures which condemned overbooking, a practice of which the majority of airlines were guilty. It called for measures concerning a better system of compensation for passengers (and the amounts to be paid), cancelled flights, the allocation of seats in a higher or lower class and more comprehensive information which should contain in plain and intelligible language the rules concerning the compensation offered in the event of boarding being denied. In future and under certain conditions the company should pay as soon as it denies boarding, the following minimum sums in compensation: ECU 185 for flights of up to 3 500 km and ECU 370 for flights of more than 3 500 km. This compensation is to be paid in cash, by bank transfer or, with the signed agreement of the passenger, in travel vouchers or other services. These amounts can be adjusted every three years where that is made necessary by economic trends. For some of the most affected companies, because they are based in third countries, Parliament proposed not only that rules on denied boarding should form part of the conditions of transport stipulated by the carrier but that the Member States should also make reference to these rules when issuing permits to third-country air carriers operating on Union territory. The air carrier should not be obliged to pay denied boarding compensation in cases where the passenger is travelling free of charge or at reduced fares not available directly or indirectly to the public. Lastly, in the event of conflict between the provisions of this Regulation and any lawful requirement of a third country on air carriers operating on its territory, air carriers should give passengers the benefit of the most favourable provisions. �

• 1998/07/16 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament summary

    Commissioner Kinnock stated that the Commission could accept Amendments Nos 4, 7, 11, 12, 18, 21, 22 and 23 in full and Amendments Nos 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, first paragraph, 9, 13, 15, 17, 19 and 20 in part. However, the following amendments could not be accepted: No 1 for reasons of clarity and transparency, No 2 because it was superfluous, No 8, third paragraph, for reasons of fairness, No 10, second and third paragraphs, because this added bureaucratic burdens which were not essential, and Nos 14 and 16 because, in some instances, they would oblige airlines to pay higher compensation than the actual ticket price (‘bingo’ arrangement).

• 1998/06/23 Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading
  • A4-0240/1998
• #2108
• 1998/06/17 Council Meeting
• 1998/02/20 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• 1998/01/30 Legislative proposal published
  • COM(1998)0041 summary

    OBJECTIVE: amending Regulation (EEC) No 295/91 establishing common rules for a denied-boarding compensation system in scheduled air transport. SUBSTANCE: Regulation 295/91/EEC established a system to provide adequate compensation for passengers denied boarding on overbooked flights. In practice, however, the Commission has noted a number of cases in which passengers were not compensated or were inadequately compensated. On the other hand despite their obligations under the regulation, some airlines failed to inform or only partially inform passengers about their entitlements to compensation. In this context, a revision of Regulation (EEC) 295/91 is necessary to make sure that air users are effectively given fair conditions of carriage and the Commission proposal accordingly provides for: - ending the distinction between scheduled and non-scheduled flights in this regulation; - improving information for passengers, in particular by displaying a notice at check-in counters; - adapting to the development of new forms of ticketing; - ensuring that the entire available capacity of the aeroplane is used before boarding is denied; - making it clear that the passenger will have the right to have the cost of his ticket reimbursed, including the cost of the part of his journey which has become useless for the purpose of his travel plan; - raising the compensation thresholds on the basis of inflation rises since 1991; - making it clear that non-compliance by the passenger with additional conditions imposed by the carrier such as reconfirmation of the booking by a set time before the flight is no reason for the air carrier to withdraw the passenger's right to compensation in the event of denied boarding; - making it clear that the air carrier denying boarding must pay the compensation to the passenger irrespective of whether or not it sold the passenger the ticket and it confirmed the reservation. The Commission also intends to begin an information campaign with the object of familiarizing the public at large with its right to denied boarding compensation. �

Documents

• Legislative proposal published: COM(1998)0041
• Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading: A4-0240/1998
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T4-0455/1998
• Debate in Council: 2119
• Modified legislative proposal published: COM(1998)0580
• Debate in Council: 2142
• Committee report tabled for plenary confirming Parliament's position: A5-0005/1999
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T5-0015/1999

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)