Airlines will have to refund passengers within seven days and offer them an alternative flight within three hours under revised EU air passenger rights that apply from 23 October 2027.
Regulation (EU) 2026/2202 sets clearer obligations for airlines, fixed refund deadlines and extra protection for passengers hit by delays and cancellations. It covers compensation, rerouting, baggage, name corrections and help for families and passengers with disabilities. Compensation stays at 250, 400 and 600 euros depending on distance. Until the new rules apply, passengers remain covered by the existing rights regime.
Delays and compensation
The regulation explicitly entitles passengers to compensation when they reach their final destination more than three hours late, subject to its conditions. Arrival time is what counts, not only the delay at departure.
Compensation is 250 euros for journeys of up to 1,500 kilometres. It is 400 euros for intra-EU journeys of more than 1,500 kilometres and for other routes of between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometres. Longer routes carry 600 euros.
Citing ‘extraordinary circumstances’ is not enough on its own to release an airline from paying compensation. The airline must prove that the event was directly linked to the disruption and that the disruption could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken.
Passengers have nine months from the scheduled departure date to claim compensation. The airline must acknowledge the claim immediately and, within 30 calendar days, either pay or give reasons for refusing.
Refunds and vouchers
Once a departure is delayed by five hours, the airline must offer passengers a refund instead of continuing their journey. If they choose a refund, it must be paid automatically within seven calendar days. It covers the full ticket price and, where applicable, intermediary fees.
Airlines may offer a voucher instead of cash, but only if the passenger explicitly accepts it. A voucher cannot be the default option, and airlines cannot make the refund process harder in order to put passengers off.
Vouchers are normally valid for up to 12 months, and the validity can be extended once by agreement. If a voucher expires before it is fully used, the remaining balance is refunded automatically within seven days at the latest.
Alternative flights
Passengers who choose to continue their journey after a disruption must be offered another flight or other transport under comparable conditions. If the airline does not do so within three hours, passengers may arrange their own transport after informing the airline. Their costs must be necessary, reasonable and appropriate. They are reimbursed within 14 days, up to 400 per cent of the full ticket price and related intermediary fees.
Passengers who miss a connection because of a problem with an earlier flight must also be found another flight or other transport. If no solution is found within five hours, they must also be offered a refund. Arriving more than three hours late at the final destination may entitle them to compensation.
Care while waiting
When a plane is held on the ground with passengers on board, the airline must provide adequate heating or cooling, access to toilets and, as a rule, free drinking water. If the wait reaches two hours at an airport in an EU member state, the aircraft is to be moved to a gate or another suitable point so passengers can get off. The relevant safety restrictions still apply.
During delays, passengers are entitled to free light refreshments for every two hours of waiting. They get a meal after three hours and then every five hours, up to three meals a day. Assistance explicitly includes internet access and two phone calls.
If a disruption means staying one or more nights before the flight or alternative transport, the airline must offer free accommodation and transport between the airport and the hotel. In extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided, hotel cover may be limited to three nights. Special treatment applies to vulnerable passengers, such as people with disabilities or reduced mobility, unaccompanied minors, infants and pregnant women. Under certain conditions, it also applies to passengers who need special medical assistance.
Baggage, names and seating
Passengers may take one personal item into the cabin free of charge. It can measure up to 40 x 30 x 15 centimetres or be any item that fits under the seat in front.
The rules do not require airlines to carry wheeled cabin bags free on every fare. However, a fare that includes a cabin bag must be shown by default before booking starts, so passengers can compare prices more easily. Airlines cannot charge extra if a permitted cabin bag has to go in the hold because of a lack of space or a change of aircraft.
Airlines must correct spelling mistakes in a passenger’s name free of charge at least once, or make the required administrative update. The request must be made at least 48 hours before scheduled departure. The rule does not allow a change of passenger or transfer of the ticket.
Moving a passenger to a higher class carries no extra charge. Passengers moved to a lower class than the one they paid for get an automatic refund within 14 days. The refund is at least 30 per cent of the flight price on routes of up to 1,500 kilometres, 50 per cent for most intermediate categories and 75 per cent for the longest flights.
Complaints
Airlines and intermediaries must have a system for handling complaints. Passengers can complain within 12 months of the flight or its scheduled date, or within three months of a compensation claim, whichever deadline is later. Receipt must be acknowledged within seven working days and a reasoned reply given within a month. In specially justified cases, the final reply can take up to two months.
Families and passengers with disabilities
An adult accompanying a child is entitled to an adjacent seat at no extra cost if both travel under the same contract of carriage. If no adjacent seats are available, the airline must try to seat them together.
Babies and children may use their pushchairs free of charge up to the gate or the aircraft door. A child with a pushchair and the accompanying adult also get priority boarding.
Information must be available in accessible formats. During a disruption, passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility are entitled to particular care and faster service. Rerouting should avoid extra connections wherever possible.
Airports
EU airports with commercial passenger traffic must provide free drinking water and charging points for electronic devices. These must be accessible at any time and regardless of flight or terminal.
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