German consumer body opposes EU plans to cut airline liability
Germany’s vzbv consumer umbrella body on Tuesday came out against planned changes to European Union rules on compensating airline passengers for delays.
If implemented, airlines would no longer have to pay around 85% of the compensation payments currently due, the vzbv said in Berlin.
It cited figures from the Lennoc software company commissioned by the Dutch consumer body Consumentenbond.
EU Regulation 261/2004 currently stipulates that delays exceeding three hours should be compensated to the amount of between €250 ($273) and €600, depending on distance. Brussels is currently discussing raising the time limit to at least five hours and as long as 24 hours for long-haul flights.
The Airlines for Europe (A4E) airline association recently called for the rules to be changed.
“Passengers must in the future be able to rely on being compensated for cancellation and delay. The looming changes in passenger rights would represent a crash landing for travellers rights,” Jutta Gurkmann of the vzbv said.
She called on the incoming German government to entrench current protections in law and expand them.
