EU passenger rights during all phases of air travel

When an air traveller departs from a European airport and then experiences difficulties during a layover outside the European Union, he or she can still call on EU passenger rights. That’s what the Court of Justice decided in a judgement today. The condition here is that the passenger buys all the flights in one single booking. MEP and Chair of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee Anneleen Van Bossuyt calls the decision logical: “It gives European air passengers a lot more security, not to mention protection. During the coming summer holiday, many people will now be able to depart with full peace of mind. Their possible right to compensation does not stop halfway through their journey.”

Comprehensive protection

The judgement comes after a woman experienced problems with her flight from Berlin to Agadir with a layover in Casablanca. At the layover in Casablanca, her seat appeared to have been assigned to another person. Nevertheless, the woman had purchased her trip from Berlin to Agadir in a single booking. The airline with which the woman flew refused to provide compensation because the Casablanca-Agadir route is outside the European Union. “But that is not acceptable, the Court properly judged today. Europe is extending protection for travelling consumers, outside the Union too. This is an excellent thing,” MEP Anneleen Van Bossuyt concludes.