[Anonymous]

[BigDog.]

Interesting developments courtesy of the EU

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21767040

Including ..
Routing with rival carriers.
Rights after being boarded and held on tarmac
Compensation,
No charge for changing spelling errors in names.

Other changes include:

Financial compensation to be triggered after a minimum five-hour delay (currently stands at three) on any flight within the EU or international flight shorter than 3,500kms

For longer international flights, compensation will be due after a delay of nine hours up to 6,000km and after 12 hours for longer journeys

Airlines will also be required to inform passengers about delays and provide an explanation no later than 30 minutes after the scheduled departure time

[TimFitzgeraldTC]

Would be nice if they would elaborate on the miss-spelt names as there has to be a limit on how many characters can be changed. For example at the moment BA normally allow 3 characters in the first name. A good development though even with the inevitable constraints there will be.

[AMcWhirter]

We also need clarification on whether the rules apply to EU airlines when outside the EU.

So, for example, with miss-spelt names does it mean that the EU rules would still apply when a passanger makes a booking with ba.com or lufthansa.com using the Singapore, mainland China or South African country sites ?

[BigDog.]

The Guardian provides further details, though view them coming into force in 2015

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2013/mar/13/airline-passenger-rights-eu-boost

Of particular significance, according to Steven Truxal, an expert in aviation law at City University, London, is that under the new rules a passenger may not be denied boarding on the return flight of their ticket on the grounds that he or she did not take the outbound part of the return ticket.

“That is a big, big change as it affects airline’s abilities to manage their yields, as they sell discounted return tickets on the basis that people are returning on their flights,” he said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2013/mar/13/airline-passenger-rights-explained

[BigDog.]

Michael O’Leary will certainly be miffed as Ryanair currently charges £160 for a name change at the airport.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/aviation/9925671/EU-to-overhaul-passenger-rights.html

Though the delay exposure has now been capped to 3 days, the carriers successfully campaigning for changes especially after facing a bill of more than £1 billion following the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in April 2010.

They had to pick up the cost of looking after for millions of passengers who were stranded when flights across Europe were grounded for nearly a week.

[LuganoPirate]

Great news for passengers. Or is it? If denied a revenue stream airlines will simply look for a way to replace it by increases elsewhere – and then some!

The best thing the EU could do is ban all these surcharges and force airlines to offer a fare which is all inclusive. This would make comparison much easier, rather like the train companies do at present.

[Author]

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