The EU has adopted the first major overhaul of air passenger rights since 2004. Compensation stays, the claims process gets faster, and new rights are added — but only once the new rules start to apply.
Air passenger rights in the European Union are changing for the first time since 2004. On 7 July 2026 the European Parliament confirmed the new rules — by 646 votes to 12, with three abstentions — after more than 13 years of negotiation. The deal with the Council of the EU had been reached a month earlier, on 15 June.
One thing matters before anything else: the new rules are not in force yet. Until the day they start to apply, the current Regulation 261/2004 governs every flight. This is not news that something is being taken away from you — it is an overview of what is coming, and of what you can already claim today.
What applies today
The current framework stays in force until the new rules apply: compensation for arrival delays of more than three hours, for cancellations notified less than 14 days ahead, and for denied boarding on an overbooked flight. Flights departing from Macedonia are covered, as part of the European Common Aviation Area. We explain the procedure and the amounts in a separate article on cancellations and delays.
Compensation stays the same
The amounts do not change and continue to depend on flight distance: €250 up to 1,500 km, €400 for intra-European flights over 1,500 km and for flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km, and €600 for all longer flights.
The right to compensation also stays: an arrival delay of more than three hours, a cancellation less than 14 days before departure, or denied boarding. One limitation is new — airlines will be able to reduce compensation by 50% on their longest flights if they offer you re-routing to your final destination, or if the arrival delay is no longer than four hours.
The claims process gets faster and clearer
This is the part passengers feel most, because the problem has never really been the right itself — it is proving that you are owed it.
- Where a delay gives grounds for compensation, the airline must inform you electronically within four days of the end of your journey, with clear instructions on how to submit a claim.
- It must acknowledge receipt of a claim immediately and reply within 30 days — either paying, or explaining why it will not pay.
- You will have nine months to file a claim.
- If you choose a refund instead of re-routing, it must be paid automatically, without a further request.
- Information and refunds must not depend on you having an account or a specific app.
Extraordinary circumstances — now an open list
For the first time the rules list the extraordinary circumstances under which an airline does not owe compensation. The list is not exhaustive and includes natural disasters, war, weather conditions, unruly passengers, and strikes by airport, air navigation or ground handling service providers.
What stays the same is the crucial part: the burden of proof is on the airline. If it invokes extraordinary circumstances, it must show that those circumstances directly caused the disruption and explain that to you in plain language.
Care while you wait
The right to assistance is spelled out more clearly: refreshments every two hours of waiting, a meal after three hours, internet access and two phone calls, and where an overnight stay is needed, a hotel plus transport to and from it, free of charge. Where the cause is beyond the airline’s control, accommodation is covered for up to three nights.
New rights for passengers
- The return flight without the outbound one. You will not be denied boarding on your return leg just because you did not use the first flight.
- Hand baggage in the price. One personal item is free, and airlines, intermediaries and search sites must show fares including carry-on baggage from the start of the booking process. A cheaper hand-baggage-free fare remains possible.
- Free name corrections, and a free printed boarding pass if you have already checked in.
- A digital boarding pass with no mandatory account or app; your own printed version of a digital boarding pass cannot be grounds for denial of boarding.
- Seating next to your child. An adult travelling with a child under 14 gets an adjacent seat at no extra cost — the same applies to passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility, and to pregnant passengers.
- Passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility: a right to compensation, re-routing and assistance if they miss a flight because the airport failed to get them to the gate in time.
When the new rules apply
After confirmation by the Council, the new rules enter into force 20 days after publication in the Official Journal of the EU. From that moment, countries and airlines have one year to prepare — which means application is expected no earlier than late 2027. That lead time is for systems and training, not for passengers.
What to do until then
The practical rule does not change: keep your boarding pass, your booking confirmation and every message from the airline, because those are the evidence of how and when you were informed. A claim goes first to the airline, and if you get no answer or are not satisfied, to the Civil Aviation Agency as the competent authority in Macedonia.
It is also worth knowing that the agency that issued the ticket does not replace the airline in this procedure — but when a booking is made through an agent, communication with the airline and the handling of schedule changes is something you can leave to us.
Key points
- The new rules were confirmed by the European Parliament on 7 July 2026, but they are not yet in force — until then, the current regulation applies.
- Compensation (€250, €400 and €600) and the conditions for it stay; what is new is a possible 50% reduction on the longest flights in certain cases.
- The process gets faster: information within four days, a reply within 30 days, nine months to file a claim.
- New rights: the return leg without the outbound one, hand baggage in the displayed fare, free name corrections, an adjacent seat next to your child at no extra cost.
- Application is expected no earlier than late 2027.