Airlines for Europe (A4E), the European Regions Airline Association (ERA), and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) expressed deep concern about the latest push by the European Parliament to weaken consumer choice and damage the competitiveness of the European aviation industry.

The European Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) voted yesterday to stick with its toughest demands to overhaul EU air passenger rights rules.

This comes despite evidence that consumers prefer to prioritize choice, value for money, and punctual air transport services over additional compensation and other elements that will add costs to their tickets.

EU261 already offers air transport consumer protections that create the heaviest burdens on airlines in the world without delivering the value that consumers are looking for. The intention of the EU Commission’s revision of EU261 was to rebalance elements of that protection, supporting the consumer while meeting the needs of a modern and competitive air transport network for Europe.

Airlines and their passengers have a shared goal: a strong aviation network that offers connectivity, value for money, and performs as promised.

Adding further financial and operational burdens does not address the root causes of travel disruption - such as infrastructure and air traffic management (ATM) constraints - but it does threaten the affordability of air travel and the choice and competitiveness of transport to, from and across the EU.

The airline groups highlight the following critical concerns:

• No impact assessment: The EU faces a competitiveness crisis. Proposing additional cost burdens on airlines and consumers without understanding their impact on ticket prices and route viability is reckless.

• Contradictions with passenger preferences: Passengers consistently report that they prefer to arrive late rather than not at all, especially in peripheral areas where no other forms of travel are available. The present three-hour threshold for compensation is simply not enough time to fly in a replacement aircraft and crew. Raising the threshold to match airlines' operational needs would allow us to get a delayed plane in the air faster. This is a vital element which the TRAN Committee is dismissing.

• Disregard for operational realities: Proposals relating to carry-on luggage have been developed without any analysis of the impact of airline operations, such as limited onboard capacity, the potential to create additional delays, plus heavier flights with more emissions.

Proposals to adopt a non-exhaustive list of extraordinary circumstances fail to consider the reality of operating flights safely and efficiently.

A4E, ERA and IATA urge EU decision-makers to maintain a more realistic stance. EU261 already costs airlines and passengers EUR8.1 billion per year. The priority should be to clarify the rules, keep flying accessible to all, and keep Europe connected.