ECTAA Raises Concerns over passenger rights agreement

ECTAA has expressed serious concern following the provisional agreement that the Council and the European Parliament reached on new rules to strengthen the enforcement of passenger rights across the EU. The organisation supports strong passenger protection but identifies issues with the provisions on reimbursement in cases of transport cancellations.

The agreed rules entitle passengers to full reimbursement that includes intermediation fees when flights face cancellation. Independent travel intermediaries provide distinct services separate from the transport service itself. These intermediaries ensure transparency and choice and deliver impartial advice along with complex itineraries and additional services.

Travel intermediaries manage the refund process without compensation under the new framework and lose payment for services already delivered. The limited exemption for micro-enterprises fails to address the situation of thousands of travel intermediaries who employ more than ten people.

ECTAA President Heli Mäki-Fränti shared “It is very disappointing to see that the European co-legislators do not recognize the value that independent travel intermediaries provide to consumers.”

Heli Mäki-Fränti shared “Expecting intermediaries to refund their remuneration for services already delivered, while managing cancellations beyond their control, is fundamentally unfair.”