#PassengerRights - Travelling in the EU without any worries

As you set off on your summer holiday, it is good to know that EU passenger rights protect you, should anything go wrong while travelling.

EU rules ensure a minimum level of protection for passengers, irrespective of the mode of transport: flight, train, bus, coach or ship.

One thing could disrupt even the perfect holiday - getting there. Journeys can be tricky - with unexpected delays, cancellations and lost luggage. This is why MEPs helped to introduce EU rules obliging transport companies to provide travellers with meals, accommodation, reimbursement and compensation if something happens.

And transport companies in the EU can no longer charge more for tickets based on nationality and location of the purchase.

EU law also guarantees special attention to passengers with reduced mobility who have the right to free assistance services.

Air passenger rights

Air passengers are entitled to up to €600 in compensation if they are denied boarding. This maximum amount is intended for long flights exceeding 3,500 kilometres.

Passengers whose flights were cancelled or arrived late may also be entitled to compensation, but with some restrictions. It does not apply to companies offering an alternative solution or in extraordinary circumstances, such as air traffic management decisions, political instability, adverse weather conditions or security risks.

In 2014, MEPs proposed new rules to improve air passenger rights. The new regulation is currently being discussed in the Council.

Detailed information on passengers’ rights for all types of transport is available on the website Your Europe.