Limits on the right to assistance affect stranded passengers in EU airports

The European Commission proposes (ammending Regulation (EC) 261/2004) to limit the right to passengers' assistance by airlines in two situations.
Firstly, if extraordinary circumstance happens, the accommodation for passenger is limited to 3 nights with capping of EUR100 per night. Introduction of the limitation can result in carriers not providing accommodation for passengers. The prices of accommodation/ hotels near airports, without previously making a booking, usually, exceed the limit.  Secondly, obligation to provide accommodation for passengers, if a given flight is 250 km or less and the operating airplane  has maximum capacity of 80 seats or less is to be removed. That deletion lowers the level of consumer protection and discriminates passengers who, for example, travel on a plane with more seats than mentioned above.
We are convinced the outcome of such limits will bring more passengers stranded in EU airports!

Call for proper review of passengers' claims

The European Commission published a list of so called extraordinary circumstances. The aim of that list is to end confusion over when airlines can claim events are beyond their control, which means they do not have to pay compensation, and when they must compensate passengers for the delay or cancellation. Events that are not extraordinary include technical issues found during scheduled maintenance or failure to maintain aircraft properly, air crew running over their hours as a result of poor planning, and absence of flight documentation. The full list of extraordinary circumstances is here.

3 hours as maximum termac delay in EU

Within the proposal of the European Commission (dated 13 March 2013) for amending Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, the limit for termac delay is forseen. The Article 6(5) sets a maximum five hour limit of the delay. It will force a carrier to get the aircraft back to the gate or other place that will be suitable for disembarkation of passengers. 

Passengers' condition (especially that of families with little children, and older people) on the plane standing on the apron can result in hard to predict accidents. These are often accompanied by uncontrolled emotions. It happens so, despite the adequate care provided by the carrier and despite ensuring adequate temperature on the plane. The similar regulation observed in US since April 2010 forces carrier to take plane back to the gate after three hours.
We call for a maximum delay of the plane with passengers on board, so it does not exceeds three hours!

"NO" to extention of flight delay limit over 3 hours!

According to data provided by the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol), the percentage of cases in which an air passenger is entitled to the compensation due to delayed flight, is lower than 0.15%. What is more, airlines do not have to pay compensation, if they can prove that a flight was delayed or canceled due to extraordinary circumstances, that were not dependent on a carrier.

Available data (since the introduction of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights) do not show that the three hour time limit provoked any increase of the canceled flights. Hence, we do not see any reason to extend the limit to five or more hours as it proposed by the European Commission (Article 6(2) and Article 6a of proposal dated 13 March 2013 for a Regulation of The European Parliament and of The Council amending Regulation (EC) No 261/2004). We are convinced that the only one way of shortening delays, which are one of the biggest passenger inconveniences during journey, is by economic encouragement - the threat of higher costs will encourage carriers to minimize delays.

The existing air passenger rights must not be cut back!