PASSENGERS’ RIGHTS TO THE FORE

Passengers’ rights, which have come to the fore in recent years, mean that companies providing travel services, as well as airlines and tour operators, are obliged to organise services for their clients that take account of their needs and safety.

In February 2005 the so called Denied Boarding Regulation came into force across the EU, which defi ned the compensation or care to which passengers are entitled if their journey is hampered by overbooking by an airline, flight cancellation or long-term delays. A uniform EU interpretation of the regulation is still being sought.

Another European regulation affecting passengers’ rights, concerning air transport insurance, came into force in April 2005. Because the insurance cover for airlines operating in the EU is supervised it is unlikely that an airline could not afford to compensate a passenger for any disablement it has caused, for example. At the end of the review year a regulation was approved in the EU requiring that all airlines whose operations have been restricted because safety deficiencies have been observed, be listed. The same regulation obliges airlines to tell passengers which airline is actually carrying out each particular flight. These measures are designed to inform passengers of any factors which might affect air safety.

The Nordic aviation authorities have striven actively to improve transparency and public awareness of air aviation safety matters. The Nordic countries issue joint bulletins on any transport restrictions imposed on airlines.

An EU regulation is also being drafted to ensure that disabled passengers and passengers with reduced mobility face no more obstacles to travelling by air than other passengers do. If the proposal is approved it will place even more duties and responsibilities on airport operators to arrange special services.