Air passengers in the European Union are to see their rights given more force as the European Parliament backed a bill on its first reading.
The bill will give travellers better rights to information, care and re-routing when they become stuck at an airport. It also enhances complaint procedures and enforcement measures.
Another proposal is to have a spelling error corrected free of charge.
MEPs learned that only 2% of passengers receive compensation after filing a complaint against an airline.
Some new rights have been sewn into the bill, including the obligation to provide information about a delayed or cancelled flight 30 minutes after the scheduled take-off time. Another is the creation of a complaint form which would be universal within the EU.
"It's a David versus Goliath story... I believe that the text we have voted today strikes a reasonable balance between the airlines and the passenger rights. We improved consumer protection on the one hand while recognising the flexibility that this industry requires, on the other," said Georges Bach of the European Parliament.
Further negotiations are to ensue among the Parliament, the Commission and EU governments after the European Elections on 22-25 May.
