Low-cost giant Wizz Air is launching an offensive against the European Union's planned passenger rights reform, warning that the new rules will be passed directly on to consumers and drive up airfares for millions of travelers.
The warning comes after a political agreement was recently reached between the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.
What does the new regulation include?
The existing compensation mechanism will remain in place. The reform preserves passengers' eligibility for compensation of up to 600 euros in cases of delays of more than three hours. Wizz Air argues that this is outdated legislation from 20 years ago that does not take into account today's geopolitical challenges and infrastructure congestion. The company is furious that the European Union continues to force airlines to absorb the costs of delays, even when air traffic controllers are to blame.
Transparency and baggage charges. The regulation imposes new restrictions and requirements on how airlines present and price baggage during the booking process. Wizz Air says the move undermines the low-cost model and will force airlines to raise base fares, hurting precisely those passengers who fly with only a backpack.
Higher operating costs. The new regulatory requirements will create heavy operating and administrative costs, which the company says will ultimately be passed on to passengers.
Alongside its criticism, Wizz Air welcomed the part of the reform that enshrines in law the seating of young children next to the adult accompanying them. The company noted that it has already been operating an independent policy for some time, automatically seating children under 14 next to their parents at no additional charge.
When will the reform take effect?
At this stage, the agreement reached between the EU institutions is only a framework deal. Discussions on implementation and the final wording of the law are still ongoing, and no official final date has yet been set for it to take effect. Wizz Air is calling on EU institutions to change the problematic details as part of the current discussions in order to prevent harm to competition.
