In February 2005, EC Regulation 261/2004 came into force. It established common rules and much higher levels of compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding, cancellations or long flight delays.
The legislation created confusion among the public, owing to its inherent complexity and the lack of clear definitions.
AAPA’s position had been that market forces and competition among airlines would force the industry to maintain its standard on on-time performances, overbooking and fleet/aircraft maintenance, and had warned in several submissions to the European Commission of potential operational problems at airports if the Regulation were enforced as written.
Today, the burden to educate air passengers on the scope of this legislation and to restore their confidence remains in the hands of the industry. Airlines are still tabulating the increasing costs to the industry due to EC Regulation 261/2004.
Related link:
