Delay, Cancellation and Denied Boarding
Passenger rights in relation to delay and cancellation of their journey and the consequences of denied boarding derive from international convention, but are more fully set out in a series of European regulations that have been developed over time in response to the practical realities of travel by various modes. The key features of the various regulations are summarised in table 2 below.
As with the various liability regimes discussed above, there are certain disparities in the provisions of the regulations. Some can be justified in response to the practical realities of the particular mode addressed. However others have simply developed into the form they now take as a result of the point in time in which they were drafted and came into force; evolving more organically in response to certain issues as they have arisen rather than there having been any significant concerted attempt to harmonise passenger rights - with a view to one day giving rise to the fully integrated multi-modal transport ecosystem envisaged by EuTravel.
The regulations prescribe the circumstances in which passengers are entitled to care, assistance and compensation in the event of delay and cancellation and the steps that a carrier must take in the event that a passenger is denied boarding.
Travel Regulatory Framework