Major Overhaul of Flight Rights: Free Kids' Seats and New Hand Luggage Fees on Select Flights!

THE EU is in the midst of making huge changes when it comes to air travel and all of them will greatly benefit passengers.

These include no extra fees, better compensation rights and families heading on can sit together at no extra charge – but now we’re out of the EU, the new rights will only carry weight for Brits on certain flights.

Changes to travel rules in the EU means families no longer have to pay to sit together Credit: Alamy

The new regulations were agreed by the EU Council and yesterday, making it the first overhaul in over 20 years and will come into play in 2027.

Some of the biggest changes include allowing at no extra cost, as well as passengers having a free personal item to take onboard.

There also won’t be penalties for , and hand costs will be shown upfront in the fare.

There will also be a ban on additional fees for alterations like name correction.

It will be easier for passengers to get back for delays or cancellations too.

Airlines will need to immediately acknowledge a and then reply within 30 days.

For those who experience delays, there is a right to assistance which includes refreshments every two hours of waiting time, a meal after three hours, internet access and phone calls.

When passengers need overnight stays, they should be given the hotel free of charge and get free from the airport to the accommodation and back.

After a cancelled flight or denied boarding, passengers who choose to reroute must be given an alternative journey within three hours.

This all sounds great doesn’t it? Well, there is some bad news – this won’t count for all British travellers leaving the .

The new rules will only count on certain flights leaving the UK Credit: Alamy

As a result of , British holidaymakers won’t necessarily benefit from this as in some cases their flights will fall under passenger rights called UK261.

Whereas for those living in the EU, the new regulations count for all.

For Brits heading on holiday, taking advantage of these EU changes will depend on the route and the airline.

For example, a flight leaving the UK for with will fall under EU rules as Ryanair is an EU airline.

The Malaga to UK return leg will also be under the EU rules – on the return journey, it doesn’t matter if the airline is EU or non-EU, because the flight departs from the EU.

Along with Ryanair, the likes of , and are all EU-airlines so the new rules automatically count for Brits on both journeys to EU countries.

There will however, be a gap on flights leaving the UK on a non-EU airline.

On EU oeprated airlines like Ryanair – the new EU rules will apply to Brits on both legs Credit: MoreISO

For example, if a British passenger flies from London to on a UK airline like , that outbound leg would remain under UK261 rules rather than the new EU regulations.

But the return would fall under the EU rules because it departs from in the EU.

So Brits heading on holiday will only get the new benefits if they are travelling on EU-covered flights.

They will not get them automatically on all flights from UK airports.

UK-airlines like , Virgin Atlantic and won’t fall under the new EU rules.

But these do have their own guidelines and policies regarding families sitting together and luggage costs.

AirAdvisor CEO Anton Radchenko, a renowned aviation lawyer, added: “This agreement is a meaningful step forward for European passengers, and it throws the position of UK travellers into sharp relief.

“For the first time since Brexit, we are looking at a real divergence in the
everyday rights of passengers flying from the UK versus those flying
from the EU.

“The headline compensation amounts remain broadly aligned,
but on the things passengers deal with on every single trip, being
penalised for a missed leg, paying to sit next to your own child,
comparing fares that hide the cost of a bag, EU travellers are about
to pull ahead, and UK travellers are at risk of being left behind.”