Tag: airlines

Europe’s regions and smaller airlines are urging the European Commission to allow more flexible rules for government support of non-hub airports, which they contend are a vital economic lifeline for communities and islands.

The European Parliament voted today (29 March) over the objections of the airline industry to strengthen rights of passengers who face flight cancellations or other travel interruptions.

Airbus joined a chorus of concern that a European scheme to charge airlines for carbon emissions risks triggering a full-blown trade war, with implications for aircraft deals and even Europe's crippling sovereign debt crisis.

Germany's biggest airline will pass on to its customers an expected €130 million in costs for carbon permits it needs this year under a new European Union emissions trading system (ETS).

The European Parliament’s lead negotiator on a controversial plan to charge airlines for their carbon pollution criticised foreign carriers for “aggressiveness” in opposing the proposal, but expressed confidence that the EU’s top court would back the scheme’s legality in a ruling expected today (21 December).

The European Union's highest court is expected to give its final ruling on Dec. 21 on a European law that would force all airlines to pay for their carbon emissions, an EU source said yesterday (6 December). The ruling was previously expected in early 2012.

The European Commission today (25 November) warned that most EU countries are failing to improve and modernise regional air traffic management, contributing to delays that are blamed for higher travel costs and pollution.

European Union plans to charge airlines for carbon emissions are "discriminatory" and violate global laws, a group of 26 countries including the United States and China, according to a joint declaration.

The European Commission yesterday (27 April) proposed a number of measures to address the ash cloud crisis, including temporary derogations for night flights and deferral of charge payments for airlines. Brussels gave its green light to state aid for the air sector, whose crisis bill is estimated to cost between €1.5 and 2.5 billion.

The international air transport sector last week agreed to improve its fuel efficiency beyond government goals in a bid to halve the industry's emissions by 2050.

The European Commission last week (22 August) published a list of nearly 4,000 commercial carriers which will have to participate in the EU's emissions trading scheme from 2012.

Despite considerable progress made in fighting misleading behaviour by airlines when selling tickets online, too many companies are still failing to comply with EU rules, Consumer Affairs Commissioner Meglena Kuneva said yesterday (14 May), calling for the establishment of EU-wide standards.

Airlines will be allowed to keep their highly-valued landing slots at European airports during next year's summer season even if they don't fully use them this year, EU lawmakers agreed. The measure is aimed at softening the impact of the recession on the airline industry, which has seen demand plummet since the start of the economic crisis.

The European Commission has proposed to temporarily freeze its rules on airlines' slot rights in an attempt to help the sector through the economic slowdown. But the move was heavily criticised by low-cost airlines, which argue the measure is not meant to protect the industry but help "inefficient legacy airlines to hoard scarce resources".

Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani yesterday (9 September) told MEPs that he plans to tighten checks on Europe's airlines following the SpanAir crash in Madrid on 20 August, which killed over 150 people.

New European rules governing air fare advertising will soon enable customers to see the real price they have to pay for flights, rather than get a nasty surprise once taxes, fees and additional charges are included.

Airlines have four months to remove misleading information on flight prices and conditions from their internet pages, said EU Consumer Protection Commissioner Meglena Kuneva, after an investigation revealed that more than half of the over 400 websites inspected were deceptive.

In a bid to step up the fight against terrorism, the Commission will, on Tuesday, propose a new plan under which all airlines flying to the EU would be obliged to share private data on their passengers, such as passport numbers and credit card details, with Europe's secret services.

While the signing of the Open Skies agreement between the EU and the USA has been hailed as a triumph for the consumer, with the prospect of more intensive competition and lower fares in the transatlantic market, the actual impact of the deal may be severely restricted because of limited airport capacity and slot shortages in the EU, according to a study by the independent economics consultancy Oxera.

In a bid to step up the fight against terrorism, airlines flying to the EU could be obliged to share private data on their passengers, such as passport numbers and credit card details, with Europe’s secret services, Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini has announced.

Top US security official Michael Chertoff has urged MEPs to drop their opposition to a new deal with Washington on sharing private passenger data with US counter-terror agencies, insisting that it is critical to the fight against terrorism.

EU air rules must be reviewed so as to better protect consumers against overpricing and to guarantee safety standards, according to the Commission.

Negotiators have reached an agreement to remove restrictions on transatlantic flights. But the deal, which still needs approval from EU transport ministers, is conditional on a better US offer over airline ownership.

New EU rules to compensate passengers in the event of delay, overbooking or flight cancellation are "proportionate" and "fair," according to the ECJ Advocate General.