On February 17, 2005, Regulation (EC) No. 261/2004 came into effect, establishing common rules on compensation and assistance for passengers in cases of denied boarding, flight cancellations, or long delays. This regulation replaced Regulation (EEC) No. 295/91 and governs a significant portion of passenger rights.

Scope of Application

The regulation applies to:

• Passengers departing from an airport within an EU member state.
• Passengers traveling from a third-country airport to an EU airport, provided that the airline operating the flight is an EU carrier.

Passenger Rights

The regulation outlines passenger rights in the following situations:

• If they are denied boarding against their will.
• If their flight is canceled.
• If their flight is delayed.

Airline Obligation to Inform Passengers

Airlines are required to inform passengers of their rights. At check-in, a clearly visible notice must be displayed with the following message:

“If you are denied boarding or if your flight is canceled or delayed by at least two hours, please request information at the check-in or boarding gate about your rights, particularly regarding compensation and assistance.”

Supervisory Authorities

Each EU member state is required to designate a national enforcement body (NEB) responsible for monitoring compliance with the regulation for:

• Flights departing from airports within its territory.
• Flights arriving from non-EU countries to EU airports.

These authorities take necessary measures to ensure passenger rights are upheld.

A list of national enforcement bodies is available on the European Commission’s website:
🔗 National Enforcement Bodies (NEB)

Regulation Review

To further strengthen air passenger rights and ensure effective enforcement, the European Commission has proposed a revision of Regulation (EC) No. 261/2004:
🔗 Regulation Review Proposal