EU Parliaments new Passenger Rights legislation may increase our air fares – Clune

Fine Gael, Ireland South MEP, Deirdre Clune has claimed that higher airline fares may be on the way if the European Parliament doesn’t achieve the right balance in the upcoming Passenger Rights legislation,

The new Passenger Rights legislation is currently in front of the European Council before returning to the Transport Committee of the European Parliament, of which Deirdre Clune is the only Irish member. Speaking in advance of further negotiations with her colleagues on the Transport committee, Deirdre Clune said that higher airline fares would be detrimental to Ireland’s tourism industry,

“My concerns are that a new series of passenger rights will create a massive administrative and cost burden for Irish airlines and will lead to increased fares. We already have a solid set of passenger rights in place. The main difficulty is that they are convoluted and difficult to claim on. Current estimates show that around 2% of people are actually claiming their entitlements when it comes to delayed and cancelled flights. Most people do not know what they are entitled to when it comes to difficulties with their flights. What is the point in having legislation if, in practice, it doesn’t work properly? I would prefer if we focused entirely on making the existing rights clearer, easier to claim and if we communicated them better rather than adding a new layer of complicated and expensive rules.

“I am determined to fight red tape coming from European legislation. Any piece of legislation that adds costs and “form filling” must be closely scrutinised to assess its value.

“The rights will only apply to European airlines and my concerns are for our Irish carriers, Aer Lingus and Ryanair. Both of Ireland’s main airlines have a solid record on getting passengers to their destination on time at a reasonable price. If airfares increase for European airlines then it may encourage our German and other neighbours to holiday by car on mainland Europe and avoid taking the more expensive option of a flight to Ireland.

“I will be watching the legislation carefully to ensure that the correct balance is struck between a passenger’s right to fair treatment and the airlines ability to pay.”