WRITTEN QUESTION E-2655/99 by Guido Podestà (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Flight delays.
28. 12. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 374 E/7 (2000/C 374 E/007) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2655/99 by Guido Podestà (PPE-DE) to the Commission (12 January 2000) Subject: Flight delays This year flight delays in Europe have reached unacceptable levels. Suffice it to say that from July to September over 30 % of flights on European routes were delayed by over 15 minutes. According to some estimates these delays may cost over EUR 5 billion per year, and they cause considerable inconvenience and loss to passengers. Thus it is clear that urgent measures need to be taken to protect air transport users, for instance by adopting Community legislation similar to the law on overbooking, and redefining the concept of ádelayí in the Warsaw Convention. 1. Can the Commission provide information on the specific measures it intends to adopt to protect passengers and the timescale involved, particularly as regards their right to be informed of the reasons for delays and to obtain adequate compensation in the event of unjustified delays? Can the Commission also say if it intends to adopt áad hocí measures to protect consumers in other 2. public transport sectors? Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission (6 March 2000) With regard to delays to air traffic, on 1 December 1999, the Commission adopted a communication to review the current situation and propose new initiatives to be taken to provide the Community with the air traffic management system it needs to ensure the proper functioning of its internal market (1). The question raised by the Honourable Member, regarding information to passengers on air traffic delays, is answered in this document which has been communicated to the Council and the Parliament. During this year, the Commission will propose a system of publication of punctuality indicators to give passengers the means of forming their own opinions as to the situation and its causes. The Honourable Memberís attention is drawn to Council Regulation (EEC) No 295/91 of 4 February 1991 establishing common rules for a denied-boarding compensation system in scheduled air transport (2). That Regulation already provides for compensation in the case of overbooking. As to the broader question of the Commission has just released a consultation document on air passenger rights with the aim of collecting views to help develop future policy. This activity so far covers air transport only, but consideration will also be given to similar work on other modes of transport. While problems vary between the modes, it will still be important to ensure that all passengers generally enjoy similar rights. the protection of passengers, (1) COM(1999) 614 final. (2) OJ L 36, 8. 2. 1991