WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1663/99 by Lucio MANISCO Citizens' rights and airlines
C 27 E/144 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 29. 1. 2000 Instant results cannot be expected, but persistent and patient effort exercised by the EU, as well as others through dialogue and by other means, are steadily spreading also in China recognition of the universal values which we espouse. That is why the EU has insisted that the the EU dialogue should be kept comprehensive and substantial with no subjects excluded a priori. Moreover, the EU has made it clear that we expect our dialogue on human rights to lead, not just to Chinese acknowledgement of international commitments, but also to concrete improvements in the human rights situation in China. (2000/C 27 E/175) WRITTEN QUESTION P-1602/99 by Benedetto Della Vedova (NI) to the Commission Subject: Airlines and the rules relating to overbooking (7 September 1999) Particularly during the summer, and to the ever-greater inconvenience of users/consumers/travellers, airlines (including ones based in the European Union) resort with ever-increasing frequency to the practice of overbooking (the selling of more seats than are actually available on a given flight), which requires airline staff to decide, on the basis of highly obscure criteria, that certain passengers will not be allowed to board the aircraft, even though they hold a proper ticket. Such passengers/consumers consequently face unforeseen and often lengthy delays in their travel arrangements, unexpected additional expenditure which is frequently not reimbursed by the airline, and problems stemming from their inability to secure a return flight at a preselected time. Such occurrences are considerably more serious if they relate to interconti- nental flights to or from the European Union. The various provisions stemming from the current rules drawn up by the Commission (Council Regulation (EEC) 295/91 of 4 February 1991 (1)) are totally inadequate in relation to the degree of inconvenience suffered when overbooking occurs. In particular they do not apply to flights from a third country to a EU destination, they do not exclude the requirement for passengers to provide additional departure confirma- tion, they do not define the minimum check-in time as a strict deadline [no comment here], and they do not specify the percentage of seats which the airlines are allowed to overbook, whilst the penalties prescribed do not appear to be a sufficient inducement to the airlines to pay the required compensation to passengers who have been denied boarding. Is the Commission aware of this situation? Does it not consider the legal nature of the measures adopted so far to be the cause of their inadequacy? Does it intend to adopt further measures of a different nature in order to ensure that the rights of travellers/consumers are upheld? (1) OJ L 36, 8. 2. 1991, p. 5. (2000/C 27 E/176) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1663/99 by Lucio Manisco (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (22 September 1999) Subject: Citizensí rights and airlines In August an enormous number of European citizens at every airport in the European Union were subjected to cavalier treatment and bullying by airlines in connection with flight delays, transport conditions and delays in the delivery of luggage. The passenger, as a legal person who draws up a contract with an airline, has become a passive object and a helpless victim of these arbitrary practices. Does the Commission not consider that Regulation 295/91 (1) should be amended as a matter of urgency to include flight delays in the context of fines to be charged to the airline for the benefit of passengers? (1) OJ L 36, 8. 2. 1991, p. 5