In the marathon meeting taking place in Brussels, where the opinions of European lawmakers and member states clash, it is hoped to break the deadlock over the long-planned reform of air passenger rights.
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The discussions started around 1 p.m. local time (2 p.m. Lithuanian time) and are expected to continue until late at night.
Negotiations on behalf of the European Parliament are led by Virginijus Sinkevičius.
The 27 EU countries want to reduce the compensations that air carriers currently have to pay for canceled flights and long delays, but lawmakers oppose such a move.
Currently, passengers in Europe have the right to receive compensation ranging from 250 to 600 euros, depending on the flight distance, if the flight is delayed by three hours or more.
Airlines complain that this causes them significant expenses and they are often forced to cancel flights rather than operate them with long delays, as this has a domino effect on flight schedules.
Most EU countries agreed last year to extend this limit to four hours for flights up to 3,500 km or any flights within the bloc, and up to six hours for longer journeys.
The proposed compensation amounts were also adjusted and would range from 300 to 500 euros.
The plan also includes additional incentives, including the “right to be rerouted on another route” as soon as possible and a system under which passengers are automatically compensated for flights canceled less than 14 days before departure.
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However, this is not enough for the European Parliament.
Lawmakers oppose changes to the allowed delay and have proposed additional measures that flight operators fundamentally disagree with.
They seek to require airlines to include seven kilograms of hand luggage and a small personal bag in the ticket price, and to prohibit them from charging parents for seats next to their children.
For the reform to move forward, lawmakers and governments must agree on the same text, but after months of negotiations, no agreement has been reached so far.
Since member states initially tried to push through changes using a rarely applied accelerated procedure, both sides have only a few weeks left to reach a compromise.
If no agreement is reached, the current rules, which the EU has been trying to reform for more than a decade, would simply remain in effect.
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