EU Boasts that Passengers will have Better Rights on Ferries than Planes
EU Boasts that Passengers will have Better Rights on Ferries than Planes
Ferry passengers will have better rights than airline passengers, the European Parliament boasted as it approved a wide-ranging European Union regulation due to come into force in 2012. Maritime passengers will be compensated when sailings are delayed, not only when they are cancelled, Parliament pointed out. “Boat passengers (sic) will have more rights than currently stipulated under EU law for air passengers, as in the latter case there is no compensation for flight delays (only for cancellations)” the Parliament said after the bill was approved in the Strasbourg plenary. Compensation will kick in following a departure delay of 90 minutes or more unless the delay is caused by bad weather or other factors beyond the operator’s control.
“Under the new rules, when a regular passenger boat or ferry service is cancelled or over 90 minutes late in departing, the passengers will have the right to be rerouted (in order to reach the destination earlier) or to receive back the ticket cost and not to travel (or else to return to the initial port of departure at the company’s cost),” the Parliament said in a statement after the vote. In addition, “regardless of whether they choose to travel or not”, passengers will be entitled to compensation of 25% of the ticket price for journeys scheduled to last up to four hours which are delayed at arrival for at least an hour; crossings scheduled to last four to eight hours which are delayed at arrival for at least two hours; trips scheduled to last eight to 24 hours which are delayed at arrival for at least three hours; and journeys scheduled to last over 24 hours which are delayed at arrival for at least six hours. If the delay is over double these minimum times, passengers will be entitled to compensation of half the ticket price. Passengers may demand “money” as opposed to payment in kind such as free travel, Parliament said.
Once approved by the Council of Ministers the new legislation should ensure disabled passengers are given free assistance in port, provided they give at least two days’ notice. All ferries with a capacity for 12 passengers or more will be covered by the law with some exceptions, such as sightseeing trips and historical ships.