Flight compensation stays at 3 hours — and your cabin bag flies free

Final EU deal keeps €250–€600 payouts at 3 hours; fares must include hand baggage.

The Council gave final clearance on 13 July to the first overhaul of the EC261 air-passenger rules since 2004. Airlines lobbied hard to move delay compensation to 4–6 hours; the final deal keeps today’s 3-hour threshold and the €250 / €400 / €600 amounts. Displayed air fares must now include an allowance for a piece of hand baggage — the end of bait prices without a bag — and the “no-show” clause that cancelled your return flight when you skipped the outbound leg is banned.

For youNothing changes yet — the new rules apply 12 months and 20 days after publication in the Official Journal, so expect late 2027. Until then today’s EC261 rights, and our claim tool, run exactly as before.

Next: Signature and publication in the Official Journal; the clock to application starts then.

Verified against the sources above on 18 July 2026. Plain-language summary — not the legal text and not legal advice.