EU lawmakers maintain compensation paid to passengers for flight delays

BRUSSELS, June 15 (Reuters) - European lawmakers agreed on Monday to European Union member states' proposal to keep the current three-hour flight delay threshold for compensation in the EU's next set of airline passenger rights, ending a decade-long debate.

The 27 member states had agreed on Friday to maintain the current level of compensation that airlines must pay passengers in case of delays.

The European Commission, the EU executive, proposed more than a decade ago to reduce the amounts passengers were entitled to. The issue had pitted airlines, which demanded more flexibility to remain competitive, against consumer protection associations. Both sides lobbied EU institutions for years.

Under rules in place since 2004, passengers on flights delayed by more than three hours can claim compensation from €250 ($290.05) up to €600, depending on the length of the flight.

The Commission had proposed to raise the threshold for compensation to four hours and member states had sought to cap the amount at €500, although after years of debate, EU countries and the European Parliament finally agreed on a status quo.

On the other contentious issue - the fees charged by some airlines for carry-on baggage - the member states and parliament agreed to let airlines charge for larger bags, provided they allow free small bags and they include fees for cabin bags in their basic ticket price, with the possibility of offering discounts to consumers who opt out. The measure intends to improve price transparency and comparability.

Those fees have been widely criticized by consumer rights associations around the EU, triggering a political battle in 2024, when the Spanish Consumer Rights Ministry fined budget airlines €179 million for charging them. The airlines are appealing against the fine.

The countries have also kept in place rules that allow an accompanying adult to sit near a child without paying a fee and that force airlines to grant more services in cases of missed connections.

They also prevented airlines from forcing passengers to download a mobile phone app to get a boarding pass, a practice Ryanair introduced in November.

($1 = 0.8619 euros)

(Reporting by Inti Landauro; Editing by Susan Fenton)