Passenger rights - in all modes - are one of the major achievements of the European Union, as they create common and  harmonised rules guaranteeing strong rights for travellers. However, the evolution of the different travel markets, and the various successive crises have been stress tests that have highlighted legal gaps, and the need to reform the regulations.

This paper aims to:

• explain in more detail our recommendations on the five main topics of the public consultation;

• present our proposals on how to “phase out” full consumer prepayments to airlines, and/or how to secure the remaining  consumer pre-payments (ex: “escrow” schemes);

• propose the harmonisation/streamlining of several passenger rights provisions to ensure clarity and consistency between passenger rights regulations.

This paper aims also to complement some of the BEUC answers to the public consultation, by detailing initiatives and good practices shared by our members at national level (effective national alternative dispute resolution schemes, automatic refund schemes etc.).