The European Parliament on 20 October overwhelmingly adopted new cross-modal passenger-rights legislation that forces airlines, rail and coach operators – as well as intermediaries such as Czech travel agencies and online booking platforms – to refund passengers within 14 days if their trip is cancelled. The regulation, which now awaits formal approval by the Council, harmonises refund and assistance standards across air, rail, bus and ferry services and introduces a single EU-wide claim form. Czech MEP Markéta Gregorová hailed the change as “revolutionary” in comments to ČTK, noting that passengers often abandon claims because carriers drag out the process. For corporate travel programmes, the most immediate impact will be cash-flow: companies can expect faster reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses when trips booked through third-party platforms are disrupted. Travel managers should update service-level agreements with TMCs to reflect the 14-day statutory limit and review escalation procedures for complex, multi-segment itineraries that span several carriers or modes. Transport operators meanwhile face tighter compliance timelines and enhanced investigative powers for national enforcement bodies. The Czech Civil Aviation Authority and the State Transport Inspectorate are expected to issue implementation guidelines once the Council rubber-stamps the law, likely in early 2027. Because the regulation applies equally to Czech domestic long-distance bus and rail services, mobility providers such as RegioJet and Leo Express will need to upgrade backend systems to process claims automatically – a potential procurement opportunity for travel-tech vendors.
Source: iDNES.cz / ČTK
