On 4. December, EPF was invited to participate as a speaker in a parliamentary hearing on the performance of the Package Travel Directive and consumer protection, organised by the IMCO committee (Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee). The video of the hearing, as well as the presentations of the speakers, can be found on the IMCO website.

Last year, EPF prioritised 6 issues to be addressed by the PTD review (link). The proposed amendments to the PTD, as presented on 29. November 2023 as part of the Passenger Mobility Package (link) bring many improvements, but some concerns remain. Below is a summary of EPF’s initial reaction to the new proposal, as presented at the IMCO hearing.

The proposed amendments to the PTD bring many improvements:

• Overall, clearer rules and reduced legal uncertainty;
• Strengthened insolvency protection;
• Clarification of passengers’ right to self-cancellation;
• Clearer rules on vouchers;
• Roles of different actors clarified, B2B rules helping to ensure a smooth refund process;
• Improved information to be provided to passengers;
• More combinations considered as packages, meaning better consumer protection.

However, the following aspects would require some further attention:

• Enforcement, both public and private, including complaint handling / redress options for customers;
• Definitions (notably, Linked Travel Arrangements) and information to be provided to passengers;
• Alignment with other Regulations (notably on airline insolvency protection and self-cancellation).

IMCO public hearing on ‘ Performance of the Package Travel Directive and Consumer Protection ‘

A more in-depth response to the PTD review will follow in January, after having discussed the topic at EPF’s General Meeting in January.