Aviation: Commission updates the EU Air Safety List to ensure highest level of protection for passengers // Brussels, 30 November 2017

23. Emphasises the widespread proliferation of unfair contract terms in air transport contracts and an increase in national case law prohibiting certain terms regularly used by airlines; thus urges the Commission to address this issue by blacklisting specific unfair terms in the air transport sector; stresses the need to adopt measures to protect passengers against other unfair contractual terms implemented by airlines, such as contractual issues related to mishandled/delayed/damaged luggage, the transferability of tickets, force majeure circumstances, the unilateral rescheduling of flights, and the prohibition against using the ongoin ...[+++]g part of a return ticket unless based on very limited and objective ‘no show’ criteria;

The US delegation further confirmed that, for Community airlines, the US–EU Air Transport Agreement, being applied pursuant to Article 25 or in force pursuant to Article 26, will satisfy the DOT requirement that, to consider such an application from foreign airlines for antitrust immunity or to continue such immunity, an Open-Skies agreement must exist between the United States and the homeland(s) of the applicant foreign airline(s).

Firstly, all airlines flying into Europe carrying passengers from China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Taiwan and Singapore must have all passengers examined by doctors before they travel to Europe, and if there is any doubt, passengers from these countries must be barred from departing for Europe.

3. Many countries penalise airlines who carry passengers without valid travel documents, with the result that asylum seekers may be denied access to planes leaving their country, and face long waits at arrival airports, sometimes living there for several years, while a decision on the admissibility of their application for asylum is reached.

The prices at which airline companies sell seats are at a record low, non-European companies carry passengers within the EU virtually for free and price-fighters elbow out old, national airline companies.