The EU261 reform: what is changing and what still applies

On this page 4

1. Where the reform actually stands
2. The fight was over the three-hour threshold
3. What else is reported to be in it
4. What to do about it

Where the reform actually stands

Regulation 261/2004 has been under review for well over a decade. In June 2026 the EU institutions reached a political agreement on a reformed text. A political agreement is a negotiating milestone, not law: the text still has to be formally adopted and published, and reforms of this kind normally come with a transition period before they bite.

For a flight disrupted today, the existing regulation applies — the three-hour threshold and the €250 / €400 / €600 bands. Our EU261 page and the calculator run on the current law.

The fight was over the three-hour threshold

The change airlines lobbied hardest for was raising the delay threshold from three hours to four, five or more, which would have removed a very large share of claims at a stroke. Reporting on the June agreement indicates the three-hour threshold survived for shorter flights and that the compensation bands were left broadly intact, with the more aggressive proposals dropped.

We are being deliberately careful here. Coverage of the agreement is inconsistent on the detail, with at least one outlet reporting adopted four- and six-hour thresholds while others describe those as rejected proposals. Until the adopted text is published in the Official Journal, anyone stating the new numbers with confidence is guessing. We will update this page against the published text rather than against press summaries.

What else is reported to be in it

Secondary reporting points to a duty on airlines to notify passengers of disruption within a set window, firmer rights for passengers with reduced mobility, and new provisions on baggage and on seating families together. These look less contested than the thresholds, but the same caveat applies.

What to do about it

Nothing, except not to wait. Claims are assessed under the law in force when your flight was disrupted, so a reform cannot retroactively shrink a claim you already have. But a claim you leave sitting for three years while the rules change around you is a claim you have made harder to argue. If you have a live claim under the current bands, put it in now.