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Swiss to Adopt Air Passenger Rights, Security Measures in Force in EU

Posted on: Saturday, 26 November 2005, 18:00 CST

Excerpt from report in English by Swiss Radio International's Swissinfo website on 26 November

Swiss authorities are to take over air passenger rights in force in the European Union, giving greater protection to travellers to and from Switzerland. Regulations which came into force in EU member states in February give passengers more rights in the event of denied boarding, flight cancellation or long delays.

The director of the Federal Civil Aviation Office, Raymond Cron, announced the move in Brussels on Friday, after a meeting of the joint EU-Swiss air transport committee.

However, it will be some time before the necessary legal modifications can be introduced. Cron said he believed the new passenger rights would come into force "some time next year".

As soon as they are changed, passengers travelling to and from Switzerland can benefit from a range of improvements. For example, if passengers are not able to board an aircraft because it is overbooked, airlines will have to pay compensation of between 200 Swiss francs (151.7 US dollars) and 900 Swiss francs. The precise amount depends on the length of the flight and waiting time.

Airlines must also compensate passengers in case of a late cancellation, and they also have to offer meals and a hotel if necessary.

These rights are already in force for flights from EU airports or with European airlines in the EU.

Switzerland, which is closely integrated in European air transport with a bilateral agreement, is also going to take over a package of EU security measures and join the European Aviation Safety Agency.

[Passage omitted]

The Swiss Senate has unanimously voted in favour of EASA membership, while the House of Representatives is to discuss the issue in December. Cron believes that Switzerland will become an EASA member in the second half of next year.

He said that Bern also wanted to take on board the EU's list of unsafe airline companies. If an airline were banned in the EU for safety reasons, Switzerland would also ban it. However, the exact rules for drawing up a black list have not yet been determined.

Switzerland, like other European countries, has published its own blacklist of airlines it considers unsafe.

[Passage omitted]

Source: BBC Monitoring European

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