EU Law: Are Airline Passengers Consumers?, April 2020

The issue of the protection of airline passengers has been an international priority ever since air travel has become the fastest and safest way to travel long distances.

While the Warsaw Convention of October 12, 1929 was the first international treaty meant to unify rules regarding air travel, the protection of passengers and the liability of the air carrier,in the present, passengers rights are subject of the Montreal Convention of May 28, 1999 (the “Montreal Convention”), as well as a series of Regulations of the European Parliament and of the Council, such as Regulation no. 2027/97 on air carrier liability in the event of accidents and Regulation no. 261/2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights (“Regulation 261/2004”).

In the light of these international norms protecting flight passengers, the following question is raised: Do airline passengers also benefit from the protection provided for consumers?