For journeys departing from the European Union, European rules apply regardless of the airline. A passenger departing from Madrid, Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt or Lisbon for Bogot\u00e1<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>, Lima, Mexico City<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>, S\u00e3o Paulo<\/mark><\/a><\/strong> or Buenos Aires<\/mark><\/a><\/strong> is therefore concerned, even if the flight is operated by a non-European airline. This scope also includes certain European overseas territories, such as Guadeloupe or Martinique. For return flights from Latin America to the European Union, protection applies when the flight is operated by an EU airline. <\/p>\n\n This was one of the most closely watched points: compensation in the event of a significant delay will not be pushed back to five or six hours, as had been considered during the discussions. The three-hour threshold is maintained<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n On long-haul routes between Europe and Latin America, compensation can reach 600 euros when the conditions set out in the regulation are met. This amount will not be automatic in every case: extraordinary circumstances, such as certain weather events or security situations, will continue to be able to exempt airlines. But the principle remains important, because a delay on this type of journey can have consequences for a connection, a cruise, an organized tour, a meeting or the start of a stay. <\/p>\n\n The reform also provides for better passenger information. In the event of a disruption that may give rise to compensation, the airline will have to inform travelers within 96 hours of arrival<\/strong> and clearly explain how to submit a claim. It will then have to acknowledge receipt of the claim and respond within 30 days, either by providing compensation or by justifying its refusal. The change may seem discreet, but it touches on an essential point: knowing one\u2019s rights is not enough; passengers still need to know how to assert them<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n The question of cabin baggage has circulated widely in the press, sometimes a little too quickly. The reform does not guarantee a free carry-on suitcase<\/strong> for all tickets. Above all, it clarifies two points: each passenger must be able to carry a small personal item free of charge, and airlines will have to display more clearly what is included in the price. <\/p>\n\n The small personal item corresponds to the item placed under the seat, for example a handbag, a compact backpack or a laptop bag. The European agreement provides for a common minimum size of 40 x 30 x 15 cm<\/strong>. By contrast, the cabin suitcase placed in the overhead compartments will not necessarily be included in every fare. Airlines will still be able to offer cheaper tickets without cabin baggage, but comparison will have to be clearer from the beginning of the booking process. <\/p>\n\n For travel to Latin America, this point is far from secondary. Passengers often leave for several days or several weeks, with connections, sometimes domestic flights, and baggage policies that vary from one airline to another. A misunderstanding of the fare can lead to an additional charge at check-in or at the boarding gate. <\/p>\n\n Since June 23, Iberia <\/strong>has distinguished more precisely between the personal hand baggage, which must fit under the seat, and baggage of up to 10 kg, placed in the overhead compartments in Economy and Premium Economy. This type of distinction may seem minor, but it helps avoid frequent misunderstandings between \u201csmall bag\u201d, \u201chand baggage\u201d and \u201ccabin suitcase\u201d. <\/p>\n\n The reform also introduces several practical changes.. Families traveling with children under the age of 14 will have to be able to sit together at no extra cost<\/strong>, a point that is far from anecdotal on a ten or eleven-hour flight, especially when tickets are purchased through an intermediary or in a restrictive fare class.<\/p>\n\n This right to an adjacent seat will also apply to passengers with disabilities or reduced mobility, as well as pregnant women<\/strong>. The text also strengthens the protection of PRMs when insufficient assistance at the airport prevents them from reaching the boarding gate on time. In this case, they must be able to benefit from compensation, assistance and rerouting by the airline. <\/p>\n\n Another expected change: airlines will have to accept a printed boarding pass at no extra cost<\/strong>. They will not be able to require passengers to download an app or create an account to access it. The measure may seem simple, but it responds to a very real situation: not all travelers want to depend only on their phone, especially on a journey with several flights, border crossings and connections. <\/p>\n\n The rules on vouchers will also be clarified. A passenger will have to explicitly accept a voucher if they give up a refund by bank transfer, which can help avoid certain unclear situations after a cancellation or a major change to the journey. <\/p>\n\n Travel between Europe and Latin America is not always limited to a direct flight. Many itineraries pass through Madrid, Paris, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Frankfurt or Panama before continuing to another destination. A disruption on the first segment can therefore affect the entire journey. <\/p>\n\n The reform provides for a strengthened right to rerouting<\/strong>, with particular attention paid to passengers with reduced mobility. If an airline does not propose a solution within three hours, the passenger will be able to organize an alternative themselves and request reimbursement, within certain limits. This point will be particularly important when a flight delay compromises the rest of the journey, or when a lack of assistance at the airport prevents a vulnerable person from reaching their flight on time. <\/p>\n\n However, it will be necessary to pay attention to the exact conditions, particularly when several separate tickets are used. A Paris-Madrid flight purchased from one airline and a Madrid-Lima flight booked separately do not always offer the same protections as a journey sold on a single ticket. The way the trip is built can therefore change the protection available to the passenger. <\/p>\n\n These new rules are not yet in force. They will have to be formally adopted, then will apply 12 months after their official publication<\/strong>. In the meantime, the current rules remain those governing delays, cancellations, denied boarding and rights to assistance. <\/p>\n\n The June 2026 agreement, however, gives a clear indication: air passenger rights should become more readable on the issues that create the most confusion when traveling. The reform will not eliminate unforeseen events, but it should give passengers clearer reference points for choosing their ticket, understanding their rights and better managing disruptions on air journeys. <\/p>\n\n Photos: D.R.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Delays, cabin baggage, seats and rerouting: what the European reform changes for flights between Europe and Latin America.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":245789,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16783],"tags":[41903,41896,41888,41894,41910,18758,41901,41892,41893,41909,20920,37264,41890,41887,41895,41900,41899,41886,41906,41898,41904,18585,21105,41891,41905,41897,41907,41889,41908,41902],"class_list":["post-245797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-adjacent-seat","tag-air-passenger-regulation","tag-air-passenger-rights","tag-air-traveler-rights","tag-airline-voucher","tag-airlines-en","tag-boarding-pass","tag-cabin-baggage","tag-carry-on-suitcase","tag-eu-air-rights","tag-europe-latin-america","tag-europe-latin-america-flights","tag-european-air-passengers","tag-european-aviation-reform","tag-european-union-aviation","tag-families-on-flights","tag-flight-cancellation","tag-flight-delay-compensation","tag-flight-refund","tag-flight-rerouting","tag-iberia-cabin-baggage","tag-latin-america-travel","tag-latin-american-voyage","tag-long-haul-flight-delay","tag-long-haul-flights-2","tag-missed-connection","tag-passengers-with-reduced-mobility","tag-personal-item","tag-pregnant-women-flying","tag-prm-flights"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245797","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=245797"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245797\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":245798,"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245797\/revisions\/245798"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/245789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=245797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=245797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=245797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\nThe three-hour threshold is maintained<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n
Cabin baggage, an issue to clarify<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Bagage-cabine.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nFamilies, seats and vulnerable passengers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n
Connections and rerouting<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n
A reform to follow<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n