EU Boosts Airline Passenger Rights and Scraps A1 Paperwork for Short Business Trips

New EU rules require free adjacent seats for children under 14 on flights, include hand luggage in base fare, and eliminate the A1 certificate for short cross-border work trips, with construction exempt.

Families flying within the European Union will soon have the right to free adjacent seats for children under 14, as part of a broader passenger-rights overhaul approved by the European Parliament alongside a landmark reduction in bureaucracy for cross-border workers. The Parliament voted 511 to 87 on 7 July to revise both the bloc’s air travel protections and the coordination of social security for short-term assignments abroad.

Under the new rules, airlines must include hand luggage in the base fare and display ticket prices more transparently. Compensation for delays or cancellations must be paid within 30 days, and carriers are required to provide refreshments and meals after a two-hour wait instead of the current longer thresholds. The passenger-rights package will take effect twelve months after formal approval by EU member states, which is expected later this year.

Parallel to these consumer wins, the Parliament approved the elimination of the mandatory A1 certificate for business trips lasting no more than three days within any 30-day period. The A1 form, which proves which EU country’s social security system applies to a worker, has long been criticised by companies as a source of red tape affecting an estimated 14 million employees across Europe. The reform is set to enter force in September 2028, following a 24-month implementation period after publication in the EU’s Official Journal.

An exemption remains for the construction sector, where the A1 requirement will apply from the first day of any cross-border activity. For all other industries, the European Commission plans to introduce a uniform electronic format for the certificates that are still needed.

Labour lawyers welcomed the reduction in paperwork but cautioned that it does not cover so-called “workation” arrangements or regular stints abroad. Employers will still need to clarify social-security conditions on a case-by-case basis for such situations. Chambers of industry and commerce praised the overall agreement but urged a critical review of the 30-day threshold, arguing for even greater relief for businesses.

The transport sector faces a separate new rule: a test to determine a firm’s actual headquarters, based partly on where revenue is generated. This measure aims to make it harder for letterbox companies to sidestep social standards.

While these reforms ease mobility, border crossings themselves remain snarled by technical problems. The European Entry/Exit System (EES), which has been collecting biometric data from non-EU nationals since April 2026, is causing delays of up to five hours at peak times. Airlines have called for its suspension; the Commission acknowledges the glitches and has promised improvements. The planned ETIAS travel-authorisation system for visa-exempt third-country travellers, originally due to launch earlier, has been pushed back to 2027 because of the IT difficulties.

The European Commission has also announced a further package on fair labour mobility for September, though details have not yet been released. Together, the decisions represent the most significant overhaul of EU cross-border work and travel rules in years, balancing procedural simplification with tighter enforcement in sectors prone to abuse.