IRU acknowledges the European Parliament’s plenary vote on the revised Package Travel Directive but warns that unresolved provisions still threaten the viability of Europe’s coach tourism sector, especially SMEs.
The Parliament’s vote has secured several important wins for operators, reflecting IRU’s long-standing demands. These include rejecting the Commission’s plan for a rigid EU-wide 25% cap on down payments and clarifying what qualifies as unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances.
The Parliament has also removed the impractical rule that would have created packages when services were added within 3 or 24 hours, except if a trader actively invites the passenger to book additional services at the same point of sale within 24 hours of agreeing to pay for the first service.
IRU EU Director Raluca Marian said, “The Parliament’s vote shows that legislators have listened to some of our operators’ concerns. Removing rigid down payment limits and fixing the package definition are major wins for our sector.”
“But trilogue negotiations must now deliver workable solutions on liquidity, proportionality and crisis management tools. Without them, the Package Travel Directive will still risk pushing SMEs out of the market,” she added.
As trilogue negotiations with the Council are starting soon, critical issues remain.
One of the most pressing concerns is the unworkable reimbursement deadlines in the Commission’s proposal, which would force operators to refund organisers within seven days and organisers to refund travellers within 14 days.
For small coach companies that only provide part of a package, this timeline is financially impossible. IRU calls for a more realistic framework: 15 days for service providers and 30 days for organisers, aligned with other passenger rights legislation.
Cancellations and vouchers
On cancellation rights in extraordinary circumstances, the co-legislators have recognised official travel warnings as one of the factors to consider in the case-by-case assessment of the grounds for travellers to cancel.
IRU welcomes the Parliament’s clarification that passengers who book a package despite being informed of official warnings and travel restrictions by the organiser should assume the financial risk if they later cancel.
On vouchers, the Council and Parliament agree that the choice between a voucher or reimbursement lies with the customer, thereby denying operators the option to issue vouchers in the event of mass cancellations.
IRU insists that vouchers must be flexible, longer lasting, and truly usable in crisis scenarios for operators not to be left without liquidity when cancellations hit.
Finally, IRU warns that penalties of up to 4% of a company’s annual turnover, as proposed by the Parliament, are disproportionate, especially since package travel represents only a small share of business for many coach operators. Sanctions should be proportionate to the revenue linked to package travel, ensuring fairness while preserving deterrence.
With trilogue negotiations now set to decide the final shape of the law, IRU urges the co-legislators to strike a fair balance that safeguards consumer rights while ensuring Europe’s coach tourism operators remain viable.