Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-09-04-Speech-2-273"
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"en.20010904.11.2-273"2
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". – Mr President, the advent of competition in the air transport sector has certainly resulted in the lowering of prices of air travel for the 370 million consumers of the European Union. However, there is a growing dissatisfaction among air travellers with regard to the quality of service which they are receiving from many airlines within the EU. It is very important that air passengers are fully aware of their legal rights when problems arise with flights. These are matters which I am addressing in my report.
We cannot deny that the issue of developing deep-vein thrombosis is not a serious concern for air passengers. I am calling on the European Commission as a matter of urgency to allocate more monies from the EU research budget to carry out an independent evaluation of the possible public health risks for air passengers travelling on long-haul flights. This includes the need to carry out a comprehensive study into the whole issue of deep-vein thrombosis. I am calling on the European Commission to carry out this independent research in consultation with EU airline companies and EU consumer groups. I believe that European Union airlines should not be afraid of addressing the issue of deep-vein thrombosis. The solution to this problem may not be as hard as some EU airlines may envisage. It is very important that passengers are fully informed as to what they should do to guarantee that deep-vein thrombosis will not develop.
European Union airlines, consumer groups and air crew workers must all work together to guarantee that all public health issues concerning air travel are fully addressed. Safer travel for air passengers in Europe must at all times be the ultimate objective for EU governments and EU airlines. I have nothing in principle against the implementation of voluntary codes of practice for European Union airlines. However it is very important that any codes of practice which are drawn up by EU airlines are fully evaluated and monitored to ensure that they are rigorously enforced. While voluntary agreements play an important role with regard to the whole issue of air travel, EU institutions and EU governments must not be afraid to intervene and legislate on issues to promote and protect air passenger rights.
In this report I am calling on the European Commission to bring forward specific proposals outlining how the charter of passenger rights in Europe can be marketed to a greater extent. This will help to guarantee that all air passengers in Europe are kept fully informed as to their legal rights with regard to air travel. This charter of passenger rights currently exists in European Union airports but many passengers are not fully aware of its existence or do not fully understand its provisions.
This report includes a proposal calling on European Union airlines to inform passengers of the percentage degree seat pitch available to passengers travelling in economy class. It is clearly the case that there is more room available for economy class passengers travelling with some airlines than with others. I am also calling on the European Union and the airlines to improve access for disabled passengers, children and the elderly and to prohibit European Union airlines from charging an extra fee for assisting persons who are immobile onto any aeroplane within the European Union.
Finally I believe that this report had the broad support of the political groups within Parliament's Committee on Transport. I am hopeful and confident that the European Commission will now bring forward the necessary legislative proposals to ensure that passenger rights for the citizens of the European Union are greatly improved as a matter of urgency."@en1
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