MEPs have backed a move to bolster air passengers rights in the European Union.

The new rules, once approved, will make it harder for airlines to avoid paying compensation for delays and crack down on restrictive hand luggage policies.

“We really worked a lot on the issue of information, on transparency from the moment you buy your ticket. That means that the customer knows what they need to do when there’s a problem and how to make a claim or a complaint,” said Georges Back, a centre-right MEP from Luxembourg.

But will airlines just make passengers pick up the tab for the planned tighter rules by hiking prices?

“The answer to that is: everything has a cost and if something happened which increases costs then inevitably ultimately they will arrive at the ticket price,” said David Henderson from the Association of European Airlines.

EU governments will now look at the proposals from MEPs. The text will then be sent back to the European Parliament for a second reading later this year.