European airlines are leaning hard on Brussels. They want delay compensation gone. They want free-luggage rules gone. They are using the energy crisis as a justification. And if they do not get their way, they are predicting bankruptcies by the end of the year.

Ryanair's CEO is forecasting "the collapse of European airlines if fuel prices stay high". The message is clear: either Brussels loosens the rules, or the industry implodes. A textbook case of corporate blackmail with a multi-decade track record.

Europe's small airports will pay first. When an airline stops flying to your city because fuel is too expensive, your airport loses passengers. Skopje is lucky - it is still on the daily-flight map. Other regional centres are not. That means fewer connections, fewer options, higher prices for whoever is left.

The flight delay compensation rule is one of the biggest wins of European consumer law. Introduced in 2004, it has forced airlines to pay up to 600 euros for delays over three hours. Without it, an eight-hour delay gets you a polite "sorry". No obligation. No compensation.

Same story with luggage. In 2026, almost every basic fare in Europe includes a carry-on up to a certain size. Some charter operators already charge extra. They want that to become the standard. Which means the 200-euro flight becomes 250-280 once you add a bag.

For the Balkans this is a direct cost. A Macedonian traveller flying to Vienna with a carry-on will pay an extra 30-50 euros. A family of three - a hundred over budget. And this is what the industry calls "flexibility". Brussels is still resisting. But under economic pressure, every regulatory rule suddenly becomes "inflexible". And ordinary people pick up the tab.