In the debate about the rights of European air passengers, the German Aviation Association (BDL) is calling for a significant extension of the deadlines by which airlines are obliged to pay compensation. The association is thus supporting a proposal by the European Commission and is demanding that passengers only be entitled to financial compensation after a delay of five hours, instead of the current three hours. BDL Managing Director Joachim Lang argues that within this extended deadline, airlines would be significantly more likely to be able to organize a replacement aircraft and still get the affected passengers to their destination. This would ultimately lead to fewer flight cancellations. Lang emphasizes: "People don't want to be handed 250 euros; they want to get home on the same day if possible." Under current regulations, airlines would often forgo chartering a replacement aircraft and crew at short notice and sending them to the scene of the incident in view of the threat of additional fines. Instead, passengers would be rebooked onto later flights, which, according to Lang, could mean that "the passengers may then have to wait one or even two days for their return flight." Consumer advocates and Justice Minister reject longer deadlines. However, the aviation lobby's plans are meeting with fierce resistance from consumer advocates and passenger portals. They fear that an extension of the deadlines would result in around 80 percent of affected passengers no longer receiving compensation. They argue that the current regulations already provide adequate compensation for the inconvenience caused by flight delays and cancellations, and that a weakening of passenger rights is unacceptable. The new Federal Minister also