Families will be able to select seats together under a new EU air passenger rights law.
Negotiators from the European Parliament and Council of the European Union have spent months arguing over whether to change rights including compensation in case of delays or cancellations.
MEPs wanted to force airlines to allow passengers to bring hand luggage on board free of charge. That was strongly rejected by ministers and the airline industry.
In future airlines will, however, have to display carry-on luggage prices upfront on booking websites.
There was also pressure from some to make EU passenger compensation rules less generous.
Under current rules, airlines must pay compensation if a flight is delayed by more than three hours or it is cancelled.
They are also obligated to reroute you, even on a rival airline.
In the end, negotiators agreed not to change the compensation rules, but to obligate airlines to inform passengers within four days of their flight what their rights to compensation are.
Air passengers will have up to nine months to file a compensation request to which airlines must respond within 30 days either to pay up, or to explain why they believe there are mitigating circumstances.
The amount of compensation for delayed or cancelled flights depend on flight distance: €250 for journeys up to 1,500 km, €400 for journeys between 1,500 km and 3,500 km, and €600 for all other longer journeys.
A new clause will allow the airlines to halve compensation payouts on long haul flights if they ensure that passengers reach their destination no more than four hours late.
“This agreement will strengthen the rights of air passengers across Europe. It will bring greater transparency and predictability for both consumers and airlines, without creating unnecessary bureaucracy for our industry,” said Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, who became personally involved in the negotiations.
The biggest change is over seating surcharges.
Under the new rules, a passenger accompanying a child below the age of 14, someone with a disability or a pregnant woman must be allowed to sit in an adjacent seat for no extra charge.
It is hoped that that will put an end to families being split up and people with disabilities being separated from carers.
In another change, airlines will not be able to ban passengers from a return flight because they missed the outbound leg of the journey.
The final deal is expected to be put to a vote in the European Parliament next month. It will also need to be signed-off by EU transport ministers before it becomes law.