air passengers win new eu rights air passengers who are unable to board their flights because of overbooking  cancellations or flight delays can now demand greater compensation.  new eu rules set compensation at between 250 euros (£173) and 600 euros  depending on the length of the flight. the new rules will apply to all scheduled and charter flights  including budget airlines. airlines have attacked the legislation saying they could be forced to push prices higher to cover the extra cost. the european commission is facing two legal challenges - one from the european low-fare airlines association (elaa) and the other from the international air transport association (iata)  which has attacked the package as a  bad piece of legislation . previously  passengers could claim between 150 euros and 300 euros if they had been stopped from boarding.  however  only scheduled flight operators were obliged to offer compensation in cases of overbooking and they did not have to offer compensation for flight cancellations.  the eu decided to increase passenger compensation in a bid to deter airlines from deliberately overbooking flights. overbooking can often lead to  bumping  - when a passenger is moved to a later flight. when this happens against a passenger s will  airlines will now have to offer compensation. in addition  if a flight is cancelled or delayed for more than two hours through the fault of the airline  all passengers must be paid compensation.  however  airlines do not have to offer compensation if flights are cancelled or delayed due to  extraordinary circumstances . airlines fear that  extraordinary circumstances  may not include bad weather  security alerts or strikes - events which are outside of their control. all eu-based airlines and operators of flights which take off from the eu will have to adhere to the new compensation regime which came into force on thursday. low-cost airlines have criticised the new compensation levels  arguing that the pay-out could be worth more than the ticket.  it s a preposterous piece of legislation  we among all airlines are fighting this   ryanair deputy chief executive michael cawley told radio 4 s today programme.  the european regions airline association (eraa) claims that neither airlines nor consumers were consulted over the changes. andy clarke  eraa director of air transport  said that the ec advice misleads customers as it leads them to believe that airlines could be liable for payouts if flights are delayed because of bad weather.  ec spokeswoman marja quillinan-meiland conceded there were  grey areas  but said  these are not as big as the airlines are making out . in cases of dispute  national enforcement bodies would decide whether the passenger had a case  she said. new technology means it is easier for airlines to take off and land in bad weather  she added. the eraa s mr clarke also warned that while airlines would comply with the new rules  the extra costs would be passed onto passengers.  we reckon it s going to cost european air passengers - not the airlines  the airlines have no money  it has to be paid by passengers - 1.5bn euros  that s over £1bn a year loaded onto european passengers   mr clarke said.  that s basically a transfer of money from passengers whose journeys are not disrupted to passengers whose journeys are disrupted.   on wednesday  jacques barrot  vice president of the european commission and also commissioner for transport  said that the changes were necessary.  the boom in air travel needs to be accompanied by proper protection of passengers  right.   this is a concrete example of how the union benefits people s daily lives   he added. the ec has launched an information campaign in airports and travel agencies to inform airline passengers of their new rights.