Many airlines such as Easyjet and Ryanair offer some tickets for well under �50. But, under the new rules, they may have to pay out as much as �170, for over-booked or cancelled flights.
Our reporter Mike Sergeant brought you a day in the life of an Easyjet plane, as it criss-crosses Europe, from London, to Edinburgh and Amsterdam. Compensation rules
The new rules offer various levels of compensation, if flights are delayed or cancelled. Small delays probably won't mean any compensation at all.
If an airline bumps a passenger off a shorthaul flight because of over-booking, it will have to pay �170 - regardless of what the passenger paid for the ticket.
 | Compensation for cancellation Flights less than 935 miles: �170 Flights 935-2,215 miles: �272 Flights over 2,215 miles: �415 |
Long-haul passengers could get up to �415 per person if their flight is cancelled.
Delays
The new rules will also mean that delayed passengers could be entitled to free meals, phone calls and even overnight hotel accommodation.
You should get some form of recompense if your flight is delayed by up to two hours (for short-haul flights); three hours for medium range flights or four hours for long-haul flights.
If your flight is delayed by more than five hours, you're entitled to a refund of your ticket.
| What you told Breakfast  This is great. It will force them to operate on time and think of the passengers
 Peter Hamblin, Peterborough |
Leaflets publicising the new rules will be handed to passengers at airports from today.
But no-frills carriers have already said they're not happy, as many delays are beyond their control - and passengers are often paying much less than �170 for their tickets.
Consumer campaigners say the new rules will make budget airlines clean up their act and treat their customers better. But the low cost carriers believe that many delays are beyond their control.
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