24 Reasons to Remain

Open Skies Agreement
The EU enacted a ‘Single European Sky’ in 2004 which couples the
standardisation of practice and the integration of ATC with single
market principles that have enabled the expansion of low–cost travel.
It also negotiates for all member states ‘open sky’ agreements with
other nations (eg long-haul flights) defining the terms of access for
civil aircraft and especially the landing rights. The most significant of
these is with the US. (Source: ec.europa.eu/transport/modes/air_en)
“Despite Brexiters’ hope that their new best friend, Trump, would cut
us some slack, his administration is resisting giving airlines such as
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic the same flying rights post-Brexit
that they enjoy today as part of US-EU open skies agreement. The
UK needs to replace 65 international transport agreements, according
to the FT.” (Source: Denis McShane, INfacts.org. 6 March 2018)
Passenger rights & protection
“The UK’s membership of the EU has given travellers many highly
beneficial rights and protections, including visa-free travel and access
to free or reduced-cost healthcare via the European Health Insurance
Card, which was used over 215,000 times in 2015 by UK citizens...
there are no WTO rules for aviation to fall back on if we do not reach
a deal.” (Source: Association of British Travel Agents, Brexit for travel & tourism, April 2017)
Compensation (for scheduled & package holiday flights)
Legislation specifies levels of compensation for cancelled or delayed
flights, missed connections, and being bumped or downgraded. It
covers flights from EU airports and from other countries by European
airlines. (Source: UK Civil Aviation Authority. Your rights when you fly. Accessed 7 July 2018)
Visa-free travel
Despite the UK not being part of the Schengen Agreement and
retaining its border controls, its citizens can travel freely within the EU.
“Brits to pay £6 visa to travel to EU countries after Brexit (and) will
also have to provide personal details and their criminal history.” (Source:
Caroline McGuire, The Sun. 26 April 2018)
Consular representation is provided by other member states
where the UK has no embassy. The pound sterling has depreciated by
around 10% against both the Euro & US dollar (the currency for
aviation fuel) in the two years since the referendum, inflating the cost
of airline travel and holidays in the US and Europe.