BRUSSELS -- European and U.S. officials last week downplayed fears that airline flights from Europe to the U.S. might be disrupted at the end of September, when an agreement on the sharing of personal data about passengers is scheduled to expire as the result of a new court order.

The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg ruled that the 2-year-old agreement to share with American authorities information about passengers flying to the U.S. is illegal. However, it temporarily left the agreement in place, giving the European Commission and the 25 member countries of the European Union until Sept. 30 to come up with another solution with the U.S.

"We need continuity," said Franco Frattini, the European commissioner for justice and home affairs. Frattini added that he is "certain" an agreement can be reached to avert a crisis in trans- Atlantic travel.

"I am confident that we will find a solution that will keep the data flowing and the planes flying," agreed Stewart Baker, an assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security .

Despite those assurances, resolving the matter "is not an easy situation," said Chris Kaner, a lawyer in the Brussels office of Hunton & Williams LLP who focuses on data protection issues. "The court decision throws everything up for re-examination."