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We’ve all been there – you think you’ve found a decently priced budget flight to a European destination, only to be hit with a huge fee for your overhead bag. Well, those days are officially over: after 13 years of negotiations, the EU has finally reached an agreement that will allow passengers to carry hand luggage onboard free of charge.
The proposal will allow holidaymakers to travel with carry-on luggage up to 7 kilograms with no extra fee – and that’s on top of your under-the-seat backpack, too.
The move to eliminate hidden costs for hand luggage is part of a wider agreement between the European Council and European Parliament to strengthen passenger rights across the bloc.
According to a press release about the agreement, ‘air fares including allowance for a piece of hand baggage shall be displayed by default before the start of any booking process’.
What are the new protections for air passengers in Europe?
Alongside the rules around cabin luggage, the agreement encompasses the following protections.
- Easier and smoother claims: Airlines will be required to immediately acknowledge receipt of a claim and then reply, within 30 days, by either paying compensation or providing a clear justification for refusing the claim.
- Right to compensation in cases of cancellation and delay: Under the agreement, passengers’ right to claim compensation remains the same.
- Right to assistance: In case of disruption, passengers are entitled to refreshments every two hours and a full meal every three hours of waiting time.
- Newly introduced rights include the prohibition of denying boarding for a passenger who didn't take the outbound flight; transparency around luggage fees in upfront ticket costs; and families and passengers with reduced mobility will be able to sit together at no extra cost.
- Right to information: Airlines are required to inform passengers clearly and comprehensively about flight delays and cancellations.
- Right to rerouting: After a cancellation or boarding denial (within reason), passengers must be offered an alternative route within three hours.
- Greater clarity on the definition of ‘extraordinary circumstances’
Obviously, this is a massive win for travellers, but not everyone’s happy about it. It’s expected to hit low-cost airlines particularly hard – Ryanair, for example, made €4.7 billion in 2024 from charging extra fees like seat selection and baggage costs.
In a statement, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary called the new regulations ‘bureaucratic bunkum’ which ‘require airlines to falsely advertise higher air fares, making EU airlines even less competitive’.
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