You know the drill – after hours of scrolling SkyScanner, you think you’ve bagged yourself a proper bargain for your next flight. Then you start to see the bill going up as you select hand luggage, pick your seat on the plane and opt for early check-in. All of a sudden you’re paying £70 more than you originally planned.
But those days of hidden fees and trying to stuff all your belongings in a backpack to keep things cheap could soon be over. The i Paper has reported that the UK is considering following in the EU’s footsteps and banning airlines from charging passengers for bringing hand luggage on board.
The extra charges for overhead luggage on planes are fairly recent. Ryanair and WizzAir introduced fees in 2018 and easyJet put them in place in 2021. But some airlines like British Airways and Jet2 still include two pieces of cabin luggage in their base flight fees.
If the EU ban comes into place (member states still need to approve the proposals later this year), passengers will be allowed an under seat bag and a cabin bag that can be stored in the overhead locker at no extra cost, as long as its no bigger than 100cm and no heavier than 7kg. EU-based airlines that would be affected include EasyJet Europe, Ryanair and WizzAir. British airlines wouldn’t need to comply on domestic flights or links from the UK to non-EU destinations like Morocco or Montenegro.
That said, a source told the i Paper that the British government is discussing following suit, although the policy development is still in its infant stages. It hasn’t officially been confirmed, though.
A spokeswoman from the UK’s department for transport said: ‘We do not comment on speculation but continue to closely monitor the EU’s proposals on air passenger rights reforms.
‘We want to make sure passengers can travel with ease, which is why we landed a deal with the EU to allow millions more British nationals to use e-gates at airports in time for the summer holidays.’
Airlines argue that making cabin luggage free isn’t feasible, as there simply isn’t enough space for every passenger to bring two bags each, and it could cause delays. The change could also mean that airlines hike up their base ticket fares in order to compensate, essentially defeating the point of ditching of the fee in the first place.
A spokesperson for WizzAir said: ‘If enacted, airlines would be required to include the price of hand luggage in the initial ticket price, regardless of whether the customer needs it. This would reduce price transparency and eliminate consumer choice by forcing passengers to pay for services they may not use.’
An easyJet spokesperson added: ‘If implemented, this would result in flight delays and a therefore a poorer experience for customers. All our customers can bring an under-seat bag for free, which gives them the flexibility to only pay for what they want and keeps fares low. Nearly 40 per cent of our customers pay for the fare only.’
At this point, it’s all just speculation over whether the UK will make cabin luggage free, but experts say it’ll be tricky for it not to follow suit if the EU law comes into place.
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